With increased awareness of the fentanyl crisis among teenagers, officials on campus emphasize the necessity for drug awareness as Red Ribbon Week approaches Oct. 23-31.

“There are tons of resource that are available,” student resource officer Cliff Boltwood said. “We have our counseling staff [who] have resources that reach outside of the school and will allow people who are dealing with addiction the ability to seek professional help and get the treatment they need.”

Boltwood said addiction requires more advanced methods, procedures, and processes to address addiction so “the body no longer depends on those substances.”

According to the Texas Tribune, Dallas County reported 25 deaths per 100,000 residents, and Tarrant County saw 23 per 100,000.

“It raises awareness for a very important subject that really needs to be solved, but is incredibly difficult to solve,” sophomore Braxton Aidoyn said. “Campus, if I had to imagine, has supported Red Ribbon Week since the beginning because they care about the students.”

Other officials on campus who handle the repercussions of addiction include nurses who see the impact on student’s mental, emotional, and physical well-being.

“There are so many [impacts], like socially, can ruin friend groups and relationships,” registered nurse Audrey Spiller said. “You won’t ever be the same if you use alcohol and that’s the same with a lot of drugs, it just starts to destroy parts of your body.”