Drug Abuse Bad For Our Economy

West Virginia’s top economic development concern may not involve coal, natural gas or the lingering effects of the recession. It may be drug abuse.

Alcohol- and drug-related crimes cost the state $429 million last year, according to a study by the West Virginia Prevention Resource Center. That is just the cost of investigating and prosecuting crimes resulting from substance abuse, and housing those imprisoned for it.

But as U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., has pointed out, that is just the tip of the iceberg. Employers have complained to him they have trouble filling job vacancies because of drug and alcohol abuse.

Educators are painfully aware of the problem. Children hooked on alcohol or other drugs usually do poorly in school. When their parents or guardians are substance abusers, the all-important education support network is weakened – or collapses entirely.

The problem may be growing worse. As many as 152,000 Mountain State residents have substance abuse problems, studies estimate.

These are not numbers pulled out of the air. Drug overdoses are now the leading cause of death for West Virginians under 45 years of age. The number of overdose deaths increased 550 percent from 1994 to 2004.

A shocking study in 2009, conducted at eight hospitals in the state, found 20 percent of babies born there had been exposed to drugs while still in the womb. Last year, one of those hospitals did a follow-up test involving babies’ umbilical cords – and found the percentage had increased to 33. That’s one in three babies born in that hospital.

The national average is 4 percent.

Good Lord. Substance abuse already is a social and law enforcement crisis in West Virginia. Clearly, it is having an adverse effect on our economy.

Let’s be frank: Our state already suffers from unflattering stereotypes. Add to that a reputation as a state full of addicts, and what corporate executive in his right mind would locate a plant or store here?

We don’t have the money – or the time – to waste on anti-drug fads or politically correct approaches to the problem. West Virginians need to find ways to take a massive bite out of substance abuse immediately.

Eat Dinner with your Children Tonight

source: wwwhaddonfield.patch.com
The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University initiated the Family Day movement in 2001 to make parents aware that frequent family meals can help keep America’s kids substance free.

Their motto is “Dinner Makes A Difference.” Research by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA Columbia) at Columbia University has consistently found “the more often kids eat dinner with their families, the less likely they are to smoke, drink or use drugs.”

Who knew something as simple as eating dinner together could have such a huge impact on our children?

I personally enjoy family dinners, except for the cleaning up part. It’s the perfect time of day to catch up and talk. According to CASA Columbia, talking is the secret to keeping kids away from drugs.

The type of conversation and family time that occurs at the dinner table really does “make a difference.” You don’t have to talk about the big issues; the simple act of engaging one another is what influences our children to become responsible adults.

Some of my most favorite childhood memories are of family dinners. I remember laughing a lot but I also remember having serious conversations about life. I felt a sense of belonging and comfort at the dinner table and I’m guessing that is what helps to keep kids on the right track. If they don’t feel like they fit in at home, they may try and find that feeling somewhere else.

Studies have also linked family dinners to better grades, higher self esteem, less depression, and healthier diets for kids. It has also been suggested that family dinners often create happier marriages which in turn make happier families.

Don’t forget, manners and respect are also taught at the dinner table and that is priceless in today’s world. I read somewhere, and I cannot remember where, that family dinners teach children how to be civilized members of society. Maybe there wouldn’t be as much bullying and disrespect for authority and property if children shared meals with parents or guardians on a regular basis?

So, tonight, have dinner together and enjoy each other’s company. Turn off the TV, ban the cell phones and iPods, and sit, eat and talk. I know it’s hard to find the time but it is well worth the effort.

What happens at the dinner table stays with you the rest of your life.

A presidential proclamation states that the fourth Monday in September is Family Day—A Day to Eat Dinner with your Children. President Obama wants you to eat dinner with your family tonight.

Don’t let him down.