Stop Drug Abuse

Don’t Think Drug Abuse Affects You?

Consider this:

Drug and alcohol abuse makes your environment dangerous.

Of the 10 million crimes each year in the United States, over 25% were committed to get money for drugs. Nearly 20% of all state and federal inmates are imprisoned for crimes they committed in an effort to obtain drug money.

Nearly 3/4 of all felonies are alcohol related. 67% of all child-beating cases, 41% of forcible rape cases, 83% of all murders, 80% of domestic violence, and 72% of stabbings involve alcohol.

If someone is abusing drugs or alcohol in your immediate environment, even if it’s a total stranger at a restaurant, you are at risk.

Drug and alcohol abuse hurts the economy.

The total economic cost of alcohol and drug abuse in the United States exceeds $400 billion annually. In other words, $1600 per American adult each and every year. Drug and alcohol addiction not only reduces productivity, sends millions to hospitals and treatment centers, and fills our prisons with inmates.  It also hurts the economy in ways that can’t be measured directly in dollars and cents.  Drug addiction can lead to failure in school, loss of employment, family problems, and child abuse, all of which lead to collateral economic damage in addition to being major problems in and of their own right.

Drug and alcohol abuse destroys lives and touches everyone.

Over three million Americans seek treatment for drug and alcohol addiction each and every year.  Over 22 million Americans are drug or alcohol dependent – nearly 10% of the U.S. adult population.

If someone you love isn’t dependent on drugs or alcohol, you’re one of the lucky ones.  Or chances are, unless there are less than a dozen people in your family, you just don’t know about it yet.

What’s more, most people are introduced through drugs and alcohol through friends or family.  So the more people “out there” who abuse drugs or alcohol, the more likely one of your family members will get hooked, too.

How to Stop Drug Abuse

Stopping drug abuse isn’t the job of law enforcement or drug rehabs.    Sure they can fight it, but they’ve been fighting it for years.

These two groups are only able to react to the problem.  The war on drugs can never be won by simply reacting to the problem, just like no war throughout history has ever been won through defense alone.

Can the “War on Drugs” Be Won?

For decades, the United States has been waging a “War on Drugs”.  I would argue that one of the main reasons that the “war” keeps on going without being won is that the problem of drug trafficking is really more in the field of economics.  The black market is a market, too.  When you remove the SUPPLY of drugs through raid operations and busting drug dealers, you actually drive up illegal drug prices.  This, in turn, provides incentive to the remaining drug traffickers to take more risk, since the profit margin is higher.  In other words, unless you were able to completely cut off all supply of drugs, busting drug trafficking organizations or dealers has little effect on whether or not drug trafficking continues.  The illegal drug market chimera keeps rearing its ugly heads no matter how many you cut off.

As a matter of fact, many drug dealers in crowded districts appreciate it when police remove some of their competition.

We can stop drug abuse, but the final victory won’t be marked by police sirens or bullets whizzing through a Colombian jungle.  What we have to do is cut demand.  We can reduce demand for drugs by preventing people from starting to use drugs in the first place.

Drug Education: The Real Solution

Drug education has many faces.  It starts by talking to our children and family members about the dangers of drug abuse.  A recent survey showed that 87% of teens believe their parents to be a credible information source about drug abuse.

Here’s a tip: a large number of scientific studies suggest that interactive drug education is much more effective than non-interactive drug ed.  In other words, interaction needs to take place.  So when it comes to a parent talking to their child, the parent shouldn’t do all of the talking.  He or she should be asking questions as well.  And the child needs an opportunity to ask questions.

In larger groups, the same rule applies.  Interaction is key.

Drug education WORKS.  As a matter of fact, some studies point to single drug education programs reducing drug use rates in schools by 40% or more.

The truth is that the more often a child or adult gets a drug-free message, the less likely he is to abuse drugs or alcohol.  So the real solution to drug abuse lies in people being proactive about it and helping to spread the word about the truth about drugs and alcohol before the problem ever touches their lives personally.

Tons of drug education information is available.  The Foundation for a Drug Free World is a good place to start.  They have tons of videos, information and statistics.  You can even get a free educator’s kit.  Another great resource for drug education information and drug news is The Partnership at DrugFree.org.

Join the Fight to Stop Drug Abuse

Please help us get the word out about the effects of drug abuse and the need for drug education.  Many people don’t know about how badly drug abuse affects public safety, the economy, and our family life.

What’s more, most people think that drug abuse is the police or the government’s problem.  But the only way we’re going to stop drug abuse is by all of us getting informed and talking about it.

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Your comments are welcome.

What are some ideas that you have to accomplish real drug education in your community?