New Online Program Gives Parents and Schools an Innovative Tool to Prevent Substance Use Among Youth
National Institute For Alcohol Recovery (NIFAR®) is unveiling a new online program, Youth Awareness, a practical tool to help concerned parents and educators prevent teen alcohol and drug use....read more...
Gaithersburg, MD (PRWEB) December 29, 2009
National Institute For Alcohol Recovery (NIFAR®) is unveiling a new online program, Youth Awareness, a practical tool to help concerned parents and educators prevent teen alcohol and drug use. This endeavor is one of several new programs launched by NIFAR, a progressive organization dedicated to alcohol prevention and recovery programs for home use.
Currently, alcohol use is widespread among youth. Surprisingly, 62% of high school seniors report they have been drunk – and 31% say they have had five or more drinks in a row in the last two weeks(1). Concurrently, each day young people are injured or fatally killed in alcohol-related incidents. Further, a survey of female college students found a significant relationship between the amount of reported weekly drinking and experiences of sexual victimization(2).
Youth Awareness explains what alcohol and drugs are and how they can impact a young person’s future. The program is designed to be fun as well as informative. “Today’s teens don’t want to be lectured. They just want the info so they can make up their own minds”, said Kamran Loghman, Executive Director of NIFAR. Further, the program is available at Nifar. com via high-speed streaming audio and downloads for an iPod® or mp3 player – a modern format kids know and love.
Youth Awareness has received the support of leading experts in addiction medicine, including Dr. Devang Gandhi, a board-certified physician in addiction medicine, and Dr. Thomas Goldbaum, a board-certified cardiologist and Associate Professor of Medicine at Georgetown University.
This program is being launched at a critical time. Alcohol addiction is now the number one health problem in the US and in more than forty countries worldwide(2,3). Sadly, underage drinking lays the foundation for alcoholism and related health problems later in life, such as heart disease, cancer, and brain damage. Even advanced brain imaging has shown that kids who drink develop a smaller brain than those who do not(4).
NIFAR seeks to reduce the social and economic impact of problem drinking with Youth Awareness and other breakthrough programs in alcohol recovery and family support. To learn more, please visit www. nifar. com. Or contact Kamran Loghman, Executive Director, at 301.216.2220.
About Youth Awareness
This new, dynamic program was developed by substance abuse experts, but it was designed by kids, for kids. It features two college-age people struggling with the difficult choices and consequences of drinking. The two interact in a playful way, with lively banter that today’s kids will find entertaining. Together, they present a positive and eye-opening program with valuable information for kids and parents alike. To learn more about Youth Awareness, alcohol addiction, or the latest in alcohol recovery techniques please visit www. nifar. com.
About NIFAR®
NIFAR is an organization of devoted recovery experts and addiction researchers. Its goal is to advance recovery with the latest proven techniques. In addition to Regenerate, NIFAR offers a family support program called Restore® that provides effective tools for loved ones to cope with the challenges of recovery. Also, NIFAR has a fun and informative Youth Awareness program that gives teens vital information to help them make smart decisions. The tone of each program is positive and uplifting, and they all convey enthusiasm for the participant’s future. Further, each daily segment reinforces empowerment, healing, and lasting change. To learn more about NIFAR, or the remarkable success stories the organization has inspired, visit www. nifar. com.
(1) Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies. (2000). “Position Paper on Drug Policy, Physician Leadership
On National Drug Policy PLNDP”. Brown University, Providence, RI.
(2) National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc. Fact Sheet. New York, NY.
(3) World Health Organization. (2004). Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse. Geneva. (Global Status Report on Alcohol).
(4) Crews, Fulton T., Miranda, Robert, Jr., Monti, Peter M., Nixon, Kimberly, Sher, H., Swartzwelder, Scott,
Tapert, Susan F., White, Aaron, (2005), “Adolescent Binge Drinking Causes Life-Long Changes in Brain”, Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research., Vol. 29, (2), pp 207-220.
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