A newly created non-profit group has been reaching out to schools on the islands to raise awareness about the effects of drug and alcohol abuse.<\/p>\n
Diego \u201cDJ\u201d Sablan, executive director of Marianas Behavioral Health International, along with volunteers Joey Arriola and others, spoke to middle school students of Hopwood Junior High School about their experiences with drug and alcohol abuse.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are sharing the effects of [drugs and alcohol], \u2026realizing that this has really affected our lives,\u201d said Sablan. \u201cWe are now sober and\u2026sharing it with others.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to Sablan, middle school students are among the youngest group of students to have contact with drugs such as methamphetamine or \u201cice\u201d and cannabis or marijuana. <\/p>\n
\u201cAs we talk to the community, [substance abuse] is at an all-time high. It is an epidemic now. We have recognized that not only do we have adult users, but now it is also getting down to the younger children. As we go around and talk to people, the middle school children have now been affected as well,\u201d said Sablan.<\/p>\n
According to him, they have learned from their presentations that majority of students have seen and have been offered \u201cice.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cWe did a show of hands asking how many have seen \u2018ice.\u2019 Majority raised their hand. We asked how many of [the middle school students] knew someone who uses \u2018ice’ and the majority of them raised their hands as well. We asked how many of them were offered to use \u2018ice,\u2019 about half of the whole audience raised their hands.\u201d<\/p>\n
Arriola, a former lawyer, lost his law license because of drugs.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat I share with children all the time is how I lost my law license. Part of how I lost my law license was being hooked on alcohol and drugs. A lot of people don\u2019t know that, so I try to go out and champion this cause, telling people to think about what could happen to you [if you abuse drugs]. I am just a real-life story that they can relate to and I feel that this can impact their lives,\u201d said Arriola.<\/p>\n
Arriola said the growing drug epidemic has to be stopped in its tracks.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt has reached epidemic proportions and it is not just [affecting] the adults, but it is now [affecting] the children. [We are] doing anything to try and slow that down and help our children,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Arriola told the children that anyone thinking about trying drugs should just remember what happened to him.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am not going to tell you not to do it. If you are thinking of trying it, then here is my story. See what could happen to you and how it could ruin everything you have worked for,\u201c said Arriola.<\/p>\n
Noel Roque, a seventh grader at Hopwood, said the presentation opened his eyes to the drug problem.<\/p>\n
\u201c[The presentation] helped me a lot by telling me not to do drugs or alcohol when I grow up because I might not have a good life, a job, and all those things,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
For counseling, contact MBHI at 234-4673(HOPE). The MBHI patient center is located at the second floor of the Marianas Business Plaza.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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