September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, a time to promote conversations about one of the leading causes of death for young people and a worsening public health crisis. The Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation launched its #ItsOkTo Not Be Ok campaign earlier this month to kick off the month, complete with a video and graphics that you can share.

Suicide is the tenth leading cause of death in the U.S. and the second leading cause of death among people ages 10 to 34, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 47,173 people died by suicide in 2017, the latest year for which data are available. Additionally, 479,000 people harmed themselves through self-inflicted injuries.

We created this fact sheet to help people like you raise awareness about the health risks and concerns of suicide, raise awareness about the warning signs of suicide, and foster resiliency among youth.

Grab a coffee, tea, or water, and join us for a virtual conversation about the state of prevention in Ohio. Prevention Action Alliance Deputy Executive Director Bobby Persinger and Ohio Department of Mental Health Services Bureau Chief Stacey Frohnapfel-Hasson will lead this conversation on Friday, September 25th, from 10 to 11 a.m.

Couldn’t attend the last coffee klatsch? Can’t remember what it was our special guest said? Don’t worry, you can view recordings of several coffee klatsches and other videos from PAA on our YouTube channel.

The Statewide Prevention Coalition Association at Prevention Action Alliance is offering a six-session learning collaborative for advocacy. This six-session Advocacy Boot Camp will take you through the ins and outs of advocacy from the basics to planning your own legislative strategy.

Space is limited and running out, so ensure you apply now for this unique opportunity.

Only applicants who can attend all six sessions will be considered. Applications will be accepted until October 16th. Participants will be notified on October 23rd.

Internet dares are nothing new, but the newest one, the Benadryl Challenge, has already caused the death of one teenager and seriously hurt at least three others. It’s unclear how widespread this particular challenge may be, but it is clear that the risk-taking of teenagers will continue to find new ways of expressing itself.

This digital dare is a teachable moment for parents, teachers, and other adults who care about young people. By setting boundaries and expectations, promoting critical thinking, staying positive, and educating young people about the health risks and consequences of their actions, we can support them as them through this and the next challenge.

September is Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Awareness Month, and September 9th is International FASD Awareness Day.

The whole month of September is a key time to raise awareness about FASDs. To help you raise awareness about FASDs during FASD Awareness Month, we've collaborated with Aubrey Page, CEO and FASD educator at FASDaware LLC.

Aubrey created a social media kit to help you raise awareness about FASDs on social media, and she updates those resources on her Trello board. Additionally, she is interviewing experts about FASDs, which you can find on her YouTube page.

Each year, from Oct. 23-31, individuals, schools, and communities across the nation show their commitment to a healthy, drug-free lifestyle by wearing or displaying a red ribbon. This annual event offers a great opportunity to raise awareness of the problem of drug misuse. Red Ribbon Week started more than three decades ago, following the death of Enrique "Kiki” Camarena, a special agent with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) who was killed by drug traffickers. The DEA and the U.S. Department of Education encourage schools and communities to participate in this year's Red Ribbon Week. To virtually promote and support this year's event, the agencies developed an online toolkit including downloadable graphics, a fact card, student and parent pledges, and ways to promote Red Ribbon Week.

Data from the 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health has been compiled in the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s annual report. The total report contains more than 100 pages of data, tables, and figures about alcohol use, tobacco use, illicit drug use, prescription drug use, serious mental illness, attitudes and perceptions toward substance use, and more. Some of the key findings from the report include:

The Monitoring the Future Survey found that vaping marijuana and nicotine more than doubled among young adults aged 19 to 22. Marijuana use among young adults was also at or near the highest levels seen over four decades.

In fact, 43.0 percent of young adults in college used marijuana as did 42.6 percent of those not in college. At the same time, 43.7 percent of young adults in college vaped, including 25.5 percent who vaped marijuana and 35.3 percent who vaped nicotine. Of young adults not in college, 40.5 percent vaped, including 23.4 percent who vaped marijuana and 29.5 percent who vaped nicotine.

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