To the Editor:

Jan. 22-28 is being recognized as the seventh National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week (NDAFW) 2017. Locally, Portage County Alliance for Youth has been addressing prevention issues for parents and youth for more than 35 years.

The Portage County AODA Coalition has been in existence for over 20 years and addresses drug and alcohol abuse in the community by adults.

We, as parents, teachers and adult youth leaders, must be the educators for our youth to keep them safe.  There is a reason there is a state law prohibiting youth from purchasing or using alcohol before the age of adulthood.

As alcohol can become addictive and lead to other at-risk behaviors, youth as young as middle school age need to be educated on avoidance of at-risk behaviors. If they observe adults in their lives abusing alcohol, they may find it hard not to copy the behaviors.

Drug use today is far more dangerous than that produced a number of years ago. Recently a group of teens told interviewers that using drugs helped to alleviate pressures as they cope with life.

The University of Michigan at Ann Arbor recently released the 2016 study which indicates there is a long-term decline in the use of many illicit substances including marijuana, as well as alcohol, tobacco, and misuse of prescription medications among the nation’s teens.

Together we can continue to make a difference. Joining Portage County Alliance for Youth (PCAY) to work with parents and youth, or joining the Portage County AODA Coalition to address adult prevention issues can be a start or at least to obtain information on steps to take. Contact [email protected] for more information.

Mary Ann Krems

Stevens Point