poster contest

MESSAGE IDEAS - 2024 OPIOID AWARENESS POSTER CONTEST

This is your chance to take a stand against substance abuse in Queen Anne’s before it is too late!

All QAC 6th - 12th graders are encouraged to participate!

1. Dispose of your unused, expired or over the counter meds by taking them to the QAC Sheriff’s Office 24/7.

2. Stigma - We can make it easier for people to get support by letting them know they are

not alone, and that substance use does not define who they are.  Addiction is a treatable medical condition, not a choice!

3. Opioid addiction is treatable.  There is help! Call the Eastern Shore Crisis Center 888-407-8018! 

4. Good Samaritan Law - The purpose of the law is to encourage any person, regardless of age, who sees a person having a medical emergency brought on by drugs and/or alcohol, to seek medical assistance by calling 911, without the fear of arrest or prosecution for: Possessing or using a controlled dangerous substance.

5.  There is hope & help.  Dial 211 & Press 1 for help with opioid addiction!

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6. Most people who use heroin started with recreational use of prescription painkillers. (NIDA - National Institute Drug Agency) Lock up your meds, so no one can take them.

7. Most people misusing prescription painkillers get them from friends or relatives. (NIH - National Institutes of Health) Lock up your medications, and take unused or expired meds to the QAC Sheriff’s Office. 24/7 - NO QUESTIONS ASKED!

8. Synthetic opioids such as fentanyl are the #1 killer in the opioid epidemic. (JAMA - Journal of the American Medical Association)

9. If you need help with addiction, call the Eastern Shore Crisis Hotline 888-407-8018. 

10. Lock up your meds, because teens say they can easily get prescription painkillers from anyone’s medicine cabinet. (SAMHSA - Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration)

11. Prescription painkillers are in the same class of drugs as heroin. (DEA - Drug Enforcement Administration)

12. Opioids affect your brain. Know the facts, before you make choices! SAMHSA - (Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration)

13. Opioids affect your body. Know the facts before you make choices! SAMHSA -(Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration)

14. Opioids are addictive. SAMHSA - (Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration)

15. The QAC Health Department’s Addictions Program can provide referrals to treatment, help and support for those who want to stop using opioids. QACgoespurple.org

16. Parents and caregivers have a significant influence on their children’s decision about using alcohol and other drugs. (SAMHSA - Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration)  

17. Start talking early to your kids about alcohol and other drugs.  We listen more than you think!  (SAMHSA - Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration) 

18. Have regular conversations with your children about alcohol and other drugs. (SAMHSA - Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration)

19. Only two salt-sized grains of fentanyl can kill someone — it’s 50 to 100 times stronger than heroin.  Make the choice to be Substance FREE!   (DEA - Drug Enforcement Administration)

20. About 1 in 20 people treated in an emergency room for a non-fatal overdose died within 1 year of their visit, many died within 2 days of their visit. (NIDA)

21. Got old meds? Take them to the QAC Sheriff’s Office. (24/7 - No Questions Asked!)

22. Help save lives – lock up your prescription medications. QACgoespurple.org

23. Have the “new conversation” talk with your kids about the dangers of misusing prescription painkillers. QACgoespurple.org

24. Have regular conversations with your children about alcohol and other drugs. We listen to more than you think! SAMHSA - (Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration)

25. The fastest growing drug problem among teens in the U.S. is prescription drugs. SAMHSA - (Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration)

26. Adolescents whose parents express disapproval of drug use are less likely to misuse prescription drugs. Talk to us, we listen more than you think!  SAMHSA - (Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration)

27. Children who have a family member with an opioid substance use disorder have a greater risk of misusing opioids. (NIH - National Institutes of Health)

28. The signs and symptoms of abuse are essentially the same for prescription painkillers and heroin. 

29. If your child gets painkillers after an injury, ask the doctor for an alternative to opioids. 

30. Prescription painkiller dependency can happen even when taking the medication as prescribed.

31. Sharing prescription painkillers is illegal and is just like selling heroin. QACGoesPurple.org

32. Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid.  It is 50 to 100 times more potent than heroin.  Make the right choice - STAY SUBSTANCE FREE!  QACgoespurple.org

33. Someone addicted to opioid painkillers is 40 times more likely to develop an addiction to heroin. (CDC- Centers for Disease Control & Prevention)

34. Opioids include prescription painkillers like Vicodin, synthetics like Fentanyl and Heroin. QACgoespurple.org

35. Opioid misuse disorder is a chronic relapsing brain disease. QACgoespurple.org

36. Narcan (Naloxone) is FDA – approved for the emergency treatment of a known or suspected opioid overdose. The Nielsen Center (205 North Liberty St, Centreville, MD) - 410 758-1306.

37. FREE NARCAN is available at the Nielsen Center (205 North Liberty St, Centreville, MD) - 410 758-1306. Have it, carry it, use it if necessary! QACGoesPurple.org

38. Anyone can get Narcan at a Maryland pharmacy without a prescription. QACgoespurple.org

39. If you suspect an overdose, call 911 before administering Narcan AND stay with the person until EMS arrives! QACgoespurple.org

40. Twelve-step self-help groups (Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous) are free, and they work. QACgoespurple.org

41. Vivitrol, a prescription medicine given by a monthly shot, can help prevent an opioid / heroin relapse when used with counseling. QACgoespurple.org

42. The QAC Health Department’s Addictions Program can provide referrals to treatment, help and support for those who want to stop using opioids. QACgoespurple.org

43. The documentary “Dope Sick” shows the role that Purdue Pharma and the Sackler’s family had in the opioid epidemic. It is a must see! 

44. Most people who use heroin in the 2000’s started with recreational use of prescription painkillers. (NIDA) Lock up your meds so no one can take them.

45. Synthetic opioids such as fentanyl are the #1 killer in the opioid epidemic. (JAMA)

46. Prescription painkillers are in the same class of drugs as heroin. (DEA)

47. Help save lives – lock up your prescription medications. #QACgoespurple