PREVENTION DRUG ABUSE SOLUTION

GALESBURG - Although drug abuse is frequently in the news and
destructive on many levels; most people have become desensitized to
this very real problem.

Some will recall the puppies that were surgically implanted with
drugs. They were transported across the border, and then reopened to
retrieve the drugs. Most died in this process. There was a massive
protest regarding this despicable practice; on the other hand, barely
a whisper is raised in regard to people who continually die because of
substance abuse. According to the Drug Enforcement Agency, in the
United States about 21,000 people die annually from drug abuse.

Some have tagged the misuse of drugs and our society's challenge to
that problem as the war on drugs. There is much truth to labeling this
conflict as a war, however, there also seems to be a downfall to this
characterization. People want a victory. When it appears there is no
win in sight, they give up on their fight against this terrible
scourge. Illegal drug trafficking is a huge industry. According to the
DEA, each year drug sales top $65 billion in the United States. Every
syndicated crime organization around the world wants a portion of the
take. What's more, these are cut throat businesses, where people are
expendable in their quest to make more and more money.

Many government authorities are tracking, arresting and prosecuting
illegal drug trafficking in our country. Yet, for every step taken
forward, the enemy jumps ahead with new smuggling techniques or drug
production methods. It's no wonder many people believe the war on
drugs is an impossible one.

The illegal drug industry exists because people misuse drugs, and
people misuse drugs for a reason. Many times drugs are an escape for
those who have experienced trauma in their lives from a multitude of
reasons. Other times drug abuse occurs due to early exposure in
childhood and adolescence, as well as negative peer pressure.

Although street drugs play a large role in substance abuse, the misuse
of alcohol, prescription drugs and legally obtained products such as
inhalants destroy lives as well. In some ways the legal drugs give the
appearance of not being as harmful as street drugs and thus many
people are more cavalier about their misuse.

Outside of reporting suspicious activity, it is impractical to think
that most individuals will be able to impact this issue from a law
enforcement perspective, but everyone can work toward reducing
substance abuse through prevention.

Drug abuse can permanently alter brain chemistry and functioning so it
important to focus on prevention methods, especially for children and
adolescents. Their brains are not fully developed and lifestyle
habits are forming.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse Web site displays research
results on drug abuse and prevention. It shouldn't surprise anyone
that parental substance abuse is a significant risk factor in child
and adolescent substance abuse. Studies show the most important factor
in preventing tobacco use among young grade school children is the
strong anti-smoking message the parent sends to the child.

The site goes on to say that junior high children were more likely to
use alcohol, tobacco or marijuana when exposed to significant adults
who also used these substances. Poor parental monitoring was also
shown to increase substance abuse among youth. Clearly, adult figures
in a child's life can encourage them to be drug free.

Moreover, NIDA claims that peer influence contributes to the
development of deviant behavior including substance abuse. This
negative influence increases during the teen years.

Successful prevention includes an understanding that substance abuse
is not a one dimensional problem. There are many things to consider.
As stated before, people abuse drugs for a reason. Some of these
reasons include risk factors, social context and personality types.
Protective factors play a role in prevention as well. Addressing these
foundations with a variety of programs and personal efforts has been
shown to reduce substance abuse.

Interestingly, programs involving whole families demonstrated greater
positive results in substance abuse prevention than programs focused
solely on parents or children. Prevention is not a one-time program
either. The message needs to be reinforced, repeated and expounded
upon throughout childhood, adolescence and into the adult years.

Addressing the deep hurts that many experience from abuse and seeking
ways to prevent the abuse in the first place will also displace the
need for drugs to numb emotional pain in lives.

It is easy to become unsympathetic to drug abusers because their habit
usually leads to criminal activity and extreme self-absorption.
Indifference aside, substance abuse costs our society dearly in tax
dollars and human suffering. Undoubtedly, the 21,000 people who die
each year leave families devastated and many children as orphans.

Judy Guenseth of Galesburg is the director of CASA and a former writer
on The Register-Mail's Weekly Roundtable.