Northport Fights Drug Epidemic During Recovery, Awareness and Prevention Week

Northport High School’s Students Against Destructive Decisions is dedicating an entire week to alcohol and drug prevention and awareness.

About 341 Long Islanders lost their lives to overdose just last year, and Northport High School’s SADD program has made the commitment to fight this epidemic.

Recovery, Awareness and Prevention Week begins with a community event on Thursday where family members will share their experiences with addition. The Suffolk County Police Department will then provide Narcan training for the community. (Narcan is used to treat narcotic overdose.)

The community event begins at 7 p.m. at the Northport American Legion Hall, located at 7 Woodside Ave.

On Saturday, the community will then have an aggressive drug take-back campaign at the Northport Library.

Read more about this event here:

• Northport is Taking Back Your Unwanted Prescription Drugs

“This week, specifically, the Narcan training, and the drug take-back program give me a renewed sense of hope that we are doing something that will have tangible results. The drugs we are taking off the streets could stop a kid from overdosing or possibly getting addicted,” SADD advisor Tammy Walsh said.

The following week, all students in the Northport-East Northport School District will participate in activities to help educate and raise awareness about the drug epidemic. Speakers will share their stories of addition with students. The week will end with a press conference outside Northport Village Hall, where officials will report the results of the week to the community.

SADD has teamed up with the Northport-East Northport Drug and Alcohol Task Force, County Legislator Doc Spencer’s office, the Northport Police Department, and the Suffolk County Police Department’s 2nd Precinct to present Recovery, Awareness and Prevention Week.

For questions about these events, contact Darryl St. George, educator and SADD advisor, at darryl.stgeorge@northport.k12.ny.us.