For most of us Christmas is a happy time to relax and celebrate with friends and family.
However for some it can be stressful, or lonely, or things can go wrong. Drinking too much or trying drugs can put your health or your safety at risk.
Check out our drugs and alcohol pages for top tips on making sure your Christmas fun isn't ruined, and visit our Help and Support page if your struggling. Dont keep it to yourself!
For parents of teenagers Christmas can be hard. Keeping track of your teens during the holidays and when they go to parties can be stressful. Its important to be clear with your child about your expectations of their decisions when it comes to drugs and alcohol. Taking the ACE Pledge is a great start! ACE involves:
Avoiding giving your child alcohol, being Clued up about thier whereabouts and Educating them about the harms of drinking.
Visit the ACE Pledge page to take your pledge!
VSA stands for Volatile Substance Abuse, and can mean sniffing aerosols and gasses. Its often known as Sniffing and is highly dangerous.
If you're interested in finding out more about the dangers of VSA check out Re-Solv
If you're worried about someone you think might be 'sniffing' contact YPDAAT for advice and support - 01744 675605 or ypdaat@sthelens.gov.uk
St Helens Young People's Drug and Alcohol Team (YPDAAT), provide young people and their families in St Helens with a range of interventions to help them to make informed choices around drug and alcohol use in order to achieve their full potential.
Despite what you might think, most young people chose not to use drugs or alcohol. Of those that do most young people will grow out of this without any issues.