ADVANCING HEALTHY COMMUNITIES: NATURAL HIGH – GETTING OUTDOORS AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO DRUG USE BY TEENS

By David R. Shorey, East County Program Manager, Institute for Public Strategies

Photos courtesy Outdoor Outreach

April 4, 2022 (San Diego’s East County) - Now that spring has sprung in the East County and our excellent weather is getting even better, the desire to get outdoors is great, especially among our youth. This is the perfect time to build a positive link to the topic of outdoor recreation among our youth. Getting outdoors and keeping busy with healthy activities can help kids achieve a natural high instead of turning to alcohol and drugs to pass the time. It really does work. It’s not just an anti-drug slogan. Exercising triggers the brain and can elevate serotonin and dopamine levels and increase endorphins. These all contribute to general feelings of well-being, happiness and euphoria, while reducing stress, anxiety and low self-esteem.

The average age of someone who tries alcohol and drugs for the first time is 13 years old. Nine out of 10 addictions begin in the teen years. That’s why it’s important to get the message to students beginning in elementary school and continuing through middle and high school.

Outdoor Outreach

Since 1999, the San Diego-based nonprofit Outdoor Outreach has provided opportunities for more than 17,000 young people to explore their world, cultivate belonging, and discover what they’re capable of. Outdoor Outreach connects youth from communities impacted by social inequities with transformative outdoor experiences. Leveraging close-to-home green spaces and natural resources, participants can discover their strengths and build meaningful connections with positive peers and mentors. Every year, more than 2,000 youth are engaged through adventure-based programs like hiking, surfing, kayaking, and climbing. Their vision is an outdoors for all that inspires and sustains healthy and vibrant communities.

Annie Sawyer is the senior director of development at Outdoor Outreach. “For the youth that we work with—who have historically been and continue to be affected by things like poverty, homelessness, neighborhood violence, substance abuse, and more—connection to outdoor spaces can be transformational,” Sawyer said. “Every chance to bike, surf, kayak, or climb with Outdoor Outreach is so much more than a fun day outside with their friends. It’s a chance to explore their world and discover new strengths they didn’t know they were capable of.”

Outdoor Outreach provides programming and collaboration in the East County through Chaparral High, Crest Elementary, El Cajon Valley High, Mount Miguel High, and Juvenile Court Community Schools in El Cajon, La Mesa and Rancho San Diego.

“For some, it’s a chance to get away from the very adult responsibilities or trauma they face at home, and just be a kid for a while,” Sawyer said. “Most importantly, it’s a chance to connect with a community of friends and reliable adult mentors who believe in them and show them that they matter.”

Natural High

Another San Diego-based nonprofit doing work in the East County, Natural High, is similarly focused with a mission to inspire and empower youth to find their natural high and develop the skills and courage to live life well. According to Natural High, “It is not any one thing, but rather a combination of factors that ultimately leads young people to have the courage to avoid drug and alcohol abuse.” Their curriculum at Steele Canyon High and elsewhere focuses on protective factors, giving young people a well-rounded skill set that is rooted in the latest research on drug prevention.

The outdoors offers several different ways to exercise like biking, gardening, golfing (walking, not riding), jogging, tennis, walking, pickle ball, and yard work, among others. There are also several indoor exercising opportunities such as dancing, housework, aerobics, yoga and weightlifting. Exercise has been proven to increase energy levels, strengthen your heart, lower blood pressure, improve muscle tone and strength and reduce body fat.

What is so great about outdoor recreation is that it is an activity that most everyone in the family can do together. Family hikes, a trip to the beach or a nearby park, or a bicycle ride can serve as bonding moments for family. This in turn builds better family connections which can help decrease the desire to use drugs or alcohol by youth.

County Park and Rec

A helpful resource for residents in the East County to be connected with is the San Diego County Department of Parks and Recreation. In addition to lists of all county parks, the website also has a list of recreational and sports programs including the SD Nights program. SD Nights is a free program designed to provide kids, age 10-18, with safe places to recreate after school, during critical hours.

Whether it is hiking, biking, sports, camping, or the myriad other things you can do in the East County outdoors, have fun and be well.

IPS works alongside communities to build power, challenge systems of inequity, protect health and improve quality of life. IPS has a vision for safe, secure, vibrant and healthy communities where everyone can thrive. To find out more about IPS East County, follow us at https://www.facebook.com/IPSEastCounty or by clicking on the links to our social media platforms: IPS East County Facebook, IPS East County Twitter, East County Youth Coalition Instagram.

As a Live Well San Diego partner, IPS and its programs, like substance use disorder prevention, is an example of an organization that is demonstrating through its work and action that we are building better health, focused on safety.