Social media challenges and drug misuse are becoming alarmingly intertwined. While platforms allow young people to connect and share experiences, they also amplify dangerous behaviours. When peer pressure combines with viral trends, impressionable individuals often face risks they don’t fully understand. Among the most troubling outcomes is the misuse of medicines, spurred by misleading and potentially fatal online challenges. Recognising this growing threat is the first step toward creating a safer future, free from the harmful influence of these trends.
This research, and arguably seminal, primer on the significance and effective overlap of prevention and addiction science reveals significant insights and resources in empowering demand reduction and primary prevention in community development.
Recent evidence emphasises the crucial role of lived experience in prevention.
An example again comes from the Well Communities' approach, which utilises Behavioural Health Companions and Recovery Coaches with personal addiction experience. This peer-based model shows remarkable outcomes, with 73% of retained participants engaging in active volunteering and 39% securing stable employment. These results prove particularly significant given their success with highly vulnerable populations, including individuals with histories of offending, substance misuse, social exclusion, and dual diagnosis. This peer-based model has proven especially effective because:
Peers can engage vulnerable populations more effectively than traditional healthcare providers
Lived experience creates authentic relationships that support long-term recovery
Recovery coaches serve as visible proof that change is possible
The human assets tasked in an evidence-based education pedagogy this ‘knowledge placeholder’ can be an incredibly effective prevention education investor
Peer support reduces stigma and increases program engagement
The evidence suggests that prevention through peer support and community engagement isn't just more humane - it's more effective and cost-efficient than traditional treatment-focused approaches.
This model, adapted slightly, can be tasked in a prevention education arena enabling these recovery alumni to add their lived experience and earned resilience to an evidence-based demand reduction education program of resilience building. (excerpt page 9)
(The following research reveals again the need to embrace the indispensable arena of the Affective Domain of Education for best practice protective behaviours development. The imperatives of positive behaviour developing protocols has never been more crucial. Ethics, morals and/or other anthropologically sound behavioural guidelines are a key factor in framing decision making and managing stimuli in the developing human.
World famous Existential Psychologist Rollo May once stated that; “a person can overcome anxiety to the extent that their values are greater than the threat.” The formation of best practice health and well-being values has always been vital for an emerging citizens healthy understanding of self, along with their community responsibility and contribution development contribution.
So, ignoring these imperatives is not an option, and passive acquiescence to ‘cultural-market’ forces only diminish the brains capacity to understand and engage with ‘stimuli’ as it presents. The question remains for us all… Who or what is informing these ‘values’; are they best practice, and who says?
Groundbreaking research has uncovered how changes in brain connectivity tied to cognitive control could serve as early indicators of adolescent substance use risk. The study highlights how understanding neural mechanisms can predict when teenagers might experiment with harmful substances, including alcohol, tobacco, and drugs.
Seven-Year Study Offers Key Findings: Led by Dr. Jungmeen Kim-Spoon from Virginia Tech, researchers conducted a seven-year study involving 91 adolescents aged 14 to 21, none of whom had used substances at the beginning. Using advanced brain scans and behavioural tests, the team identified neural patterns linked to adolescent substance use risk, predicting who might initiate substance use before it occurred.
Adolescents with stronger neural connectivity between the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex showed a tendency to delay substance use. However, those with weaker connectivity in these regions—and changes in connections across other brain areas—were at greater risk of starting substance use earlier and engaging more frequently.
Strengthening Cognitive Control as a Shield: The findings emphasise the critical role of cognitive control in shielding teens from the dangers of substance use. Cognitive control helps individuals regulate impulses and resist temptations. According to co-investigator Dr Ya-Yun Chen, subtle changes in brain connectivity—rather than behavioural traits like decision-making—acted as more reliable indicators of substance use risk.
Implications for Prevention Strategies: Dr Kim-Spoon stressed the importance of these discoveries in shaping effective intervention strategies. By focusing on strengthening cognitive control during early adolescence, parents, educators, and health professionals can work together to prevent young people from engaging in risky behaviours that often lead to addiction and other negative outcomes.
The Broader Context of Teen Substance Use Danger: Statistics reveal that more than two-thirds of individuals aged 12 to 17 in the United States experiment with substances annually. This study offers an urgent reminder that acting early is vital. Preventing substance use through education, while promoting robust neural development, could provide adolescents with the tools they need for healthy, substance-free lives.
The findings call for joint efforts from families, schools, and policymakers to help young people maintain their well-being and avoid the pitfalls of substance use. (Source: News-Medical.net)
Parental substance use sends shockwaves through the lives of children, shattering their sense of safety, disrupting their development, and undermining their most basic rights. It fuels a chain reaction of vulnerability, entrenching cycles of trauma, poverty, and instability that rob children of the innocence and security they deserve. With every statistic lies the story of a child navigating fractured families, bearing invisible burdens, and longing for solace.
This urgent crisis demands unwavering focus, innovative solutions, and a collective commitment to protect and restore the futures of the youngest and most vulnerable among us.
Disposable e-cigarettes are at the forefront of discussions surrounding public health and environmental concerns. These devices, especially popular among adolescents and young adults, have surged in use over the last few years. This article explores the rapid rise of disposable e-cigarettes, their appeal, and the potential dangers they pose to individuals and the environment.
The Growing Popularity of Disposable E-Cigarettes
Disposable e-cigarettes quickly gained traction worldwide, particularly after 2021, due to their ease of use, affordability, and attractive flavour profiles. Unlike earlier vaping devices found mainly in specialist vape shops, disposables are readily available in supermarkets, convenience stores, and online. Their accessible nature makes them especially appealing to younger individuals, including those who have never smoked before.
Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) underscores this concerning trend, noting that “disposable e-cigarettes are now the most used product among current vapers, up more than 7-fold from 7% in 2020 and 8% in 2021, to 52% in 2022” (Source: ASH). Studies reflect this growing popularity, with brands like Elf Bar dominating the market in regions such as England due to their sweet flavours and packaging designed to attract younger consumers. However, this surge in usage brings serious health and safety concerns.
Health Implications of Disposable E-Cigarettes
One of the primary concerns surrounding disposable e-cigarettes is their accessibility and rising appeal to young people who might otherwise avoid nicotine. Unlike traditional smoking trends, many users of disposable e-cigarettes—including adolescents—report having no prior smoking experience. This shift in nicotine consumption marks a worrying trend.
According to a report from NPR, “the rise in vaping reversed declines in nicotine use among teens and young adults; cigarette smoking has been declining since the late 1990s, but it has been substantially replaced for young people by newer nicotine technologies” (Source: NPR). This replacement effect highlights how disposable vapes, with their strong nicotine concentrations and appealing flavours, contribute to nicotine dependency in younger demographics.
Furthermore, the presentation of flavoured disposables in bright, attractive packaging normalises the behaviour and often masks the severity of their potential health impacts. Youth-targeted marketing campaigns on social media platforms such as TikTok amplify the problem, glamorising vaping and encouraging experimentation.
Environmental Impact of Disposable E-Cigarettes
One of the most visible issues surrounding disposable e-cigarettes is the environmental destruction caused by improper disposal. These single-use products combine lithium-ion batteries, plastics, and other non-recyclable materials, contributing to waste and pollution. Alarmingly, surveys reveal a significant portion of users dispose of these products with regular household rubbish, creating massive environmental and safety hazards.
The improper handling of these devices not only clogs waste streams but also risks fires at recycling and incineration facilities due to the lithium-ion batteries they contain. The growing reliance on disposables represents an unsustainable trend that demands urgent and coordinated global action.
Stricter Regulations and the Call for Research
Given the explosive growth of disposable e-cigarettes, governments worldwide are scrambling to implement regulations. The UK has already announced plans to ban the sale of disposables by June 2025, while Australia has stopped the importation of such devices altogether. These measures aim to curtail their availability, particularly to younger users, and address the mounting environmental repercussions.
Even so, challenges remain. Manufacturers are already pivoting to “reusable disposable” models that mimic single-use designs under the guise of compliance with new regulations. This tactic underscores the urgent need for research and policies to anticipate and adapt to industry tactics. Insightful studies must stay ahead of these trends, focusing on understanding the impact of disposables on broader public health and the environment.
Tackling the Impact of Single-Use Vapes
The rapid rise of disposable e-cigarettes is becoming a serious public health and environmental issue. These single-use vapes are easy to get hold of and cleverly marketed, making them especially appealing to younger people. As a result, more and more young users are picking up nicotine habits at alarming rates. On top of that, the way these devices are thrown away is causing significant harm to the environment.
While some countries are starting to take action to tackle this problem, there’s still a long way to go. Stronger rules, better education, and stricter enforcement are all needed to control the spread of these single-use vapes. By working together, we can protect both people’s health and the planet, shifting the focus from short-term convenience to long-term responsibility.
What You Need to Know – Australian Law
Australia has after much advocacy, and sadly, some compromise introduced clear laws around Vapes and E-Cigarettes. On 1 July 2024, the law changed so that all vapes and vaping products, regardless of whether they contain nicotine or not, can only be sold in a pharmacy for the purpose of helping people quit smoking or manage nicotine dependence.
It is illegal for any other business, such as tobacconists, vape shops and convenience stores, to sell any type of vape or vape product.
From 1 October 2024, people 18 years and older can buy vapes from participating pharmacies with a nicotine concentration of 20 mg/mL or less without a prescription, where state and territory laws allow.
They must talk with the pharmacist before purchasing. This includes:
discussing the product and dosage
discussing other options to quit smoking and/or manage nicotine dependence
providing identification (for proof of age purposes only).
Only one month’s supply can be purchased over the course of one month.
People under 18 years need a prescription to access vapes, where state and territory laws allow, to ensure they get appropriate medical advice and supervision.
People who need vapes with a higher concentration of nicotine than 20 mg/mL also need a prescription, regardless of their age.
Flavours are restricted to mint, menthol and tobacco, and vapes must adhere to plain pharmaceutical packaging standards.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration is leading the development of these reforms
The new Public Health (Tobacco and Other Products) Act 2023 started from 1 April 2024. The same bans that apply to tobacco advertising and sponsorship will apply to vapes. (Dept of Health & Aged Care) (Source: Wiley Online Library)
#preventdontpromote #druguse #DemandReduction
Groundbreaking research has uncovered how changes in brain connectivity tied to cognitive control could serve as early indicators of adolescent substance use risk. The study highlights how understanding neural mechanisms can predict when teenagers might experiment with harmful substances, including alcohol, tobacco, and drugs.
Disposable e-cigarettes are at the forefront of discussions surrounding public health and environmental concerns. These devices, especially popular among adolescents and young adults, have surged in use over the last few years. This article explores the rapid rise of disposable e-cigarettes, their appeal, and the potential dangers they pose to individuals and the environment.
