A Manitowoc organization is looking to teach children about addiction in an attempt to end the cycle.
Northeastern Wisconsin’s Area Health Education Center’s (NEWAHEC) Substance Use Prevention Team will be delivering two children’s books to treatment, prevention, and recovery centers across the region on Thursday (July 11th).
The books are entitled “Lambi Learns about Addiction” by Trish Luna and “Gilly Learns He’s Not Alone” from Rogers Behavioral Health, and they aim to support children coping with a loved one’s substance use disorder.
Jodie Sorenson, the Prevention Program Coordinator of N.E.W. Area Health Education Center says that by giving children access to this kind of literature “we hope to break the cycle of generational trauma and promote healing.”
Research shows that children of parents with substance use disorders (SUDs) are at higher risk for developing mental health issues, struggling academically, and developing SUDs themselves later in life.
A study by the National Association for Children of Addiction found that these children are four times more likely to develop alcohol or drug problems than children from non-addicted families.
This initiative is part of a broader effort to address Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), which are strongly associated with a wide range of health problems throughout a person’s lifespan.
For more information on ACEs and substance misuse prevention, visit SAMHSA.gov.
