Introducing “The PEER Review”: Prevention Information Comes to You
Hi, readers – PEER Here!
“The PEER Review” is a newly developed blog from the Prevention Team at PEER Services, a local non-profit organization devoted to preventing and reducing the onset of substance use, addiction, and stigma in the community.
PEER Services has a 47-year track record of doing just that through 4 key components: Prevention, Education, Evaluation, and Recovery (P-E-E-R).
Our new blog, “The PEER Review” will focus on the prevention and education components of substance use prevention in youth as we review hot topics, simplify complex data, alert you with urgent information, or give insight to teen trends.
Let’s Review This
Did you know that before many scientific articles get published, they undergo a process of evaluation called a peer review? That’s because important information on cutting edge research needs to be checked to make sure that what gets sent out as trusted information in the community is valid and true. This process of double-checking maintains the validity of science and helps to accurately inform the public.
Unfortunately, while published data comes from peer-reviewed science, sometimes what we hear about certain topics might come from less reliable sources… we won’t name names.
Because there is so much information out there about substance use and best practices for prevention, we wanted to use this blog and our expertise to make sure that the information you receive is current and reliable – or what we’d call PEER reviewed.
Our values at PEER Services are founded in science, community, harm reduction, and equity, so you can count on us to cover topics to provide relevant and reliable information for preventing substance use among the youth in your family and community.
What we review other than that, you decide! Whether you’re a teen, a parent, an educator, a healthcare provider, a business owner, a transit driver, or anything in between, you play a big role in our community and the impact we can have on preventing youth substance use harm, so give us your thoughts!
We want to know what youth substance use topics that you want to see PEER reviewed. Find out how at the bottom of this page.
Who, What, and Where PEER Services
PEER Services provides services to teens, adults, and families throughout Northern Cook County from two locations: one nestled in the heart of downtown Evanston, Illinois, and the other within Turning Point Behavioral Health Center in Skokie, Illinois. Our prevention team currently provides substance use prevention education and hosts fun, informative events for students and families in middle and high schools across Evanston, New Trier Township, Glenview, and Northbrook.
We also host a series of webinars and distribute helpful infographics to the community in response to or in preparation for relevant events.
Prevention – All About You(th)
Perhaps something interesting that sets PEER Services apart from other organizations that provide treatment services is the constant dedication to prevention. From a business perspective, it might seem counterintuitive to do both prevention and treatment work because successful prevention efforts would mean much fewer prospective clients, right? Exactly!
PEER Services loves prevention AND treatment because both methods, together, help us meet our ultimate goal: to reduce the harms of substance use, addiction, and stigma in our community. Prevention is an essential part of ending the cycles of trauma and breaking down systemic barriers to community health.
Because we know that most of the adults that experience substance use disorder now began using substances during their teens and early-adult life, our prevention team focuses on helping youth get the information they need and deserve to make the right choices about their health, both now and in the future.
Substance use prevention efforts in youth have worked at PEER and around the nation, but it takes a village, a strong network of support, and community members like you to make this possible. We hope that what you learn in this blog serves as knowledge and skills that you can pass on to your family, friends, coworkers, and network to help the youth around you make choices for a better future. Whether you’re sharing news with them or ideas with us, we hope you stick around to read more of “The PEER Review!”
If you or someone you know could benefit from the resources offered by PEER Services, please reach out to us at contact@peerservices.org