Drug and Alcohol Use Discussed on PTW

Our guests this week were Marianne Raymo, Chairman of the Portsmouth Prevention Coalition, and Ray Davis, Coordinator for the Coalition. We briefly discussed the results of the second annual Community Needs Assessment survey about teen drug and alcohol use and perceptions, conducted among our school kids and parents here in Portsmouth. As was the case last year, the survey results showed that teen drug and alcohol use remains a significant problem in Portsmouth, although there was some indication that perceptions may be changing as more scientific evidence shows the negative effects of drug and alcohol abuse on adolescents. This will be aided by the addition of substance abuse information in the Portsmouth School’s health curriculum starting this year. As Ray Davis indicated, The good news shown in this latest survey is that 50% of our students are not using drugs or alcohol.

We also discussed the work of the Portsmouth Prevention Coalition, their membership and role in our community. They have brought the Chris Herren “Project Purple” to Portsmouth, designed to support students who have the courage to say no to drugs and alcohol, as well as the “Life of an Athlete” program, which exposed student and coach volunteers to discussions by professional athletes and coaches about drugs. Students from Portsmouth that attended this program have developed a local version called “Patriots Committed” to engage the community. They will be briefing the School Committee on this program at the SC meeting on Monday evening and the public is invited to attend.

There will be another “Project Purple” from January 26 to January 30th 2015 to allow everyone to show their support of this useful program.

If you are a parent or a student in Portsmouth, you will want to see this show.

The Sept 26 Edition of Portsmouth This Week – Portsmouth Prevention Coalition - is available at: http://youtu.be/3jG8A-e9O3c And also via a link at www.portsmouthri.com