Youth and Substance Abuse

gremlin

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Hey all, I recently encountered a scenario at work that I'm not quite sure how to approach. When a youth is suspected of substance abuse or there is strong evidence of said abuse.

I decided to look up resources to provide them and write a quick Google Doc to help staff at my work to address their behavior. In a really compassionate way that will hopefully open up dialogue with youth and help them make better choices.

boop boop

Does anyone have any advice? I'm looking for suggestions for discipline as things progressed but didn't show improvement, so it isn't the same punishment each time.

Eruca

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Seems kind of weird to do the exact same thing every time but give them longer suspensions. I don't know if sending them home will make anything better (never liked suspension as a punishment tbh, but whatever). I like that you emphasize to not make them feel attacked. I think giving emotional support/showing care and being available just in case is going to be helpful. I don't think there's much more you Can do other than pulling through when they ask for a hand. Unless they're a danger to themselves or others, in which case you have a duty to tell the authorities about them.

iirc you are from canada? Here are some resources from the federal government which should have support for both english and french.
https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/substance-abuse/get-help/get-help-with-drug-abuse.html

gremlin

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@Eruca: Oh yeah. I guess I goofed and forgot to mention that I was looking for suggestions for discipline as things progressed but didn't show improvement. I don't want to outright ban them as they may be using the substance(s) as a coping mechanism and banning them will force them to lose potentially one of the only positive things in their lives. I really don't want them to feel demonized, judged, weak, stupid or anything negative. And really want to drive home the message that we are there and resources are available for them.

I agree that suspensions are likely the least appealing form of discipline and I'm not even sure if I want to call home during the second strike but some would say a call should be made during the first. I'm worried I could agitate the situation as the guardian(s) might not handle the situation well and might push the kid deeper into the hole they're in.

Yes, it's in Canada! We are an English youth club based in an English school, but I'll include both French and English resources. That's the same list I looked at before.

Eruca

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@nyreen: Ah. I don't know anything about disciplining kids. I barely have any self-discipline. lol.
Maybe they can still attend the program, but like, they have to hang out with the staff. Especially if, like you said, this is one of the few positive things they have in their lives, I agree that it's important that they don't just get sent home right off the bat.

It might be useful also to ask the kid whether the parents or anyone else know about the situation, because it might change who and how they are brought into the issue.

Sounds like a pretty difficult situation to be in.

Ping me

Glume

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In my experience, both as a person who has met a few addicts and as a person who has addictions of her own (Nicotine and caffeine), no amount of discipline will deter them from using. An addict/substance abuser needs to want to quit of his own free will if its going to stick. I've seen many disciplinary actions backfire, sending the user back into their substances hard... and because its with children, it would be an even more sensitive issue. Perhaps it might be useful to call in a specialist, or dial one of those substance abuse hotlines to see what they might recommend?

gremlin

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@Glume: Yeah for sure. I'm aware of that! I spoke to a few other staff, we're going to have a meeting where we discuss it in more detail, but we've pretty much all come to the conclusion that it's a case by case issue and we will deal with it appropriately. We even discussed that maybe contacting guardian(s) wouldn't make it better and the kid could likely face extremely harsh discipline plus there's recreational use and that doesn't mean that they have a substance abuse issue. Also it could just make the youth mistrust us more and push them into a darker place if they're already in one.

call me grem
they/them

Glume

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@nyreen: It seems to me like you already have the right mind set and tools to tackle this tricky situation. You got this!

Luffer Nutter

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@Glume: how is everything you say so right??

People always want me to quit smoking and all it does is irritate me and make me want a cig XDD

eeee ee eeee smoke weed everyday
(legitimately googled if this was pg-13 appropriate because I try to be a respectful stoner. So like you're welcome teenagers)
Working on a new signature.
PS-I LOVE PUGS

Glume

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@Luffer Nutter: An artful combo of intuition and life experiences.

Ping me, Devil Daddy, ping me.

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Forums Serious Talk Youth and Substance Abuse

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