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November 20, 2019
Dear Be the Influence (“BTI”) Parents,
A huge welcome to all new parents who have joined our BTI community for the 2019-2020 school year. We hope that everyone is having a good semester so far. If you recently joined BTI or missed our Back to School! blog, check it out as its never too late to restart the school year right!
This newsletter has the corrected link to donate to BTI and will cover the following topics and link to several new blogs on our website:
- Vaping: The Crisis Continues Unabated
- Cannabis: This is Not the Pot We Grew Up With
- Alcohol: Adult Modeling and Marin County campaign on "Raising the Bar"
- Video of Nic and David Sheff talk at Dominican University on October 16th
- Book Discussion of "High" Community Read at Mill Valley Library on December 3rd, Point Reyes Library on December 5th and Belvedere-Tiburon Library on January 30th
- Donate to Be the Influence In Memory of Trevor Leopold, another Beautiful Boy from Marin
- Top 5 Ways Take Advantage of BTI's Resources, including How to Reach Out for Professional Help and Learn about Local Support
READ OUR NEW BTI BLOGS!
These several new blogs will catch you up on what we know and don't know beyond the headlines of the ongoing vaping crisis, the current state of cannabis, and the importance of adults modeling appropriate alcohol use at youth events and over the holidays.
THE VAPING CRISIS CONTINUES. By the end of the last year school, it was hard for our children to avoid exposure to vaping, whether it was from using the bathroom at school, walking around the campus parking lot or going on social media. By the beginning of this school year, it was hard to avoid news of hospitalizations and deaths from a mysterious lung vaping illness. Read about what's been going on beyond the vaping headlines here.
CANNABIS - A DIFFERENT DRUG. As we have written before, today's marijuana, now called cannabis in many circles, is a very different drug than it was when we were in high school, college and into our 20s. Read about why in this article entitled This is Not the Pot We Grew Up With by Dr. Tracy Foose, Anxiety Specialist and Associate Professor at UCSF School of Medicine. The article was written for Marin Healthy Youth Partnerships (MYHP), a community coalition which works collaboratively to reshape community norms that drive youth substance use to promote a thriving environment in Marin County.
ALCOHOL AND PARENT MODELING. With the Winter holiday season upon us, it's an appropriate time to think about how alcohol plays into family time and celebrating, from Thanksgiving to New Year's Eve. Needless to say, raising a glass of wine in a toast to good health at Thanksgiving dinner, drinking a little too much spiked egg nog at  Christmas time or toasting to a glass of bubbly on New Year's Eve are far from being parenting crimes!
However, binge drinking, being visibly drunk, high or under the influence of drugs in front of our children - or driving after drinking, consuming cannabis, or taking certain prescription medications - sends a lot of not so good messages to our children. "Do as I say, not what I do" especially doesn't work well with teens. And driving under the influence - even if you believe you are "sober enough" - can be especially dangerous and frightening to children. Instead, call an Uber or Lyft - or have your sober teen drive. It is surprising to hear from our youth how common it is for them to seeing parents driving under the influence.
Modeling appropriate behavior that is responsible and moderate is particularly important for this upcoming season where alcohol is ubiquitous. Know that your children are watching you from a very young age and they will be eager to point out any parental hypocrisies, especially once they hit adolescence!
There is a new campaign afoot in Marin County, CA to inspire parents to think twice about having alcohol at events that are centered around children, such as athletic competitions, team celebrations and child birthday parties. Read all about it in Marin County is "Raising the Bar"!
Marin County is consistently the number one healthiest county in California out o f 58 counties - except when it comes to binge drinking, driving under the influence and overdoses. So it's not a surprise that our youth substance use rates are among the highest in the state of California and the country. Let's be inspired by Raising the Bar to work together to change that - family by family, town by town!
VIDEO OF NIC AND DAVID SHEFF EVENT
Speaking of inspiration, this event in October was over the top and you can see this video if you missed it! David and Nic Sheff, are the father and son team who authored New York Times #1 Best Seller, Beautiful Boy, Tweak and other books on Nic's downward spiral into addiction. It all began with marijuana use at an early age. The Sheffs returned home to Marin to discuss their new book "High: Everything You Need to Know About Drugs, Alcohol and Addiction", which was written for middle and high school students. It was an amazing evening, with KQED's Michael Krasny moderating the discussion before a sold out crowd of 800 people, live streamed to a hundred more at several locations in Marin.
In the aftermath of the Sheff event, our community conversation is continuing through book discussions of "High" at libraries and schools. For details and discussion questions, visit marincommunityread.org. "High" is a quick read but if you don't time to do so, it is still worthwhile to attend these book discussions.
Advance registration is helpful to the organizers but not required.
To register for Mill Valley Library discussion on December 3rd at 7 pm, click here.
For Point Reyes Library on December 5th at 6:30 pm, click here.
For the Belvedere Tiburon Library event on January 30, 2020, click here.
DONATIONS IN MEMORY OF TREVOR LEOPOLD
A beautiful life was cut far too short by an accidental overdose on Sunday, November 17th. In the midst of overwhelming grief, Trevor's parents are bravely sharing Trevor's struggles and doing their part to end the stigma of addiction and raise awareness about the dangers of substance abuse. Michelle and Jeff have requested that donations be made in Trevor's memory to Be the Influence and other 501c()(3) organizations working to reduce youth substance use and help those in need. If you are moved by Trevor's obituary, consider making a donation by going to the BTI website (click on the circle with Trevor's name). Alternatively checks may be made payable to Be the Influence and sent to 111 Baltimore Avenue, Larkspur, CA 94939. BTI is a 501(c)(3) organization. Additional Incredible organizations in our community are: Marin YMCA Youth Court, Huckleberry Youth Programs and the Tamalpais Union High School District Wellness Centers. As Michelle says, it takes a village.
Rest in peace, Trevor. May his memory be a blessing.
THE TOP 5 WAYS TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF BTI'S RESOURCES
In addition to reading these newsletters, here are the top 5 ways to take advantage of all the resources that BTI offers:
1. Reach out to other parents through our Parent Directory! It is so important to network with other parents and that is often not easy. BTI makes it so! Determine whether a parent hostin g a teen party has made the BTI Parent Agreement. If so, become each other's allies. If not, consider mentioning BTI or send them an email by our Refer A Friend feature. This is especially useful at the beginning of the school year when your child is socializing with new friends or attending parties and sleepovers at homes hosted by parents who you do not know (or, as if often the case, at homes when the parents are not present and are unaware of the party!)
2. Visit our Website! Useful pages to check out include:
and much more! New content is being added regularly, so visit our website often. And don't forget our website feature called Talk Space, in which parents can ask questions and post tips.
3. Read our Blog! Topics from the past school year include:
and much more!
4. Follow Us on Facebook. We post news on adolescent substance use, new research findings and information about upcoming events in our community
5. Email Us for Help If You Are Concerned About Your Child!
 If you are worried that your child may have a substance use issue, listen to your gut and seek help. BTI can point you to local resources for support. If professional help is needed, it is critical to find someone with specific experience in substance use and addiction. There are many approaches to dealing with this issue and one size does not fit all, Help may come in the form of group or individual therapy, intensive outpatient programs, residential treatment centers, wilderness programs and support groups for parents. Early intervention is important, and it is far easier to address these issues while your child is still a minor and living at home. Email us if you need help. We will keep all information confidential.
That's it for now. We hope that you have a restful and peaceful Thanksgiving and a wonderful holiday season. Stay tuned for more BTI news in 2020!
— Be the Influence
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