General News
25 April, 2023
Support is available for local youngsters
Jessica Johns, Grampians Community Health program leader for Mental Health and AOD (Alcohol and Other Drug) treatment, said the service offered a special help line for young people. “GCH have Youth AOD outreach workers who can support young people...
Jessica Johns, Grampians Community Health program leader for Mental Health and AOD (Alcohol and Other Drug) treatment, said the service offered a special help line for young people.
“GCH have Youth AOD outreach workers who can support young people (aged 12-25) to cease, reduce or be educated around their substance use, including nicotine use, free from judgement and confidential," she said.
"Young people can call 5358 7400 to connect”.
GCH was also eager to promote other support services, such as Quit Victoria (13 78 48), which has a suite of resources to support teachers and family members to guide tobacco-related harm work in the community and school settings.
In a further escalation of health authorities' campaigns against vaping, Quit Victoria last month announced it was joining forces with Surfing Victoria to highlight both the environmental and health dangers of the habit.
“We know that 77,200 Victorian adults who’d previously never smoked took up vaping in the past three years, effectively tripling their rate of smoking," Quit director Matthew Scanlon said.
"And we know that almost a third of teenagers have tried e-cigarettes.
“Young people may have no idea that there are 200 toxic chemicals in vaping devices, many the same as those in bug spray, weed killer and paint thinner."
GCH health promotion officer Melissa Mair, quoting the Being Gen Vape Exploratory research report, published last year, said it was important to not normalise smoking or vaping.
However, the report also pointed out: “While most young people do not vape, the number of children who are vaping is increasing, and that’s a concern to anyone who cares about the health of future generations.”