Intervention Aroostook: 10.13.2020

PRESQUE ISLE, Maine (WAGM) -A county group is using the power of media to further its mission of drug prevention and awareness. Its the focus of this Intervention Aroostook with Shawn Cunningham.

The power of media can be wielded positively or negatively. (TAKE GRAPHIC) A study conducted by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University found that teenagers who regularly use popular social media outlets were more likely to drink, use drugs, and buy tobacco than adolescents who either did not use social media or used it less frequently.

Local drug prevention advocates concur with the study’s findings about the correlation between the influence of media and substance use...

Meg Hegemann Chair, Drug Free Aroostook Coalition

“media can also work in the negative they’re just not aware there are images that might trigger someone whose in recovery when they see drug paraphenalia when they see someone whose using even if its intended as a prevention method it can actually trigger someone whose in recovery so the more we can educate media as well as using the media to educate others the better off we all are.”

Shawn Cunningham NO STAND UP

And Hegemann acknowledges that the work of prevention and awareness can be an uphill climb compared to the millions of dollars spent by some companies in media related campaigns to target youth...She explains...

“the industries like the vaping industry is one example they have millions of dollars and a lot of that they spend on advertising and on research to market and know what young people accessing so they are much better at getting their information out.”

But she says she and other advocates of the Drug Free Aroostook Coalition are just as determined to promote prevention and general health awareness. Including the efforts of recruiting to help educate their peers about the various dangers of substance use...alcohol consumption...and tobacco products like vaping and cigarettes...

"its staying up with tik tok and the other apps that I don’t even know about because they’ve since moved on from Instagram and snapchat and so trying to stay ahead of that curve is very difficult its one of the reasons we want to engage with young people themselves to help us with this work because not only will their peers listen to them more but they know those technologies.

Shawn Cunningham NS 8.

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