Millions of Youth Driving Under the Influence of Drugs and Alcohol
More than four million youth engaged in drunk or drugged driving.
(PRWEB) January 4, 2005 -- When the Substance Abuse and Mental Health
Services Administration (SAMHSA) issued its 2004 Monitoring the Future Study, it
showed that overall drug use was down among teenagers. This week SAMHSA
announced that more than 4 million young people between the ages of 16-20 drove
under the influence of alcohol or drugs in the past year.
The data was
extracted from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health and the number
accounts for 21 percent of U.S. youth in that age group. When broken down, the
statistics indicate that 14 percent of youth drove under the influence of
illicit drugs, and only four percent of the overall number reported being
arrested for the potentially deadly activity. Regionally, the highest percentage
of this behavior occurred in the Midwest.
In a release issued by SAMHSA,
Administrator Charles Curie exclaimed, “Motor vehicle crashes are the leading
cause of death among young persons 16-20.” He also indicated that the
Administration is working to create and support more prevention programs in
local communities to dramatically reduce this behavior and create a positive
impact on these kids’ lives as well as the lives of others around
them.
Surveys conducted by the Narconon® Drug Rehabilitation and
Education Program of several hundred thousand students across the country show
that it is the type of information and the manner in which it’s presented that
determines the best results.
Many prevention programs in schools dryly
talk about consequences of drug use, use scare tactics such as mock alcohol
related fatality skits, or show samples of drugs that only peak students’
interest in ‘learning more’ about them. While these approaches may work for
some, the majority of students don’t feel that they are very real to
them.
Narconon Arrowhead’s prevention program, led by Director of Drug
Education J.T. Daily, uses effective two-way communication with a lot of energy
and interest between the presenter and the students. Combined with information
that isn’t normally taught and the fact that many of the presenters are former
drug addicts that have been able to successfully get their lives back, students
are able to get the toughest questions answered in a way that satisfies their
curiosity without having to try drugs for themselves.
J.T. and other
Narconon® Prevention Specialists around the world follow simple presentation
styles and have fun. Again, it’s the type of information talked about and the
manner in which it is delivered that really counts. According to Daily, “I wish
I had this information when I was in school so I wouldn’t have done some of the
things I did growing up, like start taking drugs in the first
place.”
Narconon Arrowhead is the one of the largest and most successful
private drug rehabilitation and education facilities in the United States and
uses the proven effective drug-free technology developed by American author and
humanitarian L. Ron Hubbard.
For more information about drugs and
addiction, to get help for a loved one in need or to book an education
presentation in your area call Narconon Arrowhead today at 1-800-468-6933 or log
on to www.stopaddiction.com.
To view the whole report on
youth driving while intoxicated visit SAMHSA’s Office of Applied Studies website
at www.oas.samhsa.gov.
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Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/1/prweb193402.htm