Alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana are the drugs usually targeted in community efforts to prevent substance abuse among youth. Schools typically are the sole source of substance abuse prevention education.
Southeast Missouri is trying something different. Through a three-year federal grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, Mission Missouri, the faith community in a nine-county area, and the Missouri Institute of Mental Health have teamed up to implement a unique methamphetamine (meth) and inhalant prevention program.
Why meth?
Because Missouri’s rural areas have been hit particularly hard by meth. Missouri ranks first among all states in the number of covert meth labs seized.
What’s the big deal about inhalants?
Inhalants are among the most accessible substances on the market because they are everyday products that we use around the house. Hair spray, gasoline, glue, cooking spray, felt-tip markers, air freshener, and spray paint can all be deadly if used to get high.
When did drug prevention become a responsibility of faith organizations?
Long before there were social service agencies and government programs, churches provided an array of services to help people who struggled with illnesses and social service needs. In the past, many hospitals were established by the faith organizations. Today the faith community finds itself in a powerful position to influence young people’s attitudes about the use of substances. Faith leaders can play a pivotal role in helping youth to stay drug free. Professionals in the prevention field have discovered that the schools can not be solely responsible for addressing substance abuse. Research has shown how involvement in religious activities can help prevent substance use among youth.
Exactly what will be happening in Southeast Missouri?
The meth and inhalant prevention project for 12-15 year old youth will take place in Butler, Cape Girardeau, Dunklin, Mississippi, New Madrid, Pemiscot, Ripley, Scott and Stoddard counties with Mission Missouri in Sikeston serving as the lead agency in the Southeast.
The project involves taking a model prevention program called Life Skills Training and adapting it to address meth and inhalants as a supplement to its current focus on alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana. The adapted Life Skills Training will be piloted during a summer day camp at Mission Missouri in 2005. After the program is piloted, implementation training will be provided to some 30 faith organizations in the nine-county area. At the same time, a community-awareness multi-media campaign will be launched in the nine counties to create public awareness about problems associated with meth and inhalants.
In addition, the counties will provide input for the development of a website that will not only offer tools for screening for substance abuse and information about treatment referral sites, but also facilitate communication among the counties so that ideas and information can be exchanged about implementation of the Life Skills Training. As the project unfolds, a web support system will be created whereby youth can share their thoughts and feelings with one another and with trained counselors. Through the website, residents of Southeast Missouri will have access to a wealth of information about substance abuse prevention.
What is the purpose of this project?
The project is designed to prevent, reduce, or delay use of meth and inhalants by middle school and junior high youth and improve the ability of faith organizations to serve as sources of community support in the effort to prevent drug abuse.
For more information, contact:
Mission Missouri
(573) 472-4141
Missouri Institute of Mental Health
(314) 877-6440 or (314) 877-6432 |