Blog
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Families Anonymous for the Family Disease
All of us at the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey hope that you had a safe and happy holiday.
This week’s guest blogger, Jeff Schultz, is sharing his experience with Family Anonymous (FA), a support organization open to all family members and friends of those with drug, alcohol or related behavioral issues.
Jeff’s journey to help those with loved ones in recovery began in 2011 when his son entered an addiction treatment center. His story on the parallel roads of recovery for a parent and their child, "Lost and Found," can be found at PersonalJourneys.AJC.com/lost-found.
I also wanted to remind you that PDFNJ’s workplace prevention program, Drugs Don’t Work in NJ will be holding its free annual members’ webinar at 11 a.m. Thursday, January 12. The webinar will examine the recently passed referendum legalizing the use of recreational marijuana in the state and how it will affect the workplace. Click here to register and learn more.
Continued wishes to stay safe and well.
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Happy New Year!
All of us at the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey want to wish you a safe, healthy and peaceful New Year. All the best for 2021.
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Happy Holidays!
The Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey (PDFNJ) is challenging all New Jersey high school students to enter the Your Song! Your Voice! Shout Down Drugs New Jersey music and song writing competition.
PDFNJ has rebranded New Jersey Shout Down Drugs, which began in 2005, as Your Song! Your Voice! Shout Down Drugs New Jersey. The new name fully encompasses what the competition is about – challenging teens to deliver peer-to-peer original music, songs and lyrics in their original style, whether it be rap, hip-hop or any other genre.
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Guest Blog: Rutgers Effort to Address the Opioid Crisis in NJ
This week’s guest blogger, Muzdalifa Syed of Rutgers University, is sharing some information with us about the Rutgers Interdisciplinary Opioid Trainers (RIOT) Program, which aims to reduce the stigma associated with opioid use disorder and educate people about medication-assisted treatment in the fight against the opioid crisis.
The Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey (PDFNJ) recently held a webinar presentation in collaboration with Rutgers on the RIOT Program as part of the Knock Out Opioid Abuse Day Learning Series. To view that presentation, please click here.
All the best,
Angelo M. Valente, Executive Director of PDFNJ -
Guest Blog: Handle With Care Initiative
In October, New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir Grewal issued a statewide directive requiring all police departments to implement the Handle With Care Program in an effort to address Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and trauma that New Jersey school-aged children may experience.
This week’s guest blogger, Christopher A. Jakim, Assistant Special Agent in Charge at the New Jersey Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration, shares some information about the Handle With Care New Jersey Initiative and how this program will help children who struggle with ACEs.
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Substance Use Disorder Linked to Covid-19 Susceptibility
A recent National Institute of Health (NIH) study revealed some stark news. People with substance use disorder are more susceptible to Covid-19 and more likely to be hospitalized or die from it.
The study analyzed non-identifiable health records of patients in the United States and found that the hospitalization rate for people with substance use disorder (SUD) was 41 percent as compared with 30 percent of those without it. The death rate was 9.6 percent for people with substance use disorder and 6.6 percent for those without.
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Happy Thanksgiving!
Thanksgiving is a time for reflection and gratitude. I would like to take a moment to thank all of you for your continued support of the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey. On behalf of all of us at PDFNJ, I wish you all a healthy and safe Thanksgiving. We recognize this year will not be the same as years past, but we still have many things to be grateful for and hope for brighter times in 2021.
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2020 New Jersey Ad Club Awards
Last week, we had the opportunity to take part in the New Jersey Ad Club Jersey Awards Virtual Presentation. It is always a fun night that those of us at the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey (PDFNJ) look forward to attending.
The NJ Ad Club is the oldest and largest trade association in New Jersey and this year marked the 52nd annual award program, which showcases the best advertising and marketing efforts in the state. This year's event attracted more than 400 entries in 127 categories from more than 60 agencies, companies, and non-profits across the state.
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Your Song! Your Voice! Shout Down Drugs New Jersey Music Competition is Underway
Music is a powerful tool that can be used to influence and inspire people. With this in mind, the Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey (PDFNJ) created the New Jersey Shout Down Drugs music competition in 2005 as a way to challenge New Jersey high school students to create original music and lyrics with powerful substance use prevention messages.
This year, PDFNJ is rebranding the competition with an updated name Your Song! Your Voice! Shout Down Drugs New Jersey. It is a new name that fully encompasses what the competition is about – challenging teens to deliver peer-to-peer original music, songs and lyrics in their original style, whether it be rap, hip-hop, rock or any other genre they might be into.
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American Medicine Chest National Day of Awareness
Prescription drug abuse continues to be a problem in New Jersey and the rest of the country. A study conducted by the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) reports that 70% of people who abuse prescription pain relievers indicated they got them from a friend or relative.
During these trying times it is more important than ever that we safeguard our homes and families from the danger of prescription drugs and the opioid crisis. The Partnership for a Drug-Free New Jersey’s American Medicine Chest Challenge (AMCC) 5-step challenge can help save the lives of our children. We know that many teens who misuse opioids get them from the medicine cabinet of their friends and families so it is crucial for people to safeguard medicine with their homes.