Red Ribbon Week

By Dr. Charity Robinson

Red Ribbon Week falls on the last week of October and is a voluntary movement across the country to increase awareness and promote the importance of drug use prevention, saving lives by raising awareness about the consequences and deadly risk of unlawful drugs.  The movement began in 1985 to commemorate the life and death of DEA agent, Enrique Camarena, who was killed in the line of duty.  Friends and family in his hometown began to wear red badges of satin in honor of his life and work, and other parents began to form coalitions embracing the belief that one person can make a difference in children’s lives.   The red ribbon now serves as a catalyst to help mobilize communities to educate youth and encourage participation in drug prevention activities.

This year’s theme is “life is a movie, film drug-free “.  This is a national campaign to highlight children who are living their best life, without drugs, who can encourage other children to stay drug-free.  Adults who develop a substance use disorder often began using substances during their teen and young adult years.  High risk substance use can include the misuse of prescription drugs, use of illicit drugs such as cocaine, heroin, methamphetamines, and the use of injection drugs that increase risk of blood-borne diseases.   Studies have shown 15% of high school students report having used illicit or injection drugs, while 14% of students report misusing prescription opioids.  Risk factors for substance use include a family history, poor parental monitoring, parental substance use, associating with substance using peers, lack of school involvement, and history of abuse or mental health issues.  Families and communities can help prevent the use of high-risk behavior by increasing parent and family engagement, family support, parental disapproval of substance use, parental monitoring, and school engagement.

The efforts to reduce access to illicit drugs can also reduce the risk of suicide attempt by overdose, as many substance using teens and adults are at risk for mental health disorders.  The campaign goal is to create an atmosphere that reduces stigma, encourages help-seeking behaviors, while having honest conversations with children and adolescents about the long-term risks of substance use.