It can be uncomfortable to acknowledge that young people use drugs.
However, many substance use disorders begin before adulthood, so families and clinicians must address this issue early on. For example, most adults with opioid use disorders start using opioids before age 25, one-third of them before 18. In California, nearly 22 percent of youth have misused opioid pain relievers at least once by the 11th grade. However, despite this phenomenon, young people have the least access to addiction treatment, which is why CA Bridge is partnering with California Youth Opioid Response (YOR California) to increase access to care for youth.
To properly treat young people who use drugs, we must develop ways to communicate their experiences.
One way to break the silence of shame and stigma is through film and storytelling. Designed to build empathy and encourage personal reflection, a diverse collection of videos from Art With Impact illustrates the difficulties young people using drugs face. Sharing stories provides an opportunity to address the problem and treat it. We invite you to watch these short films below to increase your awareness. You may also use them as a conversation starter with young people to help approach this issue through the stories of others.
Blue
A recovering painter discovers a long-forgotten stash of pills buried beneath her paintbrushes. Suddenly, she cannot shake visions of the alcohol and drugs that used to haunt her. Unable to escape them, reality blurs as temptation calls out to her.
Content heads up: substance use disorder, imagery of pills and alcohol
Blue from Art With Impact on Vimeo.
The Opioid of Genocide
This film centers on the experience of Indigenous People, a young woman’s journey, and a family’s loss. Created to inspire and motivate change for those faced with the continued devastation in the Opioid Epidemic that started at the beginnings of colonization.
Content heads up: discussion of suicide, substance use, racism, and intergenerational trauma
The Opioid of Genocide – Georgina Lightning from Art With Impact on Vimeo.
LETTERS: Transformations “Shawn’s Ode to Music”
Shawn Tallet is a talented guitarist from Austin, Texas, who reflects on his creative passion and the intersection of mental illness and substance use disorder. This poetic documentary touches on a powerful transformation from mental illness and substance use into creative joy.
Content heads up: Mention of substance abuse, pill use, depression, and anxiety
LETTERS: transformations from Art With Impact on Vimeo.
Treat Youth with Substance Use Disorder at Your Hospital
The CA Bridge Program will work with clinicians and health systems to improve care for young patients with substance use disorder. We support providers and substance use navigators as they implement evidence-based treatment and tools for patients in need of medications for addiction treatment and referral to ongoing care or harm reduction services. Education, skill-building, and logistical support are available to any hospital provider for any stage of implementation. Submit a request here.
Follow Art With Impact: Voices With Impact 2022
These films are brought to you by Art With Impact, promoting mental wellness by creating space for young people to learn and connect through art and media. Their programs work to change how young people think about, discuss, and prioritize their mental health. A year-long project that celebrates mental health stories told by filmmakers with unique perspectives and lived experiences. Filmmakers across the world submit proposals to tell stories about underrepresented narratives related to mental health. Winning films will debut at an in-person world premiere in Los Angeles on June 22, 2022.
This service is supported by a federal grant under the State Opioid Response program, with funding provided by the California Department of Health Care Services.