Surry Central Addiction Awareness Week

Last week students at Surry Central High School observed Addiction Awareness Week at their school with presentation from local experts and contests meant to raise awareness.

Surry County Office of Substance Abuse Recovery Outreach Coordinator Charlotte Reeves said the students learned about the dangers of “fentapills.” They also heard a presentation from Surry County EMS about what happens during a drug overdose. Easter Seals discussed mental health with students, and they also heard stories about real life experiences dealing with issues surrounding substance use disorders and addiction.

Reeves shared information from the group Song for Charlie, a national family-run nonprofit charity dedicated to raising awareness about fentapills — fake pills laced with fentanyl.

“Their son Charlie died from taking one pill that he ordered online at Snapchat. The family partnered with Snapchat to do a mass communications campaign instead of trying to fight with them because they said the more important thing was getting the message out to kids right now,” she explained.

The group said 19% of teens say they have misused a prescription drug or have thought about it, yet 64% of teens said they were unaware of the dangers of counterfeit pills. The dangers from fake pills and fentanyl are so striking experts say because trace amounts, the equivalent of three grains of salt, can be fatal.

The group reported fentanyl deaths for youth ages 15 to 24 more than doubled between 2018 and 2022. During that same period, fentanyl deaths of those aged 15 to 19 year grew nearly four times.

“We’re not talking about a drug overdose, accidental or otherwise, we’re talking about being fatally poisoned by a single pill. One that looks like a legit Xanax, Percocet, or Oxycontin except these pills aren’t legit. They are fake and can kill you within in minutes and it’s happening all around you,” a video from the group told students.

“If a pill is not from a doctor or pharmacist, it’s not legit,” the group said, adding the common refrain for fentanyl awareness: “One pill can kill.”

Again, this year Surry Central had a number of contests for students to enter including the essay contest.

The winning essay from Surry Central High School’s Addiction Awareness week was from Madelyn Wilmoth, who won $100 donated by Chatham Nursing and Rehabilitation. Her essay follows in its entirety:

It is something you never expect. Some people that I grew up with now have needles in their arms. Snorting whatever they can get their hands on. Taking any pill. Drinking any drink. Kids I used to play hide and seek with are now hiding from their problems. Kids that used to be addicted to candy, are now addicted to drugs. The sweetest classmates of mine turned into quiet, depressed, and angry teens. Seeing my old friends change into strangers over the years has to be the most sad and painful experience I have ever gone through.

There isn’t much you can do to help a drug addict. They have to help themselves as well. The way that I see it is a fly in a sticky fly trap. You can help the poor fly get unstuck, but it will eventually fly back into it again. It is a never ending cycle. I do not blame anyone who is on drugs because I understand why it is so hard to stop.

We have learned this week during Addiction Awareness the effects that drugs have on the brain. Instead of a simple, pleasurable surge of dopamine, many drugs of abuse (such as opioids, cocaine, or nicotine) cause dopamine to flood the reward pathway, 10 times more than a natural award. Once a drug is taken, happiness isn’t real happiness without it.

Mental health is a huge part of drug usage. In high school we seem to be given up on. Nobody seems to care if you don’t eat or sleep. If you have a rough household? Who cares? You come here to learn. The same day feels like it is on repeat. Like a scratch on a CD singing the same song over and over and over again. When you are mentally drained? “You’re being dramatic.” One in six U.S. youth aged 6-17 experience a mental health disorder each year (Source: NAMI.org/mhstats). “You do this for attention.” 50% of all lifetime mental illness begins by age 14. “You harm yourself for other people’s pity.” Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death among people aged 10-14. “You don’t try.” 15.08% of youth ages 12-17 report suffering from at least one major depressive episode in the past year.

Mental illness is real, and it is scary. This has been a very dark and upsetting message, but it is nothing but the truth. I hurt for each and every one of them who fell into an awful spiral because they feel like they need a substance to survive. Be a friend to everyone. You never know what they could be going through.

- Piper Coulter took second place in the essay contest winning a $50 prize donated by Unique Background Solutions. Her essay follows:

Substance abuse can affect brain development in teens by creating problems with memory, ingraining expectations of unhealthy habits into brain circuitry, interfering with neurotransmitters and damaging connections within the brain, etc. Studies have shown that the teen brain responds differently to alcohol than the adult brain does. Alcohol poses a serious risk to the physical health and growth of teens. Studies have also shown that excessive drinking in teens can result in shorter limbs and reduced growth potential, higher levels of enzymes that indicate liver damage, delayed puberty, negative effects on the reproductive system, and more. Some social and professional risks include sexually transmitted diseases, damaged relationships with friends and family, and wasted academic opportunities.

Teens usually experiment with alcohol, drugs, and vapes, which can lead to addiction. Teenage drug use can lead to multiple negative consequences and health problems. Drug and alcohol use can impede critical developmental processes in a teen’s developing brain. Teenagers are susceptible to peer pressure and peer pressure plays a big role in teens abusing substances. Drugs and alcohol have a negative impact on a teen’s physical, mental, and emotional health and it could also cause the teen’s death.

There are multiple reasons why teenagers might start drinking or doing drugs, some reasons include peer pressure from friends/family, depression from a breakup or situation, risk-taking, arid etc. Some teens might think it’s “cool” to drink, do drugs or vape because they might think that they will get into the “cool” group or the popular group at school. When a teenager becomes heavily involved in drugs their emotional maturation is stunned. A dream journal is a good way to prevent teenagers with their addiction. Someone with an addiction will not be able to remember their dreams consistently so if they have a dream journal then they can write down their dreams if they remember them. A dream journal is also good for boosting psychological health and being very pleasant.

Teenagers that abuse substances often experience difficulties in school, including poor academic performance, absenteeism, and increased dropout rates. Substance abuse can also lead to involvement in criminal activities, such as theft, driving under the influence (DUI), or possession of illegal substances. Prescription drug abuse is on the rise because experts think that more people are abusing prescription medications because there are more drugs available. Doctors report that they are writing more prescriptions than ever before. It’s also easy to find online pharmacies selling these drugs. Teenagers may also feel the need to do drugs and alcohol because they see adults drink and do drugs, so they think that its ok or safe for them to try these things. Technology also plays a role in DUIs and car accidents because with technology becoming better, means newer, faster cars and a lot of teenagers want fast cars so they can look/be “cool.”

The way that teenagers get drugs or alcohol is by having someone older than them buy the drugs/alcohol, sneaking out of the house to drink or do drugs, and etc. Some teenagers take pills that aren’t prescribed to them and that can be deadly. Teenagers can get non prescribed pills from their friends so beware of who your kids hangout with and who their friends are. Some ways to deal with peer pressure include having a friend that will stand with you, saying no, walk away, get advice from an adult, and etc. Marijuana is commonly used by young users. Narcotic painkillers like Oxycontin and benzodiazepines like Xanax produce pleasurable effects that teens may seek out. Sometimes teens have a hard time in school, so they resort to marijuana and other drugs to take the weight off their back. Some teenagers find marijuana and other drugs as a relaxing drug, but they don’t see the long term goals that could harm them for their entire life.

Some parents believe that there is little they can do to prevent teen drug use despite evidence that shows parental involvement is the strongest factor in prevention. Substance abuse is no joke, and it should be taken seriously because it can lead to death if teens keep doing drugs and drinking alcohol over and over.

- Ivy Toney placed third in the essay contest and will enjoy some free Papa John’s Pizza for their effort.

In this essay, I’m going to tell you how much drugs and addiction have affected my life, and how it affected my family and friends.

Drugs have been involved in my life in many ways. I’ve been a witness in everything imaginable, even though I have never consumed any drug. I know how bad drugs can screw up your life with only one try. Many of my family members have had an experience with drugs: my mom, dad, stepmom, sisters, oldest brother, uncles and cousins. But the worst of it, unfortunately for me, was when on February 28th, 2023, my dad passed away from an overdose.

Although my life from the beginning was very hard, with mental, emotional and physical abuse as well as starvation, his death was the last thing I expected or wanted. With the death of your parents, you expect them to pass away when you’re later in life. But that didn’t happen to me. In my life both of my parents took turns being absent, both involved in drugs in their life. First it was my mom getting with the wrong guy who exposed her into that lifestyle. Soon after she went to prison, and thankfully has been clean and in my life ever since. For my day, it started when I was in third grade, and it progressively got worse when I was in fourth grade. That’s when the abuse and starvation came into play. My dad was fighting his own demons at that time and was highly persuaded by my stepmom, who also ended up dying from an overdose in August of 2020.

So now you know some of my story that so many people don’t know. My life has been turned upside down, shook, and put right back. But dealing with that in my life, seeing family members suffer and two of them pass away really shows how affected other family members can be by drug abuse, how that can mess with their head. For me I was very upset with the passing of my father, even though we weren’t close like we were when I was younger. But I had always been a daddy’s little girl. Instead of dwelling in my grief, however, I have used that grief and started talking about overdose and drug awareness. Last year for drug awareness week, I created the “no more shame, no more stigma, overdose awareness” t-shirts as well as winning the drawing portion. This year in honor of my dad’s passing, I have donated to the food bank here in Dobson for people who don’t have any food. I talked on ‘Surry on the Go’ about my experience with overdose, and lastly more of a personal thing, I released balloons in my dad’s honor.

In conclusion, my experience with drugs in my family has been long and emotionally draining, but also has given me the opportunity to share with others and maybe save someone from that suffering. One try can ruin your life, so the first time you try it you’re done. Drugs ain’t worth the life that God has given you.”