Red Ribbon Week (in Lexington, South Carolina)

This week is national Red Ribbon Week, a week dedicated to teach students not to use drugs. Pleasant Hill Elementary made learning to say no to drugs fun. Each day of the week students got to dress up in fun way that related to preventing the use of drugs.  

"Monday was polka dots - to remind them to spot good choices. Tuesday, Glasses Day, to keep a look out for leaders. Wednesday, Crazy Sock Day, a reminder to sock it to drugs... On Thursday, the kids will wear red  to represent that they're strong in will power. On Friday, they all get to wear their favorite team jersey to "team up" against drugs."

The article from a local Lexington new station states how this week helps students to reach the career goals in the long run. By informing the students at a young age they hope help the kids make better decisions, by saying no drugs. 

However, the article claims that the first time that individuals try it, referring to drugs, is around the age of 11 or 12 or even younger. Is this a flawed statistic? Where has this data come from? Who was the sample?  It is important when reading articles about substances to understand who and why the statistics are stated. It is possible that this claim was made to make the prevention of drug use among youth seem like a bigger problem than it really is. By making it seem like a bigger problem it helps to justify the reason our tax money goes to support this week long celebration. It also gives parents and the community a sense of hope for the future of our kids. 

Red Ribbon Week as a whole is a great week to education the younger generation on the harms and consequences of drugs. The earlier we inform the more hope we have for the future. Take the time out of you day to have a discussion with your kids, little cousins, brother or sisters, because substance abuse effects everyone around the person who is abusing. Remember that you don't have to wait until Red Ribbon Week 2012 to talk about this issue

For more information on the Lexington county school Red Ribbon celebrations visit this link.

Drug education training session-Columbia SC

The Lexington-Richland Alcohol and Drug Abuse Council recently held a training session to educate schools, law enforcement and legal officials of the recent drug and alcohol trends among teens.  The session covered topics including the recent marketing trends of drugs and alcohol and the larger use of synthetic drugs being used by teens.

In recent years there have been a change the drugs and alcohols marketed and used among teenagers.  There has been a growth in the use of synthetic drugs, particularly the use of Adderall, a drug used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).  This drug has only recently become available to treat those with ADHD and has become a largely abused drug among teens and college students to aide in their studying.  It is important for adults to become aware of the issue of abuse with that drug as it is a situation that was not in occurrence years ago.

The marketing of alcohol has also greatly changed in recent years and has made products more appealing to a younger consumer.  Alcohol beverages are now being marketed with energy drinks and often times cheaper than the latter.  Some areas are beginning the ban the selling of alcoholic energy drinks, such as Four Lokos, which contain caffeine equivalent to four cups of coffee and alcohol equivalent to six beers all within one can.



Educating those in authority of the newest trends with drugs and alcohol allows them to better regulate and understand what teens are encountering in their lives.  Without this education, leaders will not be appropriately prepared to handle the negative results of drug and alcohol abuse.