There’s a powerful tool that could help reduce substance abuse, but it’s rarely considered, according to Monica Rousseau, coordinator for the Pasco County Alliance for Substance Abuse Prevention.
“In order to reduce substance abuse, we must change the way we think about it,” Rousseau said, during a presentation on substance abuse prevention at Pasco-Hernando State College’s Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch.
While addiction is viewed as a choice, other medical problems that could be the viewed the same way, generally aren’t, Rousseau said.
(B.C. Manion/Staff Photos)
“We think about them extremely differently. We think of addiction as something demonic, as a moral hazard. And we think of other things, as ‘That person needs medical care.’ ”
In reality, people with addictions and other medical conditions often require a lifestyle change, may need some type of medication, should consult with their doctor and need social support to help them change their behavior, she said.
Not only do people think of the issues differently, but funding for help is different, too, she said.
While an attitude shift may be one of the best ways to help reduce substance abuse, there are other ways to tackle the issue, Rousseau said.
For instance, her organization helped implement a local ordinance to reduce access to synthetic marijuana.
“How many of you remember Spice? How many of you knew people who were impacted by Spice?
“When Spice came out, I was in college. I was 20. Spice was a really, really big deal. I had a lot of friends who had a lot of complications from Spice.
She had friends who wound up in the hospital and flunked out of school.
“I have one friend, at the moment, who has been in a severe depression for a few years and has tried to commit suicide a few times,” she said.
Pasco County did such a great job with its ordinance that it became the standard for the state and was referenced in national documentaries, she said.
“The way we did this is by changing the ability of people to market it. The composition of Spice can change every year, so if you just banned the components of it, the drug manufacturers would change one component of it. In Pasco County, we restricted the way it was able to be marketed and the packaging.”
Her organization also has also been involved in efforts to reduce driving under the influence.
Statistics show that drunk driving arrests are down, she said.
“Immediately you want to say, ‘Yes. This is great. This is awesome.’ However, we also know that our budget for our drug enforcement patrolling has gone down,” Rousseau said.
When drivers are cited for DUI, they are given a survey, which asks drivers where they were when they had their last drink and if anyone encouraged them not to drive.
It turns out there are 10 restaurants in Pasco County where most drivers report having their last drink before their DUI, Rousseau said.
Her organization has targeted those restaurants with public awareness campaigns, to help reduce the problem.
Rousseau’s talk was part of a series of speakers arranged by PHSC’s Porter Campus, in an effort to support its academic programs and provide community outreach, said Sonia Thorn, associate dean at the Porter campus.
“I think it’s two-fold. Sometimes, people need information, and a lot of these agencies need assistance,” Thorn said.
“For this fall semester, we’re focusing on prevention,” she said. “We did domestic violence last month. We had 150 people.
“In September, we did suicide prevention.
“In the spring, we’ll be working on chronic disease prevention. We’ll be having seminars on that from February to April.”
“In April, even though we’re doing a chronic disease series for the spring time, we’re going to work with Sunrise of Pasco and also do a sexual awareness assault month in April.”
Substance abuse awareness event
What: Learn how to recognize addictive behavior and address risk factors that may lead to substance abuse.
Who: All are welcome
How much: Admission is free.
When: Nov. 18 at 4 p.m.
Where: Pasco-Hernando State College, at its Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch, 2727 Mansfield Blvd., in Wesley Chapel.
Published November 11, 2015
