Oct
26
Just this week an important study was published from SAMHSA that shows that the use of illicit drugs among Americans increased between 2008 and 2009. The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) (pdf) shows that the overall rate of current illicit drug use in the United States rose from 8.0 percent of the population age 12 and older in 2008 to 8.7 percent in 2009. This rise in overall drug use was driven in large part by increases in marijuana use.
The annual NSDUH survey, released by SAMHSA at the kickoff of the 21st annual National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month, also shows that the nonmedical use of prescription drugs rose from 2.5 percent of the population in 2008 to 2.8 percent in 2009. Additionally, the estimated number of past-month Ecstasy users rose from 555,000 in 2008 to 760,000 in 2009, and the number of methamphetamine users rose from 314,000 to 502,000 during that period.
In addition, research shows that efforts must be reinforced and supported by the messages kids get from their parents. Past-month marijuana use was much less prevalent among youth who perceived strong parental disapproval for trying marijuana than among those who did not—4.8 percent versus 31.3 percent, respectively.
The church can make a difference by sending a clear message to young people and providing parents with the tools to effectively discuss these issues with their kids.
Check out the Addiction Ministry Education Network page on Facebook.
Become a fan and you will receive updates about events and links to important news articles.
CLC Substance Abuse Ministry Podcasts
Pathways to Prevention Website
www.hazelden.org
We value your input and suggestions.
Your comments and recommended resources are welcome in the comments box below.
Aug
31
Imagine a young person, a good kid who has caring parents, sitting in church on Sunday morning. Last night, he was out with his friends, and the group started passing around marijuana. For a year he has turned it down, but last night he tried it for the first time. Sitting now in the worship service, he is afraid of his family finding out and even more afraid of what he might do the next time. His concern is real, and he is a member of your church.
On the other side of the sanctuary, a business executive is worried that his social drinking is getting out of hand. Last night, he got lost on the way home and was afraid that he would be arrested and charged with a DWI. He is afraid of what could have happened and what might happen the next time. His concern is real, and he is a member of your church.
The reality of addiction in the United States is that on any given Sunday morning, there are significant numbers of people in church who are dealing with substance abuse issues, either their own or a family member’s. In a recent survey, an estimated 15.9 million Americans twelve years or age or older are identified as current drug users. In addition, almost half of all Americans twelve years of age or older (109 million persons) are current drinkers. Behind every statistic is a person who is loved by God and who may be looking for answers.
What can a church do? Most importantly, don’t pretend that substance abuse is not a real issue in your congregation. Move from denial to action. Create an atmosphere of loving acceptance which invites people in need to seek help.
This article is available to be used by churches as a bulletin insert for Recovery Sunday and can be downloaded from the CLC web page.
Recovery Sunday Ideas
- Pastor preaches a sermon on recovery.
- A testimony is shared about recovery in the worship service.
- The youth minister utilizes “Pathways to Prevention” and has a Bible Study about a prevention issue.
- The church could pass out Red Ribbons to the congregation in support of Red Ribbon week.
- The church could do a focus on Red Ribbon week and be supportive of students and teachers in the public school system.
- Hand out drug education fact sheets to parents of youth.
- Invite a counselor or drug prevention speaker to a special forum for youth parents.
- Include a bulletin insert about Red Ribbon week and/or Recovery Sunday.
- Have a copy of the 12 steps put in the Sunday bulletin.
- Provide drug prevention information in the hallway for church members
We value your input and suggestions.
Your comments and recommended resources are welcome in the comments box below.
Mar
18
On Friday, June 25, the CLC is sponsoring a College Student Forum (pdf) with SMU and Texans Standing Tall. The Forum will be at Wilshire Baptist Church in Dallas. The focus of the forum is the prevention of underage drinking and binge drinking at colleges and in their surrounding communities. The forum is a wonderful opportunity for churches to network with local organizations.
Research provides more reasons than ever for parents, students, college professionals, and other adults to be alarmed about the effects of underage drinking on Texas college-age youth. Among Texas college students, alcohol is the primary drug of choice – nearly double the use of other substances. Alcohol is linked to poor class attendance and low academic performance, unwanted sexual activity, depression and suicide, and alcohol poisoning.
Registration is free and is available at www.texansstandingtall.org. Participants will receive materials, breakfast and lunch at no charge.
Resource for Article:
Parent notification policies for underage drinking evolve
Texans Standing Tall Regional Forums 2010 Dates and Locations
Do Something: Substance Abuse Ministry DVD
Introducing Do Something: A Substance Abuse Ministry DVD available through the Christian Life Commission. To order, contact Alicia Enriquez at 214.828.5192, or e-mail alicia.enriquez@bgct.org. The cost is $2.
CLC Substance Abuse Ministry Podcasts
Pathways to Prevention Website
www.hazelden.org
We value your input and suggestions.
Your comments and recommended resources are welcome in the comments box below.
Feb
17
An important part of any substance abuse ministry in a church is the connections to the community and other organizations that are involved in prevention and education events. One of the partners of our state substance abuse ministry is Texans Standing Tall. This group addresses prevention and education issues relating to adolescents and the use of alcohol, tobacco and drugs. Texans Standing Tall hosts regional forums throughout the state for the purpose equipping and providing information and resources to community leaders and groups. The forums are an excellent way to network and get relevant information about what the current needs are in your community.
2010 Dates and Locations are:
March 26-San Antonio
Education Service Center, Region 20
1314 Hines Avenue; San Antonio, TX 78208
Directions
April 22-Midland
Region 18 Building
2811 La Force Blvd.; Midland, TX 79711
Directions
Date TBA- Austin
Seton Administration Office Auditorium, 1st Floor
1345 Philomena Street; Austin, TX 78723
Directions
May 14-Amarillo
Education Service Center, Region 16
5800 Bell Street; Amarillo, TX 79109-6230
Directions
Date TBA- Dallas
College Student Forum
For more information about Texans Standing Tall or the Regional Forums, just check out their web page at www.texansstandingtall.org.
We value your input and suggestions.
Your comments and recommended resources are welcome in the comments box below.
Jan
19
On December 17, 2009, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration published a bulletin update reporting that adolescents perceive a greater risk to using Tobacco Products Than Illicit Drugs or Binge Drinking. Perceptions of lower risk may influence decisions to experiment with drugs.
Adolescents across all age groups perceive a greater risk to smoking cigarettes than the use of alcohol and other substances including cocaine and LSD. An individual’s perception of risk about a substance can be a key factor whether they decide to refrain from using.
Interesting facts from the report include:
- Nearly 70 percent of adolescents aged 12-17 perceived great risk from smoking one or more packs of cigarettes per day. This rate was stable across age groups.
- Only 40 percent of adolescents perceived great risk from binge drinking (having five or more drinks of alcohol once or twice a week), and just over one third (34.2 percent) perceived great risk from smoking marijuana once a month. About half perceived great risk in using cocaine once a month (49.7 percent) or LSD once or twice (50.9 percent).
- Females were more likely than males to perceive great risk from smoking one or more packs of cigarettes per day, from having five or more drinks of alcohol once or twice a week, and from smoking marijuana once a month; males were more likely than females to perceive great risk from trying heroin once or twice.
It is important for churches, youth groups and adults to discuss the realities and risks of substance abuse with the adolescents that we have the chance to influence.
Do Something: Substance Abuse Ministry DVD
Introducing Do Something: A Substance Abuse Ministry DVD available through the Christian Life Commission. To order, contact Alicia Enriquez at 214.828.5192, or e-mail alicia.enriquez@bgct.org. The cost is $2.
CLC Substance Abuse Ministry Podcasts
Pathways to Prevention
www.hazelden.org
We value your input and suggestions.
Your comments and recommended resources are welcome in the comments box below.
Jul
31
On July 6, 2009, the Washington Times had an interesting article about the importance of family dinners and adolescents. It seems that the practice of eating dinner together as a family could be the single greatest decision that one can make toward saving the adolescents from poor decisions regarding drugs and alcohol.
For more than a decade, the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University (http://www.casacolumbia.org/templates/Home.aspx?articleid=287&zoneid=32) has been studying the tremendous impact that family meals can have on children. Their research repeatedly shows how children suffer when they don’t spend regular, casual time with their parents gathered around the dinner table. Consider this summary of their findings:
“Compared with teens who frequently had dinner with their families [five nights or more per week], those who had dinner with their families only two nights per week or less were twice as likely to be involved in substance abuse. They were 2.5 times as likely to drink alcohol, and nearly three times as likely to try marijuana.”
Dining together makes huge differences in general family relationships, too. Children from families who don’t have frequent meals together are more than twice as likely to say that their family has strained or tense relationships. And, sadly, they often don’t feel as if their parents are very interested in their lives.
How to save your family from being disconnected
There’s no reason to wonder if lonely meals lead to strained relationships or vice versa – find out by making togetherness a priority. “Just do it.” It might be a worn-out phrase, but as the parent, you need to determine in your heart to make family dinners happen.
And, although they won’t tell you, your teens want you to make it a priority…Really!
As the school year approaches, please consider making Recovery Sunday, October 18 a part of your church calendar for the fall.
Do Something: Substance Abuse Ministry DVD
Introducing Do Something: A Substance Abuse Ministry DVD available through the Christian Life Commission. To order, contact Alicia Enriquez at 214.828.5192, or e-mail alicia.enriquez@bgct.org. The cost is $2.
Pathways to Prevention Website
www.hazelden.org
We value your input and suggestions.
Your comments and recommended resources are welcome in the comments box below.
May
26
Substance Abuse – May 2009
Filed Under Substance Abuse Updates | Leave a Comment
“God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference.”
The serenity prayer is composed of wise words that challenge so many. These are stressful days which provide unique challenges for men and women struggling with addictions. The church can support, encourage and lead the way in changing part of the world beginning in your own neighborhood. Recovery Sunday is five months away but it’s time to begin to pray about making a stand in your community and congregation on October 18, 2009. I encourage you to begin to accept the challenge to make a difference and pray for wisdom in the way to communicate Christ-like care and concern to your part of the world. During the summer, we will be providing helps for your church in preparing for Recovery Sunday.
Do Something: Substance Abuse Ministry DVD
Introducing Do Something: A Substance Abuse Ministry DVD available through the Christian Life Commission. To order, contact Alicia Enriquez at 214.828.5192, or e-mail Alicia Enriquez. The cost is $2.
We value your input and suggestions.
Your comments and recommended resources are welcome in the comments box below.
Apr
29
Important Note: The Substance Abuse Ministry Training conference originally scheduled for Friday, May 1 has been rescheduled for the fall. We will announce a new date for the conference in the next month.
When parents in your community think about safeguarding their teens from drugs, they usually think of illicit street drugs such as marijuana, cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine. But today teens are abusing prescription drugs more than any illicit drug except marijuana.
The statistics on prescription drug abuse are startling: every day, more than 2,000 kids age 12 to 17 try a painkiller non-medically for the first time**, and 71 percent of persons age 12 and older who abuse these drugs say they get them from a relative or friend. Perhaps most troubling is that many teens don’t realize these drugs can be just as dangerous as street drugs, so kids who would never try street drugs might feel safe abusing prescription drugs.
Since the problem of prescription drug abuse is predominantly one of access and awareness, Family Circle magazine and the Media Campaign have joined forces to highlight the danger zones in each room of the home, producing a printed "house tour" that will run in the magazine’s June issue (on newsstands May 12). Additional copies of this new resource – a supplement to the popular online version that can be found by visiting www.TheAntiDrug.com/dangerzones (Information from The Anti Drug Media campaign).
We value your input and suggestions.
Your comments and recommended resources are welcome in the comments box below.
Mar
25
Addiction is a difficult disease. It affects many people and the family members who love them. There’s not an easy answer to recovery. For most people, it’s a journey of therapy, group meetings, structured support and a walk with God. Central to the 12 steps is the idea that the addict most turn their life over to God. Recovery does not just happen; it takes a surrender to God and acknowledgement that one is trusting in Him to carry the load.
Recovery is also experienced through group work. The following are some group resources that you can contact that can help folks struggling with addictions.
Celebrate Recovery: www.celebraterecovery.com
AA-Alcoholics Anonymous:
Austin: 512-444-0071
Dallas: 214-887-6699
Houston: 713-686-6300
NA-Narcotics Anonymous: 800-747-8972
Gamblers Anonymous: 888-424-3577
Sex/Love Addicts Anonymous: 800-477-8191
We are excited to announce that the Christian Life Commission Substance Abuse Ministry is now producing podcasts
:: Podcast
We value your input and suggestions.
Your comments and recommended resources are welcome in the comments box below.
Feb
24
We are excited to announce that the Christian Life Commission Substance Abuse Ministry is now producing podcasts!
Our initial podcast will focus on education, prevention and helps for churches to establish substance abuse ministries. You can find the podcast on I-Tunes by searching "Christian Life Commission" and under podcasts you will find the BGCT logo. The podcast is also available on the CLC web page. Additional podcasts will be added monthly and you can subscribe to the podcast through I-Tunes and each time a new podcast is produced it will be added to your I-Tunes account.
Also, I encourage you to put Friday, May 1, 2009 on your calendar. We will be having our annual Substance Abuse Ministry training. This year it will be at Wilshire Baptist Church in Dallas. This will be a great opportunity for churches to learn about different substance abuse ministries to see what is a fit for your congregation and for churches to network. To register just call the Christian LIfe Commission.
We value your input and suggestions.
Your comments and recommended resources are welcome in the comments box below.