by Priscilla Benfield

Created on: May 18, 2009   Last Updated: May 27, 2009

Remember the "just say no" campaign started by Nancy Reagan when her husband was president? That simplified message was supposed to keep kids from getting involved with drugs. For all her good intentions, just saying "no" isn't enough. Drug prevention is futile until we start to identify the people who are most likely to try drugs and get hooked.

DARE and other programs in elementary schools are fine. Introducing kids to the idea of how dangerous drugs can be and the consequences of using them is important education to have. Many kids are almost destined to future drug use because of many different factors.Maybe that seems like a strong statement and perhaps many will argue that no one is destined to become a drug addict ,but there are certain characteristics that are universal in a drug addict.

Drugs are a problem amongst people of all races and economic backgrounds. Drug addiction is an equal opportunity destroyer.

The misuse of drugs is a symptom of a greater problem. There are 4 character traits that many addicts share. Low self-esteem, being a loner type,having a low tolerance to frustration and sensitivity are the most common traits that are found. Perhaps identifying people who in addition to these personality traits have a genetic tendency for addiction and offer mental health counseling early in life would prevent some of them from turning to substance abuse later in life.

The whole idea of being genetically predisposed to addiction is an idea that hasn't been proven but has been studied. Statistics do show that there is a cycle of substance abuse in some families, whether it be alcohol or drugs. We need to recognize that alcohol is a drug also. Too many people don't consider alcohol to be as much of a problem as illegal drugs are.

Many factors combined make a person more at risk. The personality traits, genetic predisposition, economic or family tensions are all common combinations of many addicts.

Educating kids on the dangers of drug use is important. Along with drug education a focus should be put on building self-esteem. DARE does work to build self-esteem,but the program is not as wide spread as it should be. In many communities DARE is only for 5th grade students.Building self-esteem and encouraging participation in community needs to be done throughout the school years.

Training educators in recognizing the signs of possible trouble looming in a kid so that they can be evaluated by a mental health professional could be helpful. Many

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