A Strong Start: Guiding Your Kids Through Back To School Challenges

Click here to register for this free national webinar on Wednesday, September 16th at 12:00-1:00PM.

Adolescence can bring a mix of emotions for kids, teens and young adults, ranging from excitement and anticipation to stress, depression and anxiety. While many youth seek healthy strategies to cope with these feelings, others may turn to substance use and other risky activities in attempts to feel better.

Coping with substance use is one of the most common reasons that youth use substances, however the question remains - do substances make anxiety and depression better, or worse? Join Substance as we will examine the relationships between substance use and mental health.

During this presentation, we will:

• Reflect on the impact of stress in our own lives before considering stress facing youth​.
• Compare the impact of various coping strategies, including substance use, on depression, stress and anxiety.
• Examine how the use of common substances (alcohol, nicotine, cannabis and opioids) impact our ability to manage stress and anxiety, and whether these substances increase or decrease stress in our lives.
• Discuss the links between substance use and mental health disorders.
• Consider conversation strategies and skills that parents and professionals can use to engage with youth about substance use and wellness.
• Identify risk/protective factors impacting harmful substance use and how educators and other adults can model protective factors at home, at school and in the community at large