Grey-Bruce Kids Summer 2023

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HEALTH AND WELLNESS OPIOIDS DON’T AVOID THIS IMPORTANT DISCUSSION THAT CAN SAVE LIVES BY KELSEY WALTER
Summer in Grey/Bruce means school’s out and – for many local youth and teens – invitations to parties, events, and other social gatherings are rolling in. There’s a chance a youth in your life will be offered a regulated or unregulated drug at a party or event. This is concerning because the unregulated drug supply poses a significant risk of overdose or poisoning due to misuse and the possibility street drugs can be contaminated with toxic or highly potent substances such as fentanyl. While anyone using unregulated street drugs faces the risk of overdose, youth who, by nature, are more curious and take more chances may have no tolerance for these types of drugs, and a single use could put them at risk of an overdose, brain damage or death. The risk is greatest for youth who lack accurate information. For this reason, equipping youth and teens with current information can help to safeguard them from overdose. This article looks at what parents and caregivers can do to keep youth safe. UNDERSTAND THE ISSUE Canada is facing an opioid crisis that is claiming lives daily. Opioids are medications primarily prescribed to relieve pain. However, they can also produce euphoria, making them prone to harmful use. Examples of opioids include codeine, oxycodone, hydromorphone, morphine, heroin, and fentanyl. Opioids can be prescribed, but can also be produced and obtained without a prescription. While several factors have contributed to the current opioid crisis, unregulated street drugs contaminated with fentanyl and other opioids are causing many of the opioid-related harms and deaths. You cannot see, smell, or taste fentanyl, so there is no way to know if it has been added to a substance and a tiny amount can be deadly. Since 2016, there have been more than 9,000 apparent opioid-related deaths in Canada. In 2017, approximately 11 lives were lost each day due to opioid overdoses, and Canadian youth aged 15 to 24 are the fastest-growing population requiring hospitalization for opioid overdoses. UNDERSTAND PROBLEMATIC USE Problematic opioid use is using opioids that are not prescribed to you or using prescribed opioids in a manner not intended or instructed by your health care provider. It also includes using unregulated opioids. Canadian youth can access opioids at home through drugs taken from a medicine cabinet, through family, friends, and acquaintances who share pills, through prescriptions to relieve pain, and by buying them from the unregulated market. RECOGNIZING OPIOID OVERDOSE Opioids slow down the part of the brain that controls breathing. If a person takes too much of an opioid for the body to handle, they will show signs and symptoms of an overdose. These include soft or no breathing, snoring or gurgling sounds, blue lips, nails, or skin, pinpoint pupils, cold and clammy skin, and becoming unresponsive to stimulation. Taking too much of an opioid can lead to possible brain damage or even death. RESPONDING TO OVERDOSE Public Health advises parents and guardians to get a Naloxone kit and learn how to use it, and encourage your teen to do the same. Naloxone is a safe, fast-acting medication used to temporarily reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. It is safe greybrucekids.com • 17
Page 1: A FREE MAGAZINE FOR PARENTS AND CAR
Page 4 and 5: HEALTH AND WELLNESS EATING INTUITIV
Page 6 and 7: Unfortunately, what most people don
Page 8 and 9: FAMILY An adventure to remember BRU
Page 10 and 11: One trick to keep the little ones m
Page 12 and 13: HEALTH The superhero within LEARN T
Page 14 and 15: all day beating to the sound of the
Page 18 and 19: use, while being aware of your own
Page 20 and 21: HISTORY Canada’s game? EVIDENCE M
Page 22 and 23: Memorabilia from Canada’s nationa
Page 24 and 25: followed by the American League’s
Page 26 and 27: RESOURCES ABUSE Assaulted Women’s
Page 28 and 29: RESOURCES Durham District Food Bank
Page 30: RECIPES Everything’s peachy! CURR

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