Drugs and alcohol require a community response
Letter to the Editor:
The average age of a first drink in Lincoln County is 10.5 years old. Nearly 70 percent of Lincoln County youth in grades 8-12 report alcohol is easy or very easy to get. Nearly 30 percent get alcohol from someone they know over 21, 22 percent from a relative or at home with parental permission. Less than one-third of our youth believe that they will be caught by law enforcement if they are drinking alcohol in our county. Of high concern is the rise in marijuana use among 8th grade students and the surge among youth in grades 8-12 reporting using prescription drugs to get high, from 5 percent in 2010 to 19.1 percent in 2014.
Many believe our schools and our law enforcement will take care of this issue. It’s their job. It’s their problem to fix.
The drug and alcohol problem in Lincoln County belongs to all of us. It’s time for all of us to claim the problem. As a county-wide community, we need to stand together and let our youth and community know we want more for our kids and for Lincoln County. Substance abuse is harming our kids, our families and our community. It is not OK nymore, we need to say that out loud and often.
A number of organizations around Lincoln County are committed to helping our youth. A strong coalition, Lincoln County Unite for Youth (UFY), is busy behind the scenes with an impressive team of parents, educators, youth, business and medical professionals, faith community, law enforcement, treatment specialists, prevention specialists and civic/volunteer groups. We have an opportunity to join the effort and come together as parents and as a business community to learn more about this issue and the part we can play in building a stronger, healthier community by standing up against youth substance abuse. John Underwood, Olympic trainer and founder of the American Athletic Institute, is coming to Libby and Eureka March 2-3 and is bringing a team of United States Navy SEALS with him to talk with our youth and community about the harmful effects of drugs and alcohol on motivation, memory, performance and recovery. I encourage you all to attend. Unite for Youth will be sending out more detailed information in the coming week.
Libby, Troy and Eureka schools are also uniting to focus on this problem. Over the course of the last year, educators around the county have been trained in the most up-to-date science regarding the effect of drugs and alcohol on the young, developing brain. Their ROAR, GREAT and GEAR UP programs focus on the commitment to excellence and perseverance and work to recognize young people for their positive contributions to school and community. More recently, the use of drug sniffing dogs in schools helped send the message that drugs and alcohol have no place in school. Finally, their “Life Of A Logger/Athlete Committed” programs, works in progress, are designed to promote healthy lifestyle choices among youth. When kids find themselves in trouble, the program helps students recognize poor judgment and/or behaviors, accept personal responsibility and re-commit to their team by making positive changes.
My intention with this letter is to ask you as parents and business owners to help. We need to do our part. When we see young people in our homes, our stores or around town and they appear to be drunk or high, don’t look the other way. By simply asking the question, “Are you OK?” we will send a strong message of concern. Most kids most likely won’t open up, but they will realize we are noticing, we care, we believe youth substance use isn’t OK anymore.
It’s time for all of us to take notice and make more of an effort to let our youth know we believe in them and want the best for them. Youth substance use has no place in our community, let’s stand together to send that message. Our kids and our community are worth it.
— Kim Peck, Libby