July 2022

Hello, we hope everyone has had a good July! It sure has been a busy month but our newsletter
has a few great segments on some very important topics that we wanted to make sure to share!
First there is a highlight on summer months being the peak time for adolescents to experiment
with alcohol and drugs for the first time. We talked about the risks of using these drugs, especially
in the hottest months of the year, and why it’s so important to establish substance use
prevention strategies for teens early on so they don’t risk any short or long term effects.
The next segment is just as important- July is BIPOC Mental Health Month! This month all around
the nation mental health support groups and facilities have been advocating even louder for the challenges and needs of historically oppressed racial and ethnic groups in the US. This is such an important topic because even to this day Black and Indigenous people and other people of color
(BIPOC) experience a wide spectrum of discrimination and inequity, and mental health
professionals are essential to addressing the systemic discrepancies in the quality of & access to
care of these individuals. Lastly we wanted to share that there is a new easy to remember number available 24/7 for those struggling with mental health or substance abuse issues! Instead of the
longer 1-800 number anyone can now dial 9-8-8 to be connected to a professional at a crisis
center who can offer support and resources.
“The same stereotypes that keep us from viewing substance addiction as an illness instead
of a character flaw also keep us from seeing the root cause of these addictions.
For many, addiction is paired with mental illness.”

Discovery Counseling
541-752-2703
DiscoveryCounseling.co
https://www.livescience.com/65997-summer-first-time-drug...
https://consumer.healthday.com/.../summer-is-peak-time...
https://www.counseling.org/.../bipoc-mental-health-month
https://www.insightintodiversity.com/bipoc-mental-health.../
https://www.mhanational.org/BIPOC-mental-health-month
https://www.npr.org/.../111131.../988-suicide-hotline-number