Coalition member shares story during Substance Use and Misuse Prevention Month
In recognition of Substance Use and Misuse Prevention Month, a member of the Substance Misuse and Suicide Prevention Coalition is sharing a personal story about their journey with alcohol and drugs and the importance of having an adult role model.
Larry Dean, a retired teacher, authored an essay on the topic that was published earlier this month on Boreal.
In the essay, Dean recalls one of his closest friends who lost both parents to alcohol poisoning before turning 30. That same friend, he wrote, found stability in a supportive neighbor.
“The neighbor attended every one of his sporting events, taught us how to drive, and showed us how to catch trout,” Dean wrote in the essay.
Dean also referred readers to The Search Institute, a research organization whose “frameworks and tools have been used around the world to strengthen young people’s relationships with the adults in their lives and empower change across the youth support ecosystem.
According to the 2024 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, about one in 10 people — nearly 28 million Americans — meet the criteria for having an alcohol use disorder.
“There is big data nationwide that proves that having an adult that is not family helps kids,” Youth Prevention Coordinator Rocio Rivas told WTIP. “One of the things is the connection with the community, the connection with the adults, which is so important for them.”
Rivas cited factors such as isolation and boredom as contributors to youth substance misuse and encouraged young people to engage with community groups.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration sponsors Substance Use and Misuse Prevention Month. Congress established the agency in 1992 within the Department of Health and Human Services to lead national public health efforts advancing behavioral health.
The Cook County Public Health and Human Services Department created the Substance Misuse and Suicide Prevention Coalition a little over a year ago. Dean encouraged anyone interested to join the coalition.
“We are a group of around 20 adults that meets once a month, the third Tuesday of each month, at 1 pm, and we talk about these problems, and we try to find solutions,” Dean told WTIP.
WTIP’s Josh Hinke spoke to Youth Prevention Coordinator Rocio Rivas and Larry Dean. The audio of that conversation can be found below.
Josh Hinke October 23, 2025
