5.+Prevention

= Prevention =
 * ===Would you take candy from a stranger? ===

﻿It is beneficial to take the approach of drug prevention in both elementary and secondary schools. The outcome of educating students creates a fearful awareness with the drug that will most likely prevent the individual from heading down that addictive, dangerous path. It is important to begin drug awareness and prevention at an early but yet appropriate age. Once an adolescent begins taking drugs it is obviously too late to prevent the individual from taking the drug, therefore it then leads to other programs such as Harm Reduction programs. An example of one Harm Reduction Program is the Needle Exchange at the John Howard Society.

Although gateway drugs such as tobacco and alcohol are legal at set ages in Canada, it is important to educate teenagers of other illicit drugs. Those who drink or smoke are at higher risk of being exposed to other street drugs such as Ecstasy.

= Erin’s Story = = = After a night at a party, Erin and her boyfriend headed to bed around 2:00 a.m. blissfully unaware of the tragedy that lay ahead. What began as a fun-filled night would quickly become a nightmare. When Erin’s boyfriend awoke at 6:30 a.m. he could tell something was terribly wrong. Erin’s body was cold and stiff. She wasn’t breathing. Her heart had stopped. All of his first-aid training could not rouse a pulse or heartbeat. Panic ensued. A call to 911 was made. Help was needed – quickly. First responders and ambulance attendants worked furiously to re-start Erin’s heart, but to no avail. At approximately 7:30 a.m. on May 28th, 2008 (just one month after her 21st birthday), Erin Jean Maria Spanevello was pronounced dead at the scene from cardiac and respiratory failure. Waiting at home for Erin’s usual “good morning” phone call, her parents received the tragic news of her sudden death. What had happened? What went wrong? As days of deep despair and grieving passed, details began to emerge. On her last night alive, Erin and her boyfriend took a combination of Ecstasy and GHB that caused an irreversible coma and ultimately her death. It was a lethal combination of illicit drugs that was circulating in the party crowd. There was no guarantee of what was in the drug, no dosage control, NO amount was safe. Without thinking about the risks or their safety one night of altered consciousness, purchased for less than price of a movie ticket, was Erin’s last. Erin’s family and friends will forever mourn the loss of a girl who had a bright and promising future. Erin was an aspiring model and worked part-time at a trendy downtown restaurant. She was set to start college in the Fall and was looking forward to studying graphic design. Why am I sharing this story? I’m sharing my daughter’s story (and my own personal nightmare) in the hope that even one young life will be saved from learning about Erin’s avoidable and unnecessary death. Illicit drugs kill. Protect yourself and your friends from this potential fate. Educate yourself and understand the risks. Don’t let the agony of Ecstasy take your life or the life of someone you love. Please, don’t let Erin’s story become your own. Catherine Spanevello – Erin’s mom (Erin's Story, 2010)

The Canadian government has developed a drug prevention program for adolescents. This program has recently come into effect, and has been updated just this month, November 2010. The program is called Drugs Not 4 Me. The link to this website is: []

The video labelled below as "Mirror" is the brand new Ad for Drugs Not 4 Me. Hopefully by visiting our wiki page people have become more educated about Ecstasy and the harmfulness it can cause along with all other drugs.

media type="youtube" key="h5zDhngIzF0?fs=1" height="307" width="512" align="center"

(Mirror, 2010)

media type="youtube" key="mSdUUkdb2G4?fs=1" height="307" width="512" align="center"

(Drugs Not 4 Me Commercial, 2010)