August 2009 Newsletter

You are invited to the ACHC Report on Underage Drinking and Drunk Driving:

Public Meeting
Friday, September 11, 2009
1:00p.m.
Oakland County Sheriff's Office 1200 N. Telegraph, Pontiac, MI

Over 350 persons in Oakland County, including about 250 youth, have answered questions about underage drinking and community support for law enforcement of drunk driving laws. Dr. Lubbers, Evaluator for the Alliance of Coalitions for Healthy Communities (ACHC), has evaluated those responses and will discuss the findings. Those attending will also receive information about the costs of substance abuse in Oakland County, including the impact on crime and youth.

The combined information will lead to future strategy planning meetings to reduce underage access to alcohol and increase community support for law enforcement. Through a collaboration of community partners, the goal is to mobilize for change on alcohol, building healthy beliefs and clear standards across the communities of Oakland County. If you want more information about this event or are interested in attending the strategy planning meetings please email: donnis@achconline.org.

FAITH COMMUNITIES CAN HELP PREVENT THE CONSEQUENCES OF SUBSTANCE ABUSE

**Please forward this newsletter to faith leaders and organizations in your community**

Addiction is a complex brain disease. Long-term use causes changes in brain functioning. When young persons use alcohol and drugs, changes in brain development occur.1 Also, those who start using young are much more likely to have long-term problems: Persons reporting first using alcohol before age 15 are more than 5 times as likely to report past year alcohol dependence or abuse than those first using alcohol at age 21.2

Your faith community can be a place where family members can talk about their experience and share their concerns. People with drug and alcohol addictions are in dire need of care and support and often feel disconnected to or shunned by faith communities. Therefore, it is important that congregations learn to accept and provide support for those with drug and alcohol addictions.

Faith leaders and community members can communicate acceptance and their desire to assist the addicted person(s) and their families through:

Avoidance of shaming and disrespect of the person, while communicating truth of the behaviors and options for caring support.
Assuring that the persons are held accountable for their own behaviors. Restorative justice is a way to make amends without shaming
Avoid enabling behaviors which will continue the progression of the addiction.
Realize the faith leader can't do everything, other caregivers and resources are needed for the addict to be successful.

Symptoms:

Members of faith communities may notice clues that alcohol and drug dependence has become a problem. They may notice family dysfunction, children acting out or withdrawing from school and church-based child and youth activities. Sprititual friends may notice that the reality of God often becomes blurred at best and non-existent at worst.

Signs of addiction may include:

Persons deny that their use is causing problems, even when others confront them with facts.
Persons say they'll quit or use less, but use continues.
Persons and their family members avoid or withdraw from activities, or are not aware of the consequences of their alcohol or drug use during activities.
Family members and friends share anxiety, sadness, frustration, helplessness or hoplessness in response to a loved one's drinking or using drugs. 

Faith leaders can make a difference:

Preach and teach about substance abuse and its impact on children, families, congregations and communities.

Engage youth and adults in prevention and recovery. Be a safe haven for people to talk about the impact of substance abuse.

Listen to children of addicted parents. Make sure the children know they are not alone, they are not responsible and they are valuable.

Create a safe place for youth to gather. Provide structured, supervised and fun activities for the youth of your congregation. Present programs to the youth on the effects of use and addiction in young people. Include prevention and youth development materials in newsletters and bulletins.

Provide “take home” information about signs and symptoms of alcohol and other drug abuse.

Invite recovery groups to meet in your building.

September is Celebrate Recovery Month. Talk about recovery and the healing it brings.

The ACHC can: provide resources to display on what people can do to help and inform families, parents or teens, facilitate workshops and trainings for youth and adults on substance abuse and its impact on the individual's body and environment, supply outlines for sermons on “the Spirituality of Prevention and Recovery”, furnish brochures and information for use in bulletins or newsletters, set up a display for congregation of information about ACHC and other resources in Oakland County.

Sources:
1. http://www.nida.nih.gov/scienceofaddiction
2. http://family.samhsa.gov/stop/talk
3. http://www.nacoa.org/pdfs/clergy%20handbookfrom%20toolkit.pdf

Thoughts or opinions on anything you've read in our newsletter? Send your email to socialmarketing@achconline.org.