Substance Use
Tue or False:
Is Alcohol considered a drug?
What might you feel after consuming drugs?
Dizzy, headaches, nauseous, sick to stomach, shortness of breath, sweaty etc.
True or False:
If you have a caregiver that uses drugs, that means that you will also use drugs when you grow up
False
You find your sibling passed out on the floor with a bottle of pills beside her. What is the first thing you should do?
Call 911
How can you express how you feel without talking to anyone?
True or False:
Does everyone get addicted when they try drugs?
False
When you see someone homeless on the street, are they usually on drugs?
No. There are many reasons for homelessness and not all homeless use substances.
Your friend puts a cigarette in front of your mouth and says "Smoke this cigarette" but you don't want to. What do you do?
Push the cigarette away from your mouth and explain to your friend that you don't want to smoke it and you don't appreciate them trying to force you to do something you don't want to do.
Is it healthy to bottle up your emotions and feelings?
No. It is very unhealthy to keep your negative thoughts bottled up. Always try to find a trusted person to talk to or use resources around you
How old do you have to be to consume illegal drugs?
Trick question! You should not consume illegal drugs.
Your older sibling says to you, "I can't believe you've never drank alcohol before. you're a wimp. If i gave you a beer right now i bet you wouldn't even drink it."
What is your response?
You're right, i wouldn't drink it. I don't need to do anything i dont want to do and you shouldn't be trying to pressure me into doing it.
How would you feel if you hung out with people who wanted you to do well and cared about you?
Happy, thankful, loved, appreciated, joyful, positive etc.
True or False:
Doing drugs makes you cool and people will like you more
False
Your friend hands you a drink at a party and tell you that you have to drink it or else you won't fit in with anyone and you'll embarrass him if you don't, so you end up drinking it. After you drank it, you didn't feel good about it. What can you say to your friend so that doesn't happen again.
I didn't like that you put my feelings down to make me feel like i had to drink that. You weren't being a good friend when you did that and if that's how your going to speak to your friends i don't want to hang around you anymore.
If you saw your friend struggling, how would you help them or try to lift them up?
Validating their feelings, let them know it's okay to be upset, show empathy, be an active/ reflective listener, ask them what they need from you as a friend, encourage them to speak to a trusted adult/ professional/ help them find resources in the community, let them know you are there for them etc.
Your parent/ caregiver consumes drugs often. You don't like how they act when they are under the influence because they get angry. You don't want to say anything to them incase they get mad at you. Who can you talk to to get help?
CMHA, CAS, Kids help phone
When is it not a good time to reach out for help and talk to someone when something is wrong?
It is always the right time to speak up and talk to someone about what is going on.