The electronic cigarette, or e-cigarette, was invented by Chinese pharmacist Hon Lik in 2003. Inspired by the death of his father (a smoker) from lung cancer, Lik wanted to create a healthier alternative to smoking that would also make it easier to quit tobacco altogether.

The e-cigarette he came up with—and what most people still use today—includes a small battery that heats up and vaporizes liquid that contains nicotine and other substances. You then inhale or “vape” that vapor into your lungs.

Twenty years later, more than 70 million people vape worldwide, including 2.5 million middle school and high school kids in the U.S.



True to Lik’s intentions, many people have quit smoking with help from e-cigarettes, almost always in combination with other quit strategies, nicotine patches or gum, and or counseling (more proven methods).

What began as a so-called healthier alternative to cigarettes mutated into a highly addictive and profitable product that is getting young people (by far the most frequent users in the U.S.) hooked at a very vulnerable age. An age - up to around 25 - when their brains are still developing and therefore are highly prone to the changes in brain structure and chemistry that occur as nicotine addiction takes hold.

Once addiction does this dirty work on a young person’s brain, it often puts them at higher risk for other addictions as they move into adulthood. It is the classic “gateway drug” scenario.

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Upcoming Events

Coalition Rx is busy planning some great events that you can attend with your families. Be sure to watch our newsletters and social media for more info soon!

"Positive Action" Night

• September 14, 2023
• Time TBD
• Weeping Water High School, 204 West O St, Weeping Water

Trunk or Treat

• October 21, 2023
• 4:30pm-6:00pm
• Concordia Schools 15656 Fort St, Omaha

Memorial Event

• May 31, 2024
• Time TBD
• Elmwood Park, Omaha

Or drop off donations of individually wrapped candy or store bought treats at our offices or with any of our staff members or board members. Help us share some fun treats with kiddos in our programs and at our coming Trunk or Treat!

Coalition Rx Board Highlight

Meet Donald Hoes

Board President

Donald Hoes, CPSWS was working for Keystone Treatment and Outreach Center in 2015 when met Carey Pomykata and became a part of Coalition Rx. While he recently retired from Keystone and does plan to spend more time fishing and enjoying other "retirement" like activities, he plans to stay engaged in the Recovery Community and continue his involvement with Coalition Rx.

Don feels that one of the biggest issues youth today face is simply the awareness of increasingly dangerous forms of drugs that are available. That is why education organizations like Coalition Rx are so important. He also believes that the pressures of social media and the availability of mental health services in addition to substance abuse treatment services are a big challenge for young people. He hopes his work in the community and with Coalition Rx can make a difference in those areas.

FUN FACT: Don is a drummer and has played in various groups over the years including Blues, R&B, and Rock bands. While his drumming schedule now only includes a church group on Sundays and the occasional jam session with other musician friends, it's something that he still enjoys.

Wellness Initiative for Senior Education

Our Urban Indian W.I.S.E. group recently got together for some great time relationship building with delicious treats and a look at various trends in fashion and art. One of the ladies showed off the ribbon skirts she makes while others saw handmade shawls and jingle dresses. Board member Donna Polk joined this session. Bonding with others is such a key piece of helping seniors avoid feeling the need for substance use and abuse.

Too Good For Drugs and Violence Program

Students at Aspire for Greatness in Fremont learned all about setting goals as they started a fall session of TGFDV. After learning about all the steps needed to set and reach a goal, they put together a puzzle with those steps. Goal setting helps keep kids focused on the hope of the future and more capable of resisting substance use that may get in the way of their goals.

Kidnect Child Development Center's school age students in La Vista spent the summer in our TGFDV program. They celebrated their last session July 31st with our friends from Little White Dog Rescue talking about how dogs can help with stress management. Stress management is one of the life skills they learned about this summer and how low to no stress can help contribute to a healthy lifestyle.

Sebastian Speaks

by Sebastian, Coalition Rx spokesdog

Hello again, my friends. I am still working very hard in my job as the official Coalition Rx spokesdog, but that also means that I am learning many lessons - like the youth that we work with are learning. But did you know that Coalition Rx also works with seniors? In our WISE program, we teach older adults about healthy living choices. I'm learning about healthy living as well! That means things like eating good foods, taking care of our bodies, only taking medicine that our doctor approves of, practicing good hygiene, and exercising.

Now I love taking baths and getting groomed, so the good hygiene part of healthy choices is right up my doggie alley! But some healthy choices are hard. My mom and dad are making some healthy choices with exercise. They like to get their bikes out and go riding. Sometimes they ride for a LONG time! My mom likes to take me along. My legs are too little to run alongside the bike, but I get to ride with them. We stop now and then for me to run around when they take a break so I get my exercise, too! It's lots of fun, but when I first started riding with them, I didn't like it so much. I used to cry and whimper because I was afraid of how fast we were moving and because my mom couldn't hold me when we ride (I really like to snuggle close). But I learned that sometimes making healthy choices is something we have to work at. I want to stay healthy. And I want to spend time outside with my mom and dad. And they want to spend time riding their bikes. So when we all go together, it's good and healthy for all of us! As I started to understand more about all the good we were doing for our bodies getting out on the bikes, I became more comfortable with riding and I started to see all the other fun things about being out on long rides. There are A LOT of interesting smells outside and the longer we ride, the more smells I get to explore. There are also some really nice places like parks and fields that I get to run and play in that aren't right by my house. And I know that the exercise my parents are getting will help them live longer, healthier lives. Now I get excited for our bike rides together.

I hope that you are trying to make healthy choices in your life also. It's not always fun or easy. But if a little doggie like me can do it, I believe that you can, too! I'm not sure that I'm ready to give up the McDonald's hamburger treats I sometimes get, but I'll think about it.

Too Good For Drugs and Violence:

Vaping

It's back to school time and that means students of all ages will face new exposures to various substance use. Vaping is an easy first step into illegal substance use and abuse when youth start using vaping devices with just flavoring. Education into the harmful effects of these devices and the potential substances they can encounter in them is essential to keeping kids healthy.