Actions Today for Mental Health Tomorrow

In observance of National Prevention Week, Hope by the Sea would like to encourage everyone to take actions today that will lead to a healthier tomorrow. Mental illness plagues millions of Americans and hundreds of millions of people around the globe. Conditions most often arise earlier in life during adolescence and young adulthood; but, more times than not, mental illness goes untreated severely impacting people’s lives. It is vital that screening occurs, and young people feel safe talking about their issues, without fear of unfair treatment from society.

Encouraging people to seek help isn’t an easy task because of profoundly rooted stigma. No one wants a label from society, and nobody desires that others know them as someone who struggles with substance use disorders or a co-occurring mental illness like depression. We cannot say the same for an individual who is living with other incurable diseases like diabetes for instance; even though a person isn’t responsible for their mental health condition, they are often made to feel as though they have done something wrong. Casting unsubstantiated blame for experiencing psychological problems is unconscionable and needs to stop.

This week, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is spearheading multiple campaigns to get Americans, especially young people, talking about alcohol and substance use disorder, and other forms of mental illness. The purpose of NPW is to:

• Involve communities in raising awareness about behavioral health issues and implementing prevention strategies.
• Foster partnerships and collaboration with federal agencies and national organizations dedicated to behavioral and public health.
• Promote and disseminate quality behavioral health resources and publications.

NPW 2018 #Dear Future Me!

The NPW Prevention Challenge is one event that everyone can take part in to help themselves and others make healthy decisions and seek help when necessary. SAMHSA invites you to share a #DearFutureMe post on social media, an interactive activity bringing together local prevention efforts. There are many ways you can go about the project, and the guidelines are relatively straightforward. On a personal level, you can use what you share today to help you in the future. You can find an outline on how to participate below and examples of what other people are submitting.

Participation Guidelines:

1. Write a letter or draw a picture about the choices you’re making to live a healthy, happy life.
2. Take a picture of your letter or record a video of yourself reading your letter.
3. Share it on social media using the hashtag #DearFutureMe and #NPW2018.
4. Tag a few friends so they can participate and add their Dear Future Me letter to the NPW conversation.
5. Share any or all of the Dear Future Me videos on social media to encourage others to participate as well.

Prevention of Underage Drinking and Alcohol Misuse:

Prevention of Prescription and Opioid Drug Misuse:

Hopefully, the videos above will motivate some of our readers to take part in NPW 2018: Dear Future Me challenge.

Co-Occurring Disorder Treatment

Addiction and co-occurring mental health disorders can derail your life, but recovery is possible. Please contact Hope By The Sea to learn more about how we can help you or a loved one break the cycle of addiction, manage a dual diagnosis, and lead a productive life. We can provide you with tools for achieving lasting progress.