Drug & Alcohol Hotlines:

• National Association for Children of Alcoholics: 1-888-55-4COAS (1-888-554-2627)

• National Drug Abuse: 1-800-662-HELP (4357)

• Al-Anon/Al-teen Hope & Help for Young People who are the relatives & friends of a problem drinker): 1-800-344-2666

• Alcohol/Drug Abuse Hotline: 1-800-662-HELP (4357)

• Be Sober Hotline: 1-800-BE-SOBER (1-800-237-6237)

• Marijuana Anonymous: 1-800-766-6779

• National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence: 1-800-622-2255

• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Poison Help Hotline: 1-800-222-1222

• Helpline for Georgia Substance Abuse: 1-800-338-6745

• Georgia Crisis Access Line (GCAL): 1-800-715-4225

WHAT IS DRUG FREE CHEROKEE?

Drug Free Cherokee (DFC) is a local community coalition established in 2004 whose mission is developing a drug free Cherokee County through a collaboration of resources for individuals and families.

DFC is composed of local youth serving organizations, business, law enforcement, civic organizations, healthcare, schools, media, faith community, government agencies, substance abuse organizations, parents and youth. These community representatives work together to develop and implement initiatives to prevent drug and alcohol use among the youth of our community.

Over the years the DFC coalition has established the Cherokee Youth Council, which includes local 9th - 12th grade youth. These young leaders develop an annual strategic plan for preventing and reducing alcohol and drug abuse among their peers and act as advisors to the coalition.

Through the help of the Cherokee Youth Council, DFC began the Cherokee Youth Challenge; alcohol sticker shock campaigns alerting adults to the penalties for providing to minors; the prom campaign to discourage adults from providing alcohol to minors during prom season, spring break and graduation celebrations; and the 100% tobacco free campaign to reduce the use of tobacco among students.

16 and Recovering

16 and recovering is a four-part documentary that details how the lives, of teens, struggling with substance abuse. While trying to navigate the twists and turns of adolescence. The first episode is free on the MTV website, but the resource guide for the website below has a lot of helpful tips for teens, medical educators, and regular educators alike. Below, is a link to the website. Also, below is a link to a trailer for the documentary.

Wait21.org

Wait21.org, is a great resource to use when thinking about how to live a life free of alcohol and drugs. While waiting for the specific appropriate age to learn how to handle oneself properly around substances like alcohol and drugs.

A mantra used by the organization, is all you need before you turn 21 is four things, water, food, exercise and sleep.

Prescription Drugs Can Take You Down the Wrong Path

How can you prevent prescription drug misuse?

It’s simple, use medications safely and turn down the invitation to misuse.

Youth & Teen Hotlines:

• National Youth Crisis Support: 1-800-448-4663

• Youth America Hotline: 1-877-YOUTHLINE (1-877-968-8454)

• Covenant House Nine-Line (Teens): 1-800-999-9999

• Boys Town National: 1-800-448-3000

• Teen Helpline: 1-800-400-0900

• TeenLine: 1-800-522-8336

• Youth Crisis Support: 1-800-448-4663 or 1-800-422-0009

• Runaway Support (All Calls are Confidential): 800-231-694

• National Runaway Hotline: (US only) 1-800-231-6946

• National Youth Crisis Hotline:(US only) 1-800-442-442-4673

Mental Health Resources:

• Find a support group, this page has several support groups and resources to help those who are struggling.

• Therapy worksheets are great way to manage stress, here is one on coping skills, another one that is a relapse prevention plan.

• Here is a substance abuse workbook that goes into depth about how individual decisions, can factor in to abuse patterns.

• Here are the “4 A’s” of stress management.

• Here’s some tips on stress management and time management.

Stress Management Quiz

Take this Kahoot Quiz, to test your knowledge on the dangerous of drug and alcohol. The National Drug and Alcohol Abuse IQ challenge is created by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, as a fun way for individuals to learn about the outcomes of drug abuse.

MD Anderson X ASPIRE

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center has collaborated to create the ASPIRE program (A Smoking Prevention Interactive Experience). This program is used by schools in Cherokee County as a restorative justice initiative for kids who get in trouble vaping at school. The interactive videos and animations show case the dangers that come with tobacco/vape use. For example, here is a video clip on meditation.