Blog Report

Thursday, April 3, 2008

SAFE Education in Virginia

The Chesterfield Observer of Chesterfield County, Virginia printed a front-page story about inhalant use yesterday. Virginia as a state as well as this particular region have been at the forefront of raising awareness about inhalants. SAFE (Substance Abuse Free Environment) is piloting programs in Carver, Swift Creek, and Salem Church middle schools. Sharyl Adams, SAFE's substance abuse prevention specialist, says that,

"If we hadn't gotten the survey results showing that we were twice the national average regarding inhalant abuse, quite frankly, we wouldn't be doing this."

Carver Middle School held the SAFE workshop in April, and Principal Don Ashburn recognized the immediate impact that it had on teachers:
"There was a bit of shock and ah-ha moments for our teachers. It was like seeing the piece of a puzzle come together. Sometimes in the past, teachers have seen a child with declining grades. They've made contact with the parents, the parents have conducted drugtesting and then you have this training and you go 'okay, it's clear to me now'" in realizing that inhalant abuse might just be the cause."

The article also mentioned SAFE's sponsorship of Sgt. Jeff Williams, along with his message of,
"Teachers, parents say, 'Don't tell the kids because then they'll try it.' My message is they already know, so we have to talk with our kids about it."

In addition, several good tips were presented at the end of the article, such as -
Tips for Educating Your Child:

Beginning at an early age, talk about poison prevention and product safety.
• Read labels with your child and teach him/her how to do so.
• Talk to him/her about the serious effects of abusing products.
• Reinforce peer resistance skills and practice these with your child.
• Highlight that inhalants are poisons rather than drugs.

As well as:
Long-term effects of inhalant use:

• Memory loss
• Impaired vision
• Loss of coordination
• Slurred speech
• Reduced lung function
• Bone marrow damage
• Muscle weakness
• Depression
• Dementia

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