What is the Anti Drug Campaign?

The objectives of the Anti Drug Campaign are to prevent youth from using illicit drugs by enhancing their awareness and understanding of the harmful social and health effects of illicit drug use, and to develop and implement community-based interventions and initiatives to prevent illicit drug use.

The Anti Drug Abuse Campaign Project is also an educational and a rehabilitation project targeting youth involved with drugs, children recovering from forced drug use, and youth whose efforts in research and outreach help to make a difference in their life.

What is Illicit drugs?

Illicit drugs represent the largest volume of criminal cases that are examined by forensic science laboratories. They can occur naturally, as with marijuana or cocaine; they can be prepared from naturally occurring substances, such as the case with heroin; or they can be totally synthetic, as is the case with amphetamines and most other prescription drugs. Illicit drugs can also be classified by major effects. There are four major types: stimulants, depressants, narcotics, and hallucinogens.

Why is it important to have drug awareness?

Effective drug education is important because young people are faced with many influences to use both licit and illicit drugs. Education can play a counterbalancing role in shaping a normative culture of safety, moderation, and informed decision making.

Negative effects of illegal drugs:

• Drug abuse can have many short- and long-term negative effects including physical and mental health problems, legal consequences, and impairment in many areas of a person’s life, from school to work and interpersonal functioning.
• Drug misuse can have lifelong consequences. A student with a drug arrest or policy violation may find their career choices limited, and may in fact be ineligible for employment in the career path they have chosen. Numerous careers have licensing standards in which drug misuse would be a disqualification. Many employers are also screening applicants and current employees for drug use and reviewing public social media accounts for indicators of substance use. Even if a student is not disqualified from a specific career field, in a competitive employment environment an employer may choose an applicant with no indication of drug abuse over an applicant who has a known history of drug abuse.
• In addition to the negative impacts drug abuse can have on an individual, campus safety and law enforcement should also consider the negative effects on the entire community. Traffic crashes, violence, property crimes, and medical assist service calls increase when drugs are involved. For a campus community, drug abuse can have harmful effects on student success and retention, and thereby impact the overall health and resilience of a campus community.
  

Tips for Preventing Substance/Drug abuse:

• Understand how substance abuse develops. Substance abuse starts by:
  
  -Using addictive drugs (illicit or prescribed) for recreational purposes.
  -Seeking out intoxication every time you use.
  -Abusing prescription medication.
• Avoid Temptation and Peer Pressure. Develop healthy friendships and relationships by avoiding friends or family members who pressure you to use substances.
• Seek help for mental illness. Mental illness and substance abuse often go hand in hand. If you are dealing with a mental illness such as anxiety, depression or post-traumatic stress disorder you should seek professional help from a licensed therapist or counselor. A professional will provide you with healthy coping skills to alleviate your symptoms without turning to drugs and alcohol.
• Examine the risk factors. Look at your family history of mental illness and addiction, several studies have shown that this disease tends to run in the family, but can be prevented. The more you are aware of your biological, environmental and physical risk factors the more likely you are to overcome them.
• Keep a well-balanced life. People often turn to drugs and alcohol when something in their life is missing or not working. Practicing stress management skills can help you overcome these life stressors and will help you live a balanced and healthy life.

Group 1

Members:

• Gianne Supan
• Truman Hate
• Renz Dacunos