Message To Brick Teens: Don't Take Drugs, #NotEvenOnce

BRICK, NJ — How do you prevent opiate addiction? By not taking them in the first place.

That's the message of a program that will be presented to high school students in Brick Township starting next week, Brick Township Police Chief James Riccio announced Friday.

The #NotEvenOnce program, developed by the Manchester Township Police Department, is an interactive course and a collaborative effort between law enforcement and educators with the goal of informing students about the dangers of opiates before they leave for college or enter the work force, Riccio said in a news release.

The program isn't simply a "Just Say No" approach. On Manchester's #NotEvenOnce program website, the program is explained as an interactive approach, where students are presented with information about the dangers of opioids but also hear from those who have been faced with serious problems as a result of using them. That includes a recovery coach, a former addict who is now a trained professional who assists others in recovery, who speaks with students about what it's like to be an addict.

Students also are shown a video interview conducted at the Ocean County Jail by Manchester police featuring a former Manchester Township High School graduate who was in jail for drug use. The man was a normal student who suffered a high school sports injury that led to a prescription pill habit, subsequent heroin addiction, and finally wound up in jail.

"This is a real-life, candid jailhouse conversation exemplifying that this problem can affect anyone," Manchester police say on the #NotEvenOnce program website. Officers teaching the program share their own experiences, including what they have seen while responding to calls and how addiction has impacted their own families.

When officers speak with a person addicted to opiates they often hear if they hadn’t of tried opiates even once, they never would have become addicted and encountered the numerous health, legal, and social issues that are associated with opiate addiction — thus the name of the program, which the Manchester police department launched in 2016.

The program in Brick Township will be taught to juniors and seniors during health class and meets all of the standards established for health classes by the state Department of Education, Riccio said.

The #NotEvenOnce program is in addition to other programs in place at the elementary schools and the middle schools, he said.

"Through these programs our children receive continuous education/awareness about the dangers of opiate abuse that is facing our community," Riccio said.

The #NotEvenOnce program will be taught by School Resource Officers Tim McCarthy and Mark Byrne, Patrolman Jason Shepherd, Patrolman John Alexander, Patrolman Bryan Murphy, Patrolman Sean Flynn, and Patrolman Jennifer LaRocca.

The ultimate goal is to educate students about opiate abuse and give them the tools they need to make better decisions, officials said.

“We cannot pretend that this issue will go away. We must be proactive, and reaching high school students is an excellent start,” Manchester Police Chief Lisa Parker has said.

Brick Police Chief James Riccio, photo by Karen Wall, Patch staff