Find an adult to talk to
Reaching out to talk to someone for support is a sign of strength & maturity.
If you are dealing with substance misuse, have helped a person who was overdosing, are feeling overwhelmed, worried, depressed, anxious-- or even if you are not sure exactly how you are feeling, you need to reach out to an adult. One option is to reach out to a professional. Another is to reach out to an adult in your life. It might feel hard to reach out. Do it anyway. You are worth it.
Remember, you are the expert in you-- and the person you want to talk to might be different from who others would want to talk to. So, here are some options for a place to start.
Speak with a professional.
They can help you with short and long term coping strategies, figuring out next steps, dealing with substance misuse for yourself or others in your life, and with the relationships with people in your life.
I Matter Colorado
Schedule up to 6 free therapy sessions with a licensed counselor. If you are older than 15, you can sign up by yourself if you want to.
Colorado Crisis Services
Talk to a counselor right now-- text, phone or walk in. You can call about a problem you are having-- or to get help with how to help someone else.
The Trevor Project
Trained counselors to support LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning) young people.
The Steve Fund
Are you a young person of color? Feeling down, stressed or overwhelmed? Text STEVE to 741741 and a live, trained Crisis Counselor will receive the text and respond to you quickly to provide support.
Your School's Nurse
Most high schools in Jefferson County have a school nurse trained to help students think through problems with substance misuse. Find your nurse by asking any teacher or principal at your school.
Or, start a conversation with an adult in your life that you already know.
You know who you can talk to. Maybe you have a feeling someone would help you but haven't asked. They probably WANT you to talk to them. Please don't be afraid to ask to ask for help and to start a conversation.
Some adults to try talking to:
Your parent or guardian.
Another relative or family friend-- or a friend's parent.
Your doctor or therapist.
A teacher, coach or mentor.
If you are an adult looking for information on how to talk to teens in your life, check out www.twelvetalks.com/overdose
Ideas for starting the conversation:
Send a link
Send them a link to this video about fentanyl in Jefferson County. Later, ask them if they watched it and what they think.
Send them a link to this website (here is the link https://www.jeffcoteens.org/ODPrevention)
Just ask to talk
Tell them directly: "I could use someone to talk to about something I'm upset about. "Could we talk about something that's scary, but without you getting mad?" Or, simply: "I really need your help. I'm freaking out. Will you help me?"
Or ask an open ended question, such as: "What do you think about the overdoses happening in Jefferson County?" or "Are you worried about overdoses?"