Bshs 458 - State Substance Abuse Prevention Paper

State Substance Abuse Prevention Paper

Chad Culhane

BSHS 458

Angela Colistra

October 17, 2016

State Substance Abuse Prevention Paper

        Across the country, towns have been plagued by the epidemic of substance abuse for generations.  Addiction and substance abuse do not discriminate against one’s age, appearance, status or race, it can turn the strongest man into a beat down version of themselves.  In the town of Kennesaw, Georgia, there is no exception.  A small, rural, suburban town outside of Atlanta, substance abuse is prevalent amongst its citizens.  The town of Kennesaw is within Cobb County, a diverse population group that is comprised of people from all walks of life.  It is close enough to the city for its inhabitants to work there or even go out to for recreational activities; besides the perks of being near a big city comes with it the downfalls as well.  Crime and drug abuse filters it was down from Atlanta which ultimately gives those in surrounding areas easy access to narcotics.  Most recently, Kennesaw has turned into a college town with a local university nearly tripling in size within the past decade.  Underage drinking has ran rampant within adolescents and young adults in the area as well but prescription drugs abuse has become the most dangerous substance available around Cobb County.  Luckily the state of Georgia is dedicated to dealing with the issue of substance abuse and has made it a priority to put policies and prevention programs in place to combat this problem.  

        The Cobb County Government has been built by those with a passion against addiction and the effects it has on a person and their loved ones.  They have put in place a number of policies and programs whose main focus is preventing relapse and substance abuse in general.  According to the Cobb County Government website, there is an importance placed on prevention before it becomes a problem.  Throughout their district an anti-drug program has been put in place at the local schools and after school programs.  The idea around this program is to educate and make known the consequences of drug and alcohol abuse with the hopes that it deters these children away from using.  Even outside of schools there is a Family Treatment court for those families whose parents have lost custody of their children because of their substance abuse.  This is a sad reality for many, but the program’s “goal is to break the cycle of addiction and neglect through monitored service delivery and ultimately reunify the parents with their children” (Cobbcounty.org, 2016).  Failure to complete the program can result in permanent revocation of custody causing the children to be placed in protective custody within the state.