Panaptic’s IMPACT Substance Use Prevention curriculum and tiered pricing packages now grant access to:
- Updated Marijuana Prevention
- Alcohol Prevention
- Opioid/Fentanyl Prevention
- Parent/Guardian Substance Use Prevention
- Educator Substance Use Prevention
Please reach out to learn more!
Panaptic’s Prevention Hero: A Student’s Journey from Substance Use to Guiding Others to Recovery
This month we’re honored to nominate Sero Mental Health West Coast Director of Business Development Chad Steinetz as our Panaptic Prevention Hero!
Chad connects people with mental health and substance use disorders to the best care for their sustained recovery. Chad shares his own story in “It was a Tuesday” about how he developed an addiction to opioids as a freshman athlete in college. Chad’s disarming honesty and self-compassion cut away at the stigma, shame, and blame that can prevent others from asking for help.
Chad describes his need to fit in and belong in a way that’s easily relatable to many students today. Rather than substance use being a moral failure or selfish desire for pleasure, Chad writes:
“I am not chasing a ‘High’…I am chasing a version of me that exists only in my mind…of Chad that can dance at parties and talk to pretty girls…that knows exactly what to say and when to say it…that believes in himself and doesn’t care about what anyone else thinks…I am not trying to ruin lives, destroy my family, other families, and my future. That is simply a byproduct of my desperate search for meaning in a world that seemingly has none.”
When recently asked if someone earlier in his life planted a seed that helped him find recovery, Chad answered: “I remember Chris Herren, the former Celtics basketball player coming to our high school and talking about his journey to recovery. I remember thinking that if he can go through the things he did and turn it all around, then anything was possible. I remembered that years later when I finally began my own story of redemption.”
We sincerely thank all of you who are helping students make healthy choices regarding substances. You are making a profound impact in so many lives!
Research Update: McLean Hospital Provides Strategies to Recognize, Prevent, and Treat Teen Substance Use
Teachers play a vital role in recognizing student behavior that may signal substance use concerns. The McLean Hospital article, “Teens, Drugs, and Alcohol: What Parents and Caregivers Should Know,” outlines why adolescents are more vulnerable to substance use disorders, how early recognition and intervention can improve outcomes, and how to help teens find the right care for a substance use disorder.
When teachers connect with teens through curiosity and empathy, and offer consistent, open, nonjudgemental communication, they can build strong, trusting relationships. The McLean Hospital article outlines how this type of relationship can be a key factor in teen substance use recognition, prevention, and treatment.
Opinion: Self-Compassion Is Key to a Growth Mindset
As we move on from the excitement and exhaustion of “back-to-school” season, it’s important to honor our successes and growth areas. Educators are teaching new classrooms, coaches are building new teams, and administrators are overseeing many aspects of the new year. Meanwhile, students are navigating both the fun and fear of intense new academic, athletic, and social challenges.
The McLean Hospital article above notes that these pressures can lead teens towards substances as a coping mechanism, stress reliever, or social lubricant. While adolescents are more susceptible than adults to the harms of substance use, all ages can be at risk during stressful times.
Therefore, it’s critical that we reflect on our back-to-school ups and downs with self-compassion. Intense times can bring mental, physical, and emotional growth. This growth often comes from making mistakes. These resources help us honor our growth alongside our mishaps with self-compassion. This self-compassion motivates us to pause and acknowledge our growth. This pause gives us a chance to reset and refocus our energy, so we empower ourselves to keep growing.
- A better way to support your teens as they go back to school
- 6 Things I’m Doing to Be a Healthier Educator this Year
- I just went through a career earthquake. What I learned about anger, insomnia, and bouncing back
- The Path of Self-Love
- A Guide to Self-Compassion; Ten Percent Happier with Dan Harris & Ofosu Jones-Quartey
