DRUGS AND ALCOHOL: DEADLY DUO FOR TEENS

The teen years are a time to venture out into the world, to test your
independence and make decisions without the help of your parents. Yes, it's
a time to experiment, and experiments involve trial and error - making
mistakes.

But some experiments may not be worth it, especially those involving
alcohol and drugs. It's not enough to be told, "Just say no." Teens feel
indestructible and rarely think of the long-range danger of becoming
addicted to a chemical substance. But getting high can exact a stiff price.

Of the 1.7 million men and women behind bars in the United States, 80
percent are there at least partly because of drugs or alcohol. That's a
staggering statistic.

A recent study by Columbia University's National Center on Addiction and
Substance Abuse found that almost 1.4 million offenders in state and
federal prisons and local jails had violated drug or alcohol laws. They
either stole property to purchase drugs or alcohol, were high when they
committed a crime or had a history of abuse and addiction. For many of the
inmates, all three were the case, according to Joseph Califano, chairman of
the Columbia Center and former secretary of Health, Education and Welfare.

Furthermore, many hundreds of thousands of these inmates would be
law-abiding, working, tax-paying citizens and responsible parents if they
had lived sober lives. Substance abuse was the sole factor behind their
criminal conviction.

The leading substance abuse crime in the United States is drunken driving,
accounting for over 1.4 million arrests yearly, at a cost to the legal
system of $5.2 billion. Alcohol is also more closely associated with
violent crime than any other drug, followed by crack cocaine, powder
cocaine and heroin.

Teens, I know that some of you will experiment with alcohol and drugs with
the philosophy that "I'm going to try it just to see what it's like. I
don't plan to get hooked." Just remember that many of those now behind bars
had the same philosophy. Be wise; stay drug-free!