LONDONDERRY, Vt. – Green Peak Alliance (GPA), based in Londonderry, has released two online checkup tools on alcohol and cannabis for young adults in Windham and Windsor counties. The eCheckup To Go tools are free for the user and anonymous.
For residents of Windham County, eCheckup for alcohol can be found at echeckup.sdsu.edu/usa/alc/adult/windham, and for cannabis at echeckup.sdsu.edu/usa/mj/adult/windham.
For residents of Windsor County, the pages are at echeckup.sdsu.edu/usa/alc/adult/windsor and echeckup.sdsu.edu/usa/mj/adult/windsor, respectively.
The eCheckup To Go tools will help individuals assess their healthy decisions, and where and how frequently alcohol and cannabis use shows up in their lives. Young people like to make informed decisions.
The eCheckup will provide young adults ages 18-25 years old with accurate and personalized feedback about their individual pattern of alcohol or cannabis use, risk patterns, and aspirations and goals. It will also provide information for helpful resources in the community. They’re evidence-based, online wellbeing tools designed by San Diego State University’s Counseling and Psychological Services professionals. The tools are customized specifically for each school or community.
The eCheckup web-based tools go beyond a traditional education-only approach to support lasting behavioral change through brief, self-guided programs that each take about 20 minutes to complete. The tools assess the quantity and frequency of use, amount consumed, normative comparisons, physical health information, amount and percent of income spent, negative consequences feedback, and explanation, advice, and local referral information.
Neil Allen, director of Greater Falls Connections in Bellows Falls, said, “It will give the young adults who use the tool information on where they can get support and learn more about their alcohol and cannabis use. They can use the checkups repeatedly to allow them to track their usage and health in regards to both substances and see where they may need to make changes.”
“This is also a great opportunity for the substance misuse prevention coalitions in these three counties to discover what the young adults in our communities are experiencing with alcohol and cannabis. It will also help the coalitions to create better programming to work with young adults, and we’re hopeful this information will provide good data for us to work with,” Allen continued.
Previously, GPA had partnered with Community College of Vermont (CCV) to allow CCV and their students access to this information. Seeking the opportunity to reach more young adults, GPA pivoted to offering the tools to those within the three counties, which will include those attending CCV.
The Green Peak Alliance (GPA) is a regional network that promotes healthy communities. We bring federal and state resources to local areas through our work with schools, service organizations, towns, etc. Through research, education, and outreach, we create conditions to positively influence the public by increasing youth assets and reducing risks.
For more information, please contact Allen at 802-463-9927 or info@greaterfallsconnections.org.