Regional Substance Abuse Prevention Consultants work with community groups, schools, human service agencies, hospitals, law enforcement, parents, and youth. The purpose of this work is to educate communities about the risks of alcohol and other drug use and to reduce misuse among youth, young adults and adults through:
- Community organizing
- Program planning and consultation
- Presentations and training
- Community grants information and guidance
- Information and referral
Prevention Works
Community Organization Focuses on Preventing Alcohol and other Drug Use
The Chittenden Prevention Network and the Chittenden County Regional Planning Commission provide coordination of prevention partnerships in your community. These partnerships aim to reduce underage drinking, binge drinking, prescription drug misuse and marijuana use by promoting municipal policy changes, providing opportunities for education and providing referrals to local resources.
Below are the community partners in your area. Contact them to find out what they do and how you can get involved!
- Association of Africans Living in Vermont helps New Americans from all parts of the world gain independence in their new communities through a range of integration services.
- Burlington Partnership for a Healthy Community works to reduce the causes and consequences of substance misuse on the city of Burlington through partnerships, community engagement, education, and proven best practices.
- Camels Hump Middle School PROSPER partnership delivers evidence-based programs to families and youth to bring about positive community-wide change.
- Connecting Youth is dedicated to creating a safe and healthy environment for young people in the Champlain Valley School District.
- Essex CHIPS serves youth and their families in Essex Junction, Essex Town, and Westford by providing direct service programs for youth and facilitating partnerships between organizations.
- Milton Community Youth Coalition aims to build a healthier community through health & wellness, food access, youth empowerment and community engagement in Milton and Colchester.
- Outright Vermont focuses on building safe, healthy, and supportive environments for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning youth ages 13-22.
- Turning Point Center of Chittenden County provides services that help individuals find their own path to recovery and support them in their long-term recovery.
- Vermont Youth Project is a community-driven collaborative designed to embrace positive youth development in Richmond.
- Winooski Partnership for Prevention works to prevent substance misuse in Winooski by following current best practices, focusing mainly on strengthening the physical, social, and cultural factors that contribute to health and reducing those that lead to substance misuse.
Talking to Your Kids About Alcohol and Other Drugs
Using alcohol and other drugs in early life can have a negative impact on your child’s health now, and later on by impacting proper brain development and creating other risks. You are their #1 influence. Parent Up Vermont has tips on how to start and continue to have conversations with your children early and often, no matter how awkward.
Prescription Drug Disposal
Properly storing and getting rid of unused prescription medications protects your loved ones and the environment. Here are three easy steps:
1. LOCK: Store your medications in a lock box or locked medicine cabinet.
2. DROP: Drop off unused medication at a kiosk or at your local pharmacy or police stations. Find a location in your area.
3. MAIL: Mail unused medication in a pre-paid envelope. Request a free mail-back envelope.
Treatment is Effective
Treatment might look different depending on the level that you need. Find the type of treatment that is right for you or your loved one, what to expect, how soon you can get help and the treatment services specific to youth, people who are pregnant or breastfeeding and older adults on our Treatment Options page.
There are a number of treatment options in your community. Find them, as well as answers to common questions you may have about treatment in the Chittenden County Resource Guide.
People Recover
There is no wrong door to recovery. It is a life-long journey that is not always a straight line. Find recovery opportunities and supports in your area on our Recovery page.
We make local connections in the field of substance use, with partners and projects ranging from prevention to treatment and recovery. Engaging those partners varies from bringing information and data to a single meeting to collaborating on long-term projects which aim to prevent and reduce substance misuse in the region over time.
We do this by:
- Partnering with municipalities to support Healthy Community Design and adopt health-promoting language in town plans.
- Supporting community efforts that create fair and just opportunities for health, especially for people who have experienced socioeconomic disadvantage, historical injustice, and other avoidable systemic inequalities.
- Working with communities to increase understanding of how to impact risk and protective factors and prevent substance use disorder.
- Supporting the efforts of the Chittenden County Opioid Alliance.
- Participating in or making suggestions for presentations on the topic of substance misuse prevention.
- Applying the Strategic Prevention Framework to our community efforts.