Do you think drug and alcohol issues are on the rise for teens? The latest report from the National Institute On Drug Abuse shows an increased need for drug classes and alcohol classes.
The interesting part of this report is that it addressed middle schoolers as well, using grades 8, 10 and 12. As reported in www.drugabuse.gov.
In many of my blogs you have heard me say that older is not wiser. So many people make poor decision as they age.
The Message is Definitely Clear
I think the anti-alcohol and anti-drug message is working. You certainly don’t see too many 6-year-olds drinking alcohol or doing drugs. They know drinking and using drugs are wrong!
So what changes as kids get older? Why do so many deviate and commit behavior they know is not only unhealthy, but wrong?
How many grown-ups would readily begin doing something that they knew would expedite their eventual demise? The answer to that question is dubious to say the least.
Yet the fact remains, that as we get older, especially through the teens and early 20s experiment and use alcohol and other drugs. With the message so clear, and knowing that children are getting this message, the question again is – why do we do this?
This is the first in a series of blogs looking at drug use among our nation’s youth. As a counselor for both in-class and online drug classes I am hyper-sensitive to this issue. I welcome any feedback.