Substance Abuse Counselor on Drug and Alcohol Prevention Success Evident in Florida Youth

By Jim WestPublished On: March 3rd, 20091.3 min read

Orlando Substance Abuse Counselor comments on recent Drug and Alcohol Prevention Study Success Evident in Florida Youth. The “war against drugs” in the schools is succeeding! The 2008 Florida Youth Substance Abuse Survey reported that every area of substance abuse declined from 2000-2008, with the exception of marijuana use and prescription drug abuse. Binge drinking (5 or more drinks in a row) declined, though the most significant decline occurred in the use of any illegal drug besides marijuana. The number of middle school and high school cigarette smokers has been reduced by half.

The problem with marijuana among students comes as no surprise. However, the good news is that fewer students (6th through 12th grade) are experimenting with this drug before the age of 14. The emerging area for concern lies in the increase in over-the-counter drugs, such as cough medications, and prescription drugs. More students are abusing pain killers and antidepressants. Prescriptions drug abuse was particularly noted among high school seniors.

What can help? Throw away old medications, unused prescriptions, and keep track of how many pills are left in current prescriptions! Monitor your child’s activities and be alert to changes of behavior in your teen. Educate your teen about the danger that prescription drugs and over-the-counter drugs pose. The whole community benefits when adolescents remain alcohol and drug free.

Source: The Florida Certification Board “Briefings” Winter 2009 edition.

Author: Evelyn Wenzel, MSW, LCSW, CAP .

NOTE: you can freely redistribute this resource, electronically or in print, provided you leave the author’s contact information below intact and give credit to the 2008 Florida Youth Substance Abuse Survey.

Jim West

Adolescent Expert, Jim West offers expert advice to Local and National TV News & Schools Internationally and provides phone or face-to-face counseling in the Orlando area. Jim is an Author, Communicator, School Consultant, Nationally Certified and State Licensed Counselor and specializes in counseling for Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADD/ADHD) and Oppositional Defiance Disorder (ODD). Jim has been interviewed for multiple TV, Radio, magazine and newspaper articles. He is president of Total Life Counseling Center and his Total Life approach accelerates the therapeutic & healing process by relating to children, adolescents and adults and incorporating wellness. Jim’s clients travel from all over Florida, England, Georgia, Cayman Islands and the Bahamas as he has been able to treat clients with ADHD, Anxiety, Mood Disorders, Depression and more with FDA approved supplements and Dietary Modifications. 85% of his clients have not needed medication or used less medication than when they first came to Total Life Counseling Center.

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Filed in: Alcohol, Blog, Drug, Orlando, Teens

Total Life Counseling Center consists of Licensed Counselors, masters level therapists, Español counselors, Licensed Mental Health Counselors, business coaches, and image enhancement coaches who provide counseling for emotional, mental, physical and spiritual care including marriage, individual, family, substance abuse and more. TLC’s family, trauma and marriage experts have been interviewed on National and Local TV/Radio over 200 times for their expert advice on Fox News, OWN, WETV, ABC’s Medical Minute and more. Our skilled counselors are relational, approachable and specialists providing therapy services in the Central Florida area including: Orlando, Winter Park, MetroWest, Windermere, Dr. Phillips, East Orlando, Lake Mary, and Clermont, Boca Raton Florida, and Dallas, TX.