As a counselor for both in-class and online drug classes I have strong opinions about drug and alcohol use and abuse.
A recently completed study, noted as the most comprehensive ever, has uncovered some of the myths surrounding addiction issues.
First is the perception that most of the people who wind up in jail are illiterate or poorly educated. The truth is that more than half of people in jail have graduated from high school or have received their GED certificate. Almost 25% had attended college. This as reported in journalstar.com.
The study has found, which of course was no surprise for me, that alcohol and marijuana are the most-used drugs. Most of those surveyed had used alcohol or marijuana at some time, and more than two-thirds had used one or both in the past year.
About one-third of those surveyed had used crystal meth some time in their past and just 12 percent reported using it in the past year.
Is marijuana a gateway drug? Here is an interesting find. Study participants who did not admit to hard drug use reported, on average, smoking marijuana first, before they had their first binge drinking experiences. However, participants who admitted to hard drug use, on average, drank earlier, smoked marijuana later, and then began using hard drugs.
I have long espoused the virtue of drug and alcohol classes as early as middle school and this report confirms my thinking. About 33% of the participants said their first binge drinking experience was in middle school (12 to 15 years old). Binge drinking is defined as four drinks at one sitting for girls and five for boys.
It is not just booze parents of middle schoolers need to worry about. Nearly half the study participants were 15 or younger when they first smoked marijuana.
Again, I propose that 8-hour drug classes become part of every middle school curriculum. What do you think?