New Steps need to be taken

[grant1971]

There need to be new steps taken to ensure that the addiction rates do not continue to rise around the world. But what actions or steps need to be taken in order to achieve this. We need to work on reaching the teens who will be the next generation of people to be addicted.

[LW75]

People don't want to hear it, but I think one thing that has to happen is parents (and the world, in general) need to find a way to keep children children a little longer. I'm not talking about holding them back in terms of intellectual or emotional development, and I'm not talking about not letting them "have lives".

I think, though, that the one and only way to slow down addiction rates is for parents to define what childhood is it, what is right for what age, and generally push the age of different things up another couple of years.

I think part of the problem today, and over the last couple of decades, is/has been that people have pushed children into so-called "maturity" (looking and acting like little teenagers or adults, but not really being emotionally mature on the inside). As a result, children are faced with the having to make choices that they just aren't emotionally or intellectually able to make wisely.

On top of it, in spite of social trends, children will always be children. Allowing them to have adulthood thrust upon them too young is too stressful for them, and one way to escape that stress and insecurity may be to use some kind of drug.

[laurah]

I think you are right in a lot of ways, children do grow up too quickly. However, I think we also have huge problems is eductaion, housing and unemployement that need to addressed, and I think these have a great bearing on drugs and alcohol abuse.

[LW75]

I think you're right too. Although there are drugs and alcohol abuse problems are everywhere, there are those high-risk neighborhoods where a lot of kids don't stand much of a chance of getting to maturity without getting into serious problems.

[attagirl]

The biggest lack area is in education. I lived in a state where they had a program called D.A.R.E if you have heard of it then you know. But anyhow they go into elementary schools and teach 5th grade students or possibly 6th grade students the importance of saying no to drugs and alcohol.

Well this is fine and all, but from this age through the teen years they need constant reminders not just one year exposure. Teen need to be reminded constantly of things and how they can affect the body, how to deal with peer pressure and so on.

Responsibility should fall in the hands of all people Governments (federal and local), Parents, students, schools and community. We need to get the drugs off the streets in order to make this a better place.

[Rohitpatel]

The biggest lack area is in education. I lived in a state where they had a program called D.A.R.E if you have heard of it then you know. But anyhow they go into elementary schools and teach 5th grade students or possibly 6th grade students the importance of saying no to drugs and alcohol.

Well this is fine and all, but from this age through the teen years they need constant reminders not just one year exposure. Teen need to be reminded constantly of things and how they can affect the body, how to deal with peer pressure and so on.

Responsibility should fall in the hands of all people Governments (federal and local), Parents, students, schools and community. We need to get the drugs off the streets in order to make this a better place.
Well Only education will cut down the rates of addiction. if you give good education for effect of those addiction and give idea about it effects, people will know more about it and than they want to recover from it.

[attagirl]

But you at least understand the importance of education. And not as a one time thing, it needs to be a constant reminder of what can happen to your life if you choose to do this and also teach how to prevent it from happening to begin with.