NOPE Program - Narcotics Overdose Prevention and Education was held on 

Wednesday, February 4, 2015 at Lower Merion High School.  A student presentation was held in the morning followed by the parent presentation in the evening.  This event stressed the importance of community education regarding overdose death.

The presenters, members of the Montgomery County NOPE Task Force, included: 

• Kevin Steele -- 1st Assistant DA
• Marissa Wadsworth -- lost a son to an overdose
• Ashley Seneca -- lost her brother
• Kaitlyn Genthert -- narrator
• Addiction Therapist and recovering alcoholic

Reasons for the Program:

In 2013, there were 20 heroin overdose deaths in Montgomery County, and one in five teens have abused prescription drugs. The mission of  NOPE is to diminish the frequency and impact of overdose death through community education. By design, NOPE's presentation was personal, and delivered graphically and emotionally from several perspectives, including individuals who have lost close family members. The presenters addressed important topics facing today's youths - prescription drug abuse, drug interaction, signs of substance abuse, addiction, parenting strategies, and where to get help.
  

Main Takeaways:

• Mindfulness - The importance of parents knowing what is going on in their child's life and in their medicine cabinets. Each day, 2000 teens try prescription drugs for the first time to get high. 
• "Prevent Overdose - Lock Up Your Medications" If you need to discard old drugs or ones that you no longer need, there is a Drop Box at the Lower Merion Police Department.
• Brain Research - The brain does not fully develop until age 24. Everything that a child puts in his/her body before that age has an affect on their developing brain.
• General Research - Teens who drink with their parents drink more later on, drink more elsewhere, and two years later score higher on a measure of problem drinking.
• "Protective factors" contribute to children not using drugs/alcohol. These factors include strong family bonds, parental involvement, clear expectations, positive social interactions, and the perceived external disapproval of drug use.
• "Risk factors" associated with drug use include early use of drugs/alcohol, sensation seekers, above average disposable income, affiliation with deviant peers, and the perceived external approval of drug use.
• Marijuana is the most commonly used drug, and it is 10-20 times more potent than that used in 1960's. Marijuana, tobacco and alcohol, are considered "Gateway Drugs." The use of them may result in involvement with other drugs.
• If you see signs of drug overdose, take action. The importance of taking action was stressed to both the parents and at the student program. The message to the students was "Be a Hero - Call 911."

This law was briefly mentioned to remind people to never hesitate to call for help and to assure them that bystanders would be protected if they call for help in the presence of another's overdose. Good Samaritan laws are adopted to save lives by encouraging people who witness drug overdoses to call 911. The laws provide legal immunity to those who call for help when the person they are with experiences a drug overdose.  To receive immunity, a person must call 911, give authorities identifying information about themselves and stay with the overdosing person until help arrives.  To learn more about this law, Click Here 

Follow us: @nbcphiladelphia on Twitter | nbcphiladelphia on Facebook

For More Information, visit www.nopetaskforce.org

P: 1-561-478-1055 1-866-612-NOPE
  

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _   

Mindfulness, Taking Care of