Hugs not Drugs written purposal

My Proposal: Genius Hour

Problem

The problem is that there are too many adolescents that suffer from addiction and are limited to their resources for any type of recovery. These adolescents are limited to government funding rehabilitation programs or behavior programs. Being government or state-funded these facilities are restricted on their methods of treatment and their funding comes from government or state requirements that must be implemented in their form or method of treatment. Rehabilitation is narrowed to just a few subjects which would be the using of such substance, behaviors, and abstinence of such substances. These don’t even scratch the surface of the real issue and very few centers have any type of support system set up after the discharge of a person after in-patient treatment is completed. There are some programs set up to spread the awareness of drug and alcohol abuse to youth one that you may be familiar with is D.A.R.E, as well as red ribbon week. These programs help spark awareness, but they don’t do much but just temporarily band-aid the problem. Most children that are brought up in home where the abuse of drugs and alcohol are an everyday event don’t know any different they don’t know that other families live differently than theirs and then we introduced these programs to children and they might at this point entertain the idea that their family does these things but as children they feel a need to protect their family even if their home lives are unbearable. Adolescents brains have not matured and if raised in a certain environment not only are they immature, but their thought process and rationalization is much different then a youth that has a very functional home life. These children grow up to be adults with the same disease that their caretakers had and raise children the same way they were raised. This is a sick cycle that breeds generation after generation of substance dependent persons. Not all adolescents are raised in a dysfunctional home maybe they become friends with a child that is and are introduced to alcohol or drugs in that manner. Still the same result in the end. The future generations of children are at risk not only for the abuse of substances but the mental, physical, or sexual abuse of a person that is under the influence of a substance. According to The World Health Organization “WHO” estimated that 73million boys and 150 million girls had been experienced some form of child maltreatment under the age of 18. Studies also say that 7,200 children including infants are raped every year and these are only the case that is reported. According to the U.S Department of Health and Human Services, 85% of child maltreatment cases presented that alcohol and drugs were one of two major factors in cases of maltreatment. This issue does have a solution and it is simple. We as a society need to change the way we view not only drugs but alcohol. And we need to implement a program for adolescents that allows them to deal with their addiction.

Proposed Solution

I propose that we make a twelve-step program available to our youth. This program already exists. This method of recovery is for all ages, races, social classes, sexual identity, religion or lack of religion. Psychiatry, medication, and abstinence will only last so long.  If you take away the substance’s you still have behavior and thinking pattern. Your left with a drug induced reality and all the pain and hurt you have been masking with substances plus the guilt from all the pain and hurt you caused others while you were using or desperate decisions you made in order to fuel your habit that created havoc and pain to those around you. Addicts are not just addicted to substances they are addicted including but not limited to money, power, sex, gambling, shopping, food and even exercise. The fellowship is a group of men and women all around the world working together for the purpose carrying the message to the addict that is still suffering. The program allows them to see their character defects, work for goals, allows them to live in the solution and not the problem. After self-reflection, guidance, and suggestions given to these individuals, they build a foundation and relationships with individuals that have suffered from similar situations but overcome the obstacles that were in their way. This is a simple, spiritual non-religious program known as Narcotics Anonymous. Its been proven over time that if you apply the things you learn to your life, take suggestions, be of service work, get a sponsor and work the steps that you never have to use again.

 Justification

Adolescents are subjected to authority whether it’s their parents, guardian or state regulated overseer. The rates of children and teens that seek some type of treatment due to alcohol and drug abuse keep rising. The centers in which our youth is held for drug-related use or crimes 93% of the time are state-funded homes that youth experience abuse from caregivers and other adolescents within the group home. The state-funded rehabilitation centers are only allowed to do so much because of the stipulations were given from the source of funding. Even after rehab and detention center stays our youth are usually sent home to the same environment with little to no new skills on how to improve their quality of life, sent to long-term living assistance home which usually focuses on medication management and behavior control or sent to foster care. All three of these options include funding from our taxes and not only do we fund everything but due to the form of treatment or shall I say non-treatment we will most definitely be paying for this person’s health, food, and housing when they come into adulthood that’s if they don’t fulfill the statistic of being imprisoned which we too would fund. Its proven that individuals that grow up in poverty or in dysfunctional homes will remain in such conditions after adulthood. This is just the icing on the cake, there are so many different sub-topics that play into adolescent’s drug and alcohol abuse and so many statistics that prove someone in addiction the odds are against. But for the first time in a very long time, NA is evidence that you don’t have to do it alone and you never have to use again. It has transformed many lives from doctors and lawyers to cashiers and farmers. All that needs to be done to break the cycle of addiction and all the conditions that accompany addiction are supported our youth like they have never been supported. Hear the voices that have been silenced. You may ask how you can help, spread awareness. Because the fellowship is self-supporting they do not accept donations from outside organizations. They don’t care what you have or who you know only what your problem is and how they can help. I can’t WE can, you don’t ever have to be alone.