The 21st Show

Best of: How to talk with young people about avoiding addiction

 
Left: Patricia Sykes with Alternatives, right: Allen Barton with the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign

Left: Patricia Sykes with Alternatives, right: Allen Barton with the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign

If you or someone you know is suffering from a substance use disorder, contact the Illinois Helpline for Opioids and Other Substances by calling 1-833-2FINDHELP (1-833-234-6343), texting "HELP" to 833234, or visiting: www.helplineIL.org.

We’ve spent the entire week talking about addiction with a focus on opioids and fentanyl. Today, our focus is on prevention especially what it takes to help young people avoid addiction. We started by talking about prevention efforts in schools. Followed by a focus on advice for parents and caregivers. 

Resources:

GUESTS: 
 
Patricia Sykes
Prevention supervisor with Alternatives – a behavioral health center in Chicago
 
Shaylee Strong
Senior at Coulterville High School, in southern Illinois - launched LifeSavers club at school
 
Jolie Cearnal
Senior at Coulterville High School, in southern Illinois  - launched LifeSavers club at school
 
Allen Barton

Assistant Professor in Human Development and Family Studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

A version of this conversation originally aired on January 12, 2024.