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Plugged in for Prevention

Did you know that a teenager who owns alcohol branded merchandise, such as a bathing suite, t-shirt, key chain or frisbee, is 166% more likely to begin drinking within the next 8 months?

Of course you didn’t. We didn’t know either until we read the study published in the Archives of Pediatric Medicine. The thing is, this type of research rarely makes it to the big leagues of the multimedia clearing houses. It’s slaughtered by the release of Apple’s latest tech news, new statistics on global warming or highlights from last night’s Yankee game. An even better question than the one above, however, is “How many kids does your town send to the hospital due to substance abuse each year?” The answer to this question is guaranteed to be as well known and acknowledged as the one on the top of this page.

The truth is, most police departments don’t even know how bad their community’s drug problem is. Most substance abuse issues happen outside of the law enforcement purview. The police are involved in the perfect disaster cases; those rare instances when a crime or medical emergency not only rises to a critical condition, but is actually witnessed by someone who is willing to do the right thing. In the overwhelming majority of substance abuse incidents, the victim endures the consequences in a condition of self-imposed solitary confinement. When a family becomes aware of a problem in house, the shades get pulled down. And even when emergency services actually are involved, their instinct is to protect the privacy of the patient. The result is a relative void of information.

Consider the commonly cited statistic of drug arrest figures. They are sometimes relied upon because police departments are required to release them at least once annually. For some communities, they are the only piece of quantitative data available on this subject. But in the shadow of every actual arrest, lies a much bigger mass of undetected malignancy. A true substance abuse monitoring system must go beyond drug arrest figures, and quantify things like hospital admissions involving alcohol or drugs, school absences and disciplinary actions attributed to substance abuse, the number and success of liquor licenses in town, divorces and child abuse or neglect cases involving substance abuse, the graduation rate of college kids that attended the local high school, the frequency of alcohol involvement in domestic violence incidents and the impact of substance abuse upon the local labor force. Few communities have established a system capable of appreciating their substance abuse problem with any degree of accuracy.

That means that neither you, your kids, your organization or your neighbors have ready access to the information you need to truly conceptualize the nature of the threats facing you. This single circumstance has done more to paralyze well intentioned families and communities, than perhaps any other. The absence of information on this topic undermines its importance. Detractors avidly use the lack of figures to their strategic advantage. Policy makers rely upon it to slash funding from anti-substance abuse programs. Community members who are ambivalent, feed off of the ignorance and become entrenched in their uninformed ways. Family members, lacking tangible justification, can antagonize parents who try to steer their family away from danger.

So one of your most important missions must be to get plugged in. On an individual level, its so important for you to join your local anti-substance abuse organization. If there is information to be had, it will flow through that organization. At the same time, keep your ears open and eyes peeled for the little tidbits of verification that do bubble up to the surface. When that information comes your way, pass it on to those in your community who will use it for a good end. Definitely discuss it with your family and highlight the reasons why these things don’t get the press they deserve.

Whether you are an individual or an organization, its critical for you to network with the sources of credible information that already exist. Websites like this exist for you. They are designed to help facilitate collaboration. Be an active part of that. Take advantage of the technology they provide. Instant alerts, national coverage, electronic newsletters and the like begin to even the playing field…a bit. Refuse to be left out of that.

Finally, use your noggin. I’m sure you’ve already found some ideas here. Find your own ways of digging up the information you need to stay informed, and develop credible, respectable ways of disseminating it. If we’re going to make a difference, we’re going to have to work together to do it. The challenge is to build a network, plug in, and get others to do the same. Pass it on.

This is a great place to start! Visit, start or build your own Hometown Connection right here at MpoweredParent.com. Take a look at what we’ve built for you. Just click here!