How to Make Parents More Aware of Drug & Alcohol Abuse in Your Community

In 2008, one-third of people ages 12 to 17 used alcohol and one-fifth used illegal drugs, according to a website hosted by the New York University Child Study Center. Educating parents about drug and alcohol abuse in your community gives them the tools to recognize the signs of drug and alcohol abuse and what to do about it. Use a multi-stepped approach to reach a range of parents.

Things You'll Need

  • Printed literature
  • Meeting venue

Instructions

    • 1

      Launch a community website. Design the site as a go-to place for information about facts and events related to drug and alcohol abuse in your community. Use your police department as a source for statistics. Include how many drug or alcohol related arrests occurred in the past month, and the outcome of some of those cases. Provide national statistics as they relate to your community and offer links for drug rehabilitation centers, books on drugs abuse and other resources.

    • 2

      Have informational seminars. Find a no-cost venue such as a church or school auditorium. Invite local experts, including the police chief, school principals and juvenile probation officers to speak about substance abuse in your community. Leave time after the formal seminar for a question and answer session. Repeat the seminars at the start of each school year and shortly before summer break. Invite parents to attend through church bulletin boards, announcements in newspapers and pamphlets handed out at community events shortly before the seminar.

    • 3

      Host fundraisers. A once-a-year spaghetti dinner or weekend mini-fair with all proceeds going to a local substance abuse prevention organization will get parents to attend. Set up a booth at the event from which literature about drug and alcohol abuse is distributed.

    • 4

      Start a support group. Provide a place for parents to come together, share concerns and become educated about substance abuse in your community. Watching documentaries as a group, reading books about drug abuse and discussing them and inviting guest speakers from the community to speak at meetings help parents relate drug and alcohol abuse issues to their community.

    • 5

      Make an email newsgroup. Announce its existence in the newspaper and on area websites every couple of months. Make the group's purpose specifically to discuss and trade information about community drug and alcohol abuse issues, events and solutions.

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