ALCAP steps in to help keep youth from substance abuse

The Southern Baptist Convention will recognize March 16 as Substance Abuse Prevention Sunday, providing a great opportunity for Alabama Baptist churches to reflect on the ministry provided by the education program of Alabama Citizens Action Program (ALCAP).

No other organization in Alabama reaches the amount of people or uses such a variety of venues to reach those people with the message of prevention as ALCAP. Because of this responsibility and the perceived effectiveness of what is being done, it’s important to reflect back on both the success and remaining work for prevention in our state.

In 2006, the Monitoring the Future report revealed that by the time children reached the 12th grade, 73 percent had tried alcohol and 48 percent had used illicit drugs. Perhaps more importantly, the study revealed that most of the parents were unaware of their child’s drug use.

The findings of this and other surveys prove that organizations like ALCAP stand in the gap to reach out and fill the prevention void. Schools, public or private, should not be relied on as the primary source.

In 2007, 39 ALCAP speakers made 1,885 presentations of 10 different educational modules to 634 public and private schools, reaching 96,143 students with an abstinence message for a positive, healthy, drug-free lifestyle. In conjunction with these school presentations, ALCAP advocated a comprehensive approach, encompassing families, schools, the church and the community as a unit.

But the major area of weakness in this comprehensive approach was found in the church and its potential to inform and inspire a generation of drug-free youth. Because schools are not equipped to be the major source of prevention education, churches can and should provide after-school and weekend programs to enhance the comprehensive prevention strategy.

There are several tips to help these programs become more effective.

• Include parents who model behavioral patterns of drug-free living.
• Select speakers and materials that will have a lasting impact on the lives of young people. Pamphlets, videos, PowerPoint presentations and question-and-answer interactive materials are available through ALCAP.
• In the elementary years, train teachers in the church to give normative information about healthy living, which ALCAP can help with. And in middle and high school years, it’s important to give factual information on prevention integrated with health and science topics.

These recommendations are not easy to implement, but they are worthy of the best effort. Drug prevention education should be a part of the ministry of every local church or at least the local Baptist association.

You are not alone. ALCAP can help your local church accomplish the following:

1. Foster changes in your local community that facilitate healthy adolescent development by preventing the use of drugs.
2. Engage parents, schools, all levels of government, all social systems (local human resources, police departments, etc.) and churches to unite in a coordinated effort to prevent the use of drugs and their consequences.
3. Promote an understanding of underage drug use in the context of human development and maturation and the risk factors of this destructive behavior.
4. Work to ensure that your local church is involved in some ministry to prevent the underage use of drugs.

This can be done and it should be done. On this Substance Abuse Prevention Sunday, join with ALCAP to change your culture by challenging the norms and expectations of a future generation to say no, individually and collectively, to drugs.

For more information, visit www.alcaponline.org or call 205-985-9062.

EDITOR’S NOTE — Bill Day is an associate with ALCAP, who works with the educational programs of the ministry.