Teens Share What Really Works to Prevent Drug and Alcohol Use

The teenage years are a crucial time to prevent addiction. The brain is still developing, making it more vulnerable to the lasting effects of drugs and alcohol. It’s also a time when peer pressure can lead to risky choices. So how do you help teens not only say no, but also inspire their friends and communities to make better decisions?

In this episode of Grieving Out Loud, meet Annabelle Lovell, a high school junior raising awareness about the dangers of teen drug and alcohol use—not just at her school, but across the country. She recently served as the opening speaker at CADCA’s national conference. CADCA, or Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America, represents thousands of community coalitions nationwide, making Annabelle’s role a major honor and responsibility for someone her age.

Annabelle joins us along with Mollie Kruse, a member of our Emily’s Hope Youth Prevention Coalition, who’s taken the message all the way to Washington, D.C., even meeting with the Senate majority leader to talk about the importance of preventing substance use. Together, they share their advice for parents, educators, and other teens as the nation continues to face a deadly drug epidemic.

If you enjoyed this episode, you may like the following: 

• Why So Many Teens are Struggling, and What We’re Missing
• Growing Up with Grief: Emily’s Siblings Open Up
• Inside Victoria’s Voice: The Diary That’s Waking Parents Up

Behind every number is a story of a life cut short, a family shattered, and a community devastated.

They were...

• daughters
• sons
• mothers
• fathers
• friends
• wives
• husbands
• cousins
• boyfriends
• girlfriends.

They were More Than Just A Number. 

Transcript

0:07

I am Angela Kenkey. Welcome to Greeting Out Loud. The teenage years are a crucial time to prevent addiction. The brain is still developing, which makes it more vulnerable to the lasting effects of drugs and alcohol. It's also a time when peer pressure can push teens toward risky decisions. So how do you help kids not only say no, but also inspire their friends to make better choices too? You can make change even if you're 16 and you don't feel like your voice is heard. That's Annabelle Lovell, a high school junior, who is not just raising awareness about the dangers of teen drug and alcohol use in her own school, but all across the country. She recently took to the stage as the opening speaker at cadca National Conference. Cad. Or community Anti-drug Coalitions of America represents thousands of community coalitions nationwide. Making her role a major honor and responsibility, especially for someone her age. even though I'm not able to vote yet. I don't need a ballot to make a difference. I just need a voice and the courage to use it. But how do you find the courage and confidence to stand up to peer pressure, especially when it comes to saying no to drugs? In today's episode of Grieving Out Loud, you'll hear from two teens doing exactly that. Annabel joins us along with a key member of our Emily's Hope Youth Prevention Coalition. Molly Kruse who's taken the message all the way to Washington DC, even meeting with the Senate majority leader to talk about the importance of preventing substance use. Starting into like my seventh grade, eighth grade years, I had a friend who had a family member pass away from it as well. And I started seeing this and then also seeing kids my age start using substances and it was. Kind of becoming a big reality for me, and I was like, this is really concerning. I am Angela Kennecke and this is grieving out loud. When I first heard Annabelle Lovell speak at the CADCA National Leadership Forum in Nashville, I was completely blown away standing before thousands of prevention leaders from across the country this Tennessee teenagers spoke with courage, clarity. Annabel reminded everyone in that room why youth voices are essential in the fight against substance use. And she's not just talking about prevention, she's living it Today. She's here to join her perspective, her advocacy, and what drives her to make a difference for her generation. Welcome to Grieving Out Loud, Annabel. Hello. Thank you so much for having me. I'm so excited to be on the podcast today. after I saw you speak before thousands of people, which would be intimidating to anybody, let alone a teenager. Um, I was just really impressed by your poise and by your message. Tell me what brought you to that day where you were chosen to talk to this group of prevention specialists from all around the nation. So what happened was that I was actually, I was at a school trip during the summer and I had gotten the message from our prevention director and it said, Hey, Stephanie Ner from the Tennessee Prevention Alliance. Recommended you to the CACA opening inquiry. Can you do it? I was like, absolutely. I'm like, this is a huge deal. Annabelle's passion for prevention started early at just 12 years old when she joined the Tennessee Teen Institute. From there, she became active in her county's coalition and even launched a youth coalition at her middle school. What message do you think is most effective for kids to hear and how, how, what, what works? Because, you know, we know that young people, um, are dying at higher rates than they ever have before, after they get maybe a pill off, a Snapchat, um, overdose rates among teenagers. You know, doubled within a three year period. It is just, uh, hopefully overdose death rates are going down now, but what message do you think actually kids will listen to and believe? Because I think there's a lot of ideas out there that this won't happen to me. There definitely is the, this won't happen to me or I know what not to do. So if there's a lot of stuff like that. But I think the messaging, a lot of it comes from just even a youth, like somebody my age could say the same facts as like a scientist, an adult, whatever, could tell us, but they'd be more likely to listen to me because. I've, I've been in their shoes. I mean, I go to, I go to school, I see people deal with it, or even I hear about people who their parents or their fam, their close friends have like suffered from it. Stuff like that. And so a lot of it is sort of like finding those youth leaders that are really interested or just presenting them with these opportunities. So like, Hey, you can use your voice. Or even sometimes. In high school we have to, it's like this will build your resume and what can start as a resume builder can turn into a lot more, like longer lasting change making or putting like word out there advocating for youth to have like a healthier future. Yeah, so you're, what, what I heard you say is that who tells the message is really It absolutely is. Mm-hmm. is really important. And what message do you think works with kids? What message? I think the message, it really just depends on like what you're trying to target. I mean, obviously all of us know, like we see a lot of like vapes are bad, don't vape, like don't, don't do this, don't do that. But what helps is like, don't do this because it will help benefit this. Or like, if you do this, it'll affect this. And I think those messages are really helpful versus just like a slap on the wrist saying, don't vape, that's bad. Or if you vape, you're gonna get in trouble. So giving kids the why, why it's bad for you. You know what maybe what physically it does to Mm-hmm. and your brain. Kids are more likely to listen if they're getting real Mm-hmm. Giving teens a reason why and showing them real images of what can happen when drugs or alcohol take over our two strategies. Our next guest also says, makes a real difference in keeping teens from experimenting. Now. I am joined by Molly Cruz. I have to tell you one of my favorite people. She is a senior in high school and has been involved in our Emily's Hope Youth Coalition, uh, involved in the prevention programs and getting the clubs together in our schools. And Molly, thank you so much for being on Grieving out loud. Yeah. Thank you so much for having me. Let's talk just for a minute about why you got involved in this prevention effort that we're doing at Emily's Hope. Yeah. Um, so I think I first heard about everything right when Emily passed away and my mom who shared all of that with me, and it was really moving and I was like, wow, I didn't realize that had a, thank that. was such an impact that was close to me. Like you see it on TV or hear about it in the news, but I had never known it was happening around me. as I got older, starting into like my seventh grade, eighth grade years, I had a friend who had a family member pass away from it as well. And I started seeing this and then also seeing kids my age start using substances and it was. Kind of becoming a big reality for me, and I was like, this is really concerning. And I was like, I like to use my voice. I like to speak, I like to talk. I like to help. So being able to be a part of something that has an impact that allows me to be educated and share and help those around me is really important and impactful to me. So, yeah. And to give people just a little bit of background. I worked with your mom in the news business. Your mother was a producer, so that's how you heard about Emily. You would've been pretty young, like nine or 10. Yes, I was. Um, I, my parents have always been very active in the news.'cause like you said, my mom works there, so I just, I had asked, 'cause my mom had. A bunch of Emily's stuff and all of that, and I was like, what happened? And she obviously gave me the PG version of it. But as I've gotten older, I've seen her work with you and her do stories on Emily's Hope and the foundation itself, and getting to see how you and Emily's hope as a whole has really pushed and gotten out there and done. All of that really was another way for me to be like, okay, this is a problem within our community and something that I really wanted to be a part of. Well that I think it's wonderful that you're a part of it, and thank you for doing that. Tell me what you saw among your peers as you got to be. I mean, we know kids as young as second and third grade have been caught with vapes. They probably get 'em from older brothers and sisters. Is that the kind of thing maybe you saw to start with was vaping. Yes. I would say sixth grade was when I first realized that it was like a thing in elementary school. I hadn't really, it hadn't been touched on that much. I didn't ever see kids with it. I didn't think it was an issue. And then sixth grade I was, it was always like everyone told you, if they were seventh or eighth there, I was like, don't go into this bathroom. All the kids in there will be vaping. Or seeing my friends fall down those holes, or just seeing it happen in real life was like. Okay, this is, this is real. I had no idea and. I've gotten older, it's people turn different substances. Um, like kids smoke weed, they smoke other things. Like they don't really know exactly what they're getting because they just get it however they can. But, um, I will hear a lot from people and or you hear the rumors of, oh, so and so was doing this, or so and so did that. Or you see it physically at football games or in the hallways or in their Snapchat stories or tiktoks like. You see them doing it. And to them they don't think it's a bad thing because they think, oh, everyone does it. It's fun. But think the important thing about I most hope is bringing that awareness because I know I've had conversa hard conversations with people where I'm like, do you know where that's coming from? Because you're getting it of a friend who had it from a friend who got it from a friend and, and it's like that concern of are you being safe? And I think so many kids don't realize that, and they just use these substances because their peers use them or their older siblings use them or. They saw it online or any of those things, it's just kind of a peer pressure situation for them. Right. It's so social to be acceptable. Now when we're talking about weed, do you think um, weed is the most prevalent drug that kids are using, or you think it's alcohol and both alcohol and weed, or what's your feel for that? I would say alcohol is slightly more just because it's the easy and more accessible because a lot of kids can find it in their own households. Um, a lot of parents, I think more in South Dakota, since we're a red leaning state, that parents. It's not a common thing, but weed. Yeah. weed. And Yeah. Mm-hmm. can't find that as easily. Obviously there's still ways to get it, and they do, and I think it is still heavily used by kids, and a lot of times it's sold by kids to kids. Like, I'm not sure where those kids get it, but I know a lot of the people that I know get their weed from other kids our age. Hmm. of that concept of one kid gets it and distribute it for that, whereas the alcohol, they fight it in their parents' houses or. They get it at stores. A lot of places in Sioux Falls I know are not the best all the time at IDing kids 'cause really simple for them. In some places, like a lot of the vape shops in town just want the business and they don't do Right. diligence and things. And so it's a higher risk of them easily getting it. So both are very prevalent within our community, I would say. Are you ready to protect the next generation from the dangers of substance use? Emily's Hope has created a comprehensive K through 12 substance use prevention curriculum designed to educate, empower, and equip students with the tools they need to make healthy choices are age appropriate lessons, starting kindergarten and build through high school using science, real stories and interactive learning to help kids understand their bodies, brains, and risk of drug use. We're already reaching thousands of students across multiple states, and we're just getting started. Visit emily's hope edu.org to learn more and share our curriculum with your school administrators and counselors. At Emily's Hope, we believe prevention begins with education. Let's work together to keep our kids safe. And we know there's really not an organized effort to do compliance checks on vape shops necessarily. There was recently, um, something in the news about vape shops selling illegal products. Products like had magic mushrooms in them and different things, uh, higher levels, higher concentrated levels of THC and that kind of thing. So I don't know if kids know about that or what we hear about the gas stations, you know, some of the kratom products at gas stations. Do kids get their hands on those kinds of things too? Do you think? I would say yes. I think the shrooms and the gummies and stuff are things that I know kids have taken, but I had no idea that there was the THC level issues that was happening in Sioux Falls. I don't think any of them. Those kids are aware in those issues. Um, they just take what they can get their hands on and, Yeah. it's in a packet that looks like gummy worms. How fun. It's those concepts to them make it so much easier to be trapped into, oh, this looks like it's part marketed for me, or something else that I like, or this flavor I'll like because it's super sugary. Like it's all targeted, I think, Yeah. schoolers. Yeah, those Delta, Delta 8, 9, 10 products are all, uh, target. The packaging or the, or the kratom packaging is all targeted really toward young people. You can see that in the packaging, and I think kids who aren't savvy right, can think, oh, well, this is cool. This is okay. But what scares me when kids are getting weed, if they're not, if it's not coming from a legal dispensary. We know it can be laced with fentanyl, and Yep. that's one danger. But the other biggest danger, alcohol, weed, all these substances is to the developing brain. Do you think kids don't know about that or do you think they just don't care? They just don't care. I think it's one of those concepts that, oh, well that's one in a million, not me. Or like, I right. to really be addicted and use it all the time, every single day, every minute for it to have an impact. Which isn't true. Like they tell us those things and health where it's like, oh, it affects your brain, but we never are like really taught this is an issue. This happens with if you do it so many this many times, it. Causes that to them. It's, I'm invincible because I'm not an alcoholic, so to say, or someone who is dependent on these resources and Yeah. Right. Kids just think it can't happen to me. That's basically what you're saying. Right. Yep. And how are you able to sort of rise above all of that? I'm sure there's a lot of parties, maybe you're not invited to the parties, Molly, 'cause people know that you don't partake in those things. How are you able to sort of resist And I even think about you like going to college. You'll have a lot more opportunities next year to be presented with things. Yeah. Um, I'm very, very lucky with the group of people I surround myself with that they have never been, none of us have ever been that. Um, there have been times where. you said, I'm not invited to parties. I had a few friends at one point that constantly going places and they wouldn't even tell me they were going, and I found out and they freaked out and they're like, well, you don't do that, so we didn't invite you. And then they got mad.'cause I was like, oh, that's okay. Just be safe. Or maybe let's not do that. So I would definitely say that it's hard because. Sometimes people aren't gonna like the choices I make. And I'm not saying that I don't like the choices everyone makes, but I care a little bit more I think, and I'm a little more knowledgeable on those things. So it makes me really concerned and a lot of them don't see that. So it's definitely the, the impact of being strong-willed enough to say, no, I'm not gonna do that. Yeah. set that now from freshman year, I set that of I'm not gonna go to those things. I don't choose, make those choices. So it's like a known thing where kids aren't pushing as much so. It does take a really strong will, Molly. And I think also a certain amount of confidence that not all young people have because it, it, it, it's very hard. You want people to like you, right? Everybody wants to, and in high school, you're, you're trying to fit in. And, um, I, I remember a lot of those feelings myself from high school. You know, it's a tough time. And to have the confidence in yourself and in your choices, and to be able to stick by those, that's, that's tough. It really is. Um, I will say I'm, one of the few that is very, as strong wheeled as I am at my age, so it's been a problem for me, but from my friends that I know that have struggled with it, where it's like, well, I don't want, like, I don't have a lot of friends, or when they're falling down that hole, it's, they just need support from people who are,'cause I think that's one thing that. Parents specifically with awareness need to be, the foot needs to go down and they need to support their kid in the way of, no, let's find a new friend group.'cause that's not the choices we want you to be making right. And, and that can be quite the battle. That can be a real tough thing. Um, there aren't easy answers. Like we, you and I can't just give people a pat answer like, here, here's what to do with your kid. Um, maybe it's, it's hard to find a new friend group. And, um, those things, those are tough things to go through, but. I, I really admire your, your tenacity and the confidence that you have in yourself. And, helping, um, for Emily's Hope to start the Youth Empowerment Clubs, which the idea behind this is to create leaders who are gonna encourage other kids to do what you're doing, to not use these substances, um, to keep their brains healthy until they're fully developed, at least, and hopefully beyond that. But what do you think it takes to convince kids? To do what you're doing or to go down a different path to join the clubs and things like that. I think you definitely have to start them early of getting to them right when they're freshmen.'cause at that age you still are kind of naive to the world of what everything is. I think also you need to just bring awareness and examples and show them the harsh reality.'cause I think a lot of the people that I know that. Have fallen down those rabbit holes have no idea what they're truly getting into in the risks of some of the things they do. All right. think being able to show them and say, this is a statistic that if you smoke that weed. It might be laced with fentanyl and you could die from it, and you have no idea because you had no idea that weed could be even laced with anything. So making sure they understand the harsh reality and the concerns and why it's not okay, and then also getting to them early before they decide. That's what's gonna make me cool. That's how I'm gonna Right. And before they use, because really, um, use sets the brain up for addiction, right? So, uh, once they are started using, it's a lot harder to convince somebody to do something different, especially if they're already addicted, um, which is scary. But I do think that kids will be more likely to listen to other kids, to listen to their peers than they would to listen to somebody like me. What's, what are your thoughts on that? I do agree. I think if we sent a bunch of teachers in, especially in high school, like it may work when they're younger, but in high school, if you put a whole group of kids and have them sit there and listen to, teachers or lecture 'em about how drugs are bad and alcohol's bad and don't do those things, the message isn't really gonna get across. And 'em, because we're at, they're at the age where it's like, fight the authority. I don't want to be in school. This is, Right, right. So really having someone there that's the same age and being like, no, like this is. This is exactly what's happening. is a risk. It's damaging your brain. could die like giving them those scary truths, but giving them from someone who knows them and is in their same shoes is way easier and more impactful than having an adult who isn't aware of how they do their things or when they do their things or any of that stuff to really make that message direct. Yeah, I think about the DARE program. Are you, did you take part in the DARE program when you were in elementary school or was not, not part of something that you did? It was as far as I knew, it was non-existent in at where I went. So. Yeah, because I think you're just, uh, young enough that it had really, um, it's really sort of been eliminated. I, it was a program where police officers went in and talked to kids about drugs and the dangers of drugs, and it still happens in some places. I just don't think it's happening in your district. But, um, it, it just didn't work. Like studies show it didn't work. And I think it was because a police officer, like this authority figure went in and said, don't do this. It's bad. And also didn't always give kids a lot of reasons why it's so bad for them. Yeah. As one of the nation's strongest financial organizations, first Premier Bank and Premier Bank Card have the strength to do good. We support nearly 700 organizations and nonprofits. Our employees give more than 30,000 volunteer hours annually, and we are continually seeking ways to make South Dakota an even better place to live. It's the premier way, first Premier Bank and Premier Bank art. Be ready for the hard questions, be ready for the setbacks, and most importantly, be ready to bounce back. meanwhile, Annabel hasn't just shared her message with classmates and prevention leaders. She's even taken it all the way to Capitol Hill, meeting with lawmakers to talk about substance use prevention. She believes it's powerful for teens to lead those conversations, but says the guidance and support of trusted adults is key. We have the coalition and they invest so much in our youth members that like, they educate us on like skills, how to talk, how to present your prevention methods to people, how to help sell things or even how to just like gently like help someone that they're struggling or like what you can give them. Through her years of prevention work. Anabel says she's learned that it helps when teens give a reason for saying no to drugs. Not just a simple, just say no. That reason could be anything from not wanting to get in trouble with their parents, to not knowing what could be laced in a substance. Do you think also that, um, who you hang around really matters? Like you talked about how there are other, you know, kids in these clubs and we're doing this prevention work with you if you're all on the same page, that has to be so important. It does. I, a lot of it, I always say like, you become the very five people that you're around the most. And so as I've gotten older, I really have like learned how to like pick and like, pick and choose my friends or even. Sure, my friend may not do this thing, but also understand like they're also, they're a person too. You probably do things that they don't like and so really being able to like. Figure out like who your core people are and like figure, like if your goals are similar or they don't do this thing. I see a lot of that, especially like in like a bigger high school, is that a kid could be like this, like a really smart student, a straight day student or a good, a good friend or whatever. But like their friends, if they're around, maybe they do like they vape or they like go smoke marijuana on the weekends and that I, over time it kind of bleeds into like that student that was like smart or they were athletic. It really bleeds into that and it's so much of it. Prevention with kids. It does come down to who we are around, unfortunately, It is extremely important because friends become, um, bigger in kids' Mm-hmm. and teachers at some point, especially as you're getting ready, you know, when you're in high school and you're getting ready to leave the house, it's really all about your friends. Um, and, and that's what you think most about and Yeah, about and, you know, absolutely. Absolutely. the most. Yeah. Yeah. So do you have any advice for parents who might be worried about their kid or what their kid is doing, or who their kid's hanging out with? What advice do you have for parents from a teenager's perspective? I think. Fortunately for my parents though, we have a super close relationship where you really understand, like they know my boundaries, I know theirs, but they also like, they're also, there's always a time when like you can have like fun and be your kid's friend, but then there's also time when you need to like be their mom or be their dad. And so there's lot, I wish I could say there's like a set, like tell them this, but because every kid is different, the way that like my parents talk to me would be different. Like if I did something bad would be different. If, however my sister did, she'd be caught doing the same thing. It would be different. Because we're different people and we're, and we're different kids. And so a lot of it just comes down to like acknowledging the signs and like we have to educate parents on knowing the signs. I feel like that's a really big part of mentioned that's like, that's overlooked. Like we see like if kids like they struggle or they're struggling in school or they're tired or like see those signs or even know when to, like, not even like make it feel like, okay, we need to talk about this, like a strict sit down, but it's something that can be brought up organically versus like, it's planned or you, like a I for example, if I was, if I, I, fortunately, I never be like, we need to sit down and talk about this like that instantly, just like alarms in my mind, what did I do? Versus just something very like natural. Absolutely. Defensiveness. Yeah. Yeah. So it's for parents, you're saying it's recognizing the signs and really approaching your kid in a way that doesn't put Yeah. that gets them to open up, which can be tough to do. Are there any, are there any initiatives or projects that you've done as part of your prevention work that you thought, wow, this is really effective? Kids really listened, like some of the things we're doing. Creating a public service announcement, putting posters up Mm-hmm. or, or what have you felt has been the most effective way of getting the message out to kids? I think so the effective ways are sort of like the unique or. Niche ways that you go about it. And one important, super important thing that I've done is that here, it may not be directly linked to this linked to the student, but I was able, over time, through my state work as a Tennessee Strong Ambassador, I was able to help change my school's tobacco policy for kids who are caught with like cigarettes or vapes. So instead of them being told this is bad, like gives attention. They have to like throw their offenses. They have to take a cessation class and they have to learn about why it's bad and they have to take the treatments versus just being such a detention and then the is alternative school because that doesn't really do anything. But having those cessation treatments and offering it to them whenever before it can turn into something way worse is so I think the best way, 'cause it's kind of behind the scenes and kids don't know and then they'd be like, I don't wanna take this class. But it does help them in the long run, which is way more important than like how they feel like in the moment. Yeah, you're talking about education versus punishment, really. Educating the kids on why what they're Yeah. isn't good for them, as opposed to just saying, oh, slap on the wrist. You're in Like it doesn't really If you'd like to learn more about what the Emily's Hope Youth Prevention Coalition is doing, check out the show notes of this episode. We've added a link to our website, Emilys Hope Charity. And if you found this episode helpful, please just take a moment to rate and review it, and then share it with your friends and family, maybe a teen in your life who could use this message. Let's talk about when you went to Washington DC last January and you were part of the CADCA Leadership Forum and they have a big youth track and so there were kids from all over the country who are also interested in prevention, which is such a great thing. And I hope we get more and more kids interested in prevention and, and helping their peers. What did you learn from that conference and what did you bring home with you? Um, I really enjoyed cadca and the opportunities, uh, their youth centered like groups and everything were really amazing. I got a lot of information on like, making your entirety, youth centered and youth focused. And one thing that I really took away from one speaker was, you can give as much as you can, some people are just never gonna take it. You've Right. to those who are willing to accept, and slowly everyone will turn to that. But you've gotta pour your energy into the people that are, you know, are willing to hear what you're saying and help you make that change instead of just preaching to a bunch of people that are never gonna listen to you. So really taking it more on. Yes, we're trying to be at this big, huge impact, but it starts with the people. And it may just be two people, it may be a family, it may be a group of friends, but coming to them instead of trying to preach to a group that's not gonna take it is more important in getting that and slowly helping people to recovery to get to that big point of recovery that we really need. Yeah, that, that is a good point. I, I think we wanna try to get to everybody and sometimes it's the people that we can't reach that bother us the most, right? We're just like, oh, why can't I get to this person? But we really have to think about who is receptive and um, who, where we can really make an impact. And the other thing you got to do was to meet with our congressional delegation. And one of them is the leader of the Senate, which is, is kind of cool. And I think they like hearing from young people too, because you are our future. Yeah, no, it was great to get to go on Capitol Hill. Um, like you said, John Thune is now, uh, the majority leader, and so obviously it's. little scary and daunting'cause you're speaking to these people that have so much power Yeah. big names in South Dakota 'cause they've been here for a long time. but I do think that they were very receptive, hopefully. But getting that opportunity to speak on a smaller level with them and in person and having them ask questions back and genuinely being interested was very important to me. Um, I think thing that prevention is hard is we have to do it. It has to be a set mandate across the country. It can't just be, oh, well this one city says no here, but over here says yes. So making sure that we're getting funding to these projects and that they're focusing on the prevention side and not just letting it become a problem later on to combat, but instead focusing on the kids now, um, is really important. Right.'cause we know that every dollar spent on prevention, you save between 14 and $65 on the backend. So, I mean, it's just such a, to invest in our young people, it, it is my true hope. My hope, um, especially for our organization, that this is where we can make the biggest impact and the longest lasting change. I agree. Yeah. Well, thank you, Molly, for all the work you're doing. Anything else you wanna add about your efforts in this area? Um, I would say we're almost off the ground with our club at Washington, which I'm really excited for. Um, I just think that there's so many great opportunities for kids and parents that they don't see to like really push and get involved and show that support and just be there and people's lives when they're struggling, so. Right, right. It's just, it's just really, it's one person to another person. It's the one-on-one. It's, that's where the, the true impact happens, don't you think? Yes. Yeah. though it's scary, it's gotta happen and it's gonna be for the better. So Yeah. Well, thank you, Molly. Appreciate it. of course. And thank you for listening to this episode of Grieving Out Loud. If you are someone you love as struggling with substance use disorder, please seek help right away With fentanyl and the drug supply, even one more use could be deadly. You can find a list of helpful resources on our website, Emily's Hope, charity, and there's also a link in the show notes. Thanks so much for taking the time to listen and learn about this important topic. Until next time, wishing you faith, hope, and courage. This podcast is produced by Casey Weinberg, king and Kaylee Fitz.