Keep Everything in Perspective
In light of the tragedies unfolding around the world, it is difficult to keep everything in perspective and stay on point with our missions.
The tragic and shocking loss of life in the Middle East and the war in Ukraine have us all concerned or even terrified of what may be to come.
Without diminishing the devastation and suffering brought about by those, especially heinous events, I’m sure you realize that every day in America, almost 300 of our young people die from drug overdoses and more die from drug-related injuries and accidents. The sad truth is that every 11 days we lose as many young people as were killed on 911. Since October 7th, more than 4,000 young people have died here in the US from drug overdoses. That doesn’t count the thousands who were injured or sustained permanent brain damage because of their drug use. Many of them are under 21 and all of them are a son or a daughter to someone.
The truth is foreign adversaries and drug cartels flood our streets with deadly drugs like fentanyl, methamphetamines, cocaine, and all sorts of deadly precursor chemicals. Many believe it is an attempt to take America down from the inside out. From my perspective, when it’s your child lying on the slab in the morgue or a back alley somewhere, it doesn’t matter what their motivation is.
As a nation, we are not doing enough to educate our youngsters about drugs because almost two out of three high school students consider using drugs as cool. On the other hand, 80% of them said that if they were given good information they would be less likely to experiment or use drugs at all. In my opinion, the main reason for this disaster is that only five cents out of every dollar (of our money) the government spends dealing with the drug crisis goes toward prevention. This could explain why drug deaths are up by almost 500% in the last 20 years.
What does the future look like? Unless we do something big now, the number of deaths will double within a few years. Why? Many states continue to legalize marijuana and decriminalize drug use. I believe this sends a message that drugs aren’t really that dangerous. Is that why only about half of our kids understand the dangers of heroin, methamphetamines, opioids, and ecstasy?
I heard it just the other day, two young women were talking and one of them said, “A little Molly never hurt anyone.” (Molly” is slang for an illegal street drug. It is often thought to be a “pure” form of the illegal drugs Ecstasy or MDMA.) According to the National Institute of Health, it is dangerous.
To keep everything in perspective, the Saving Our Children Campaign is dedicated to using evidence-based techniques to help young people understand the dangers of drugs. To that end, we published Eric’s Song, a novel that follows a teen as he learns firsthand about addiction and what it is like to be a teenage drug addict. These types of true stories have proven to be effective in helping youngsters avoid drug use.
We are weeks away from completing a graphic novel based on the same story. This approach will communicate to a wider audience because it is designed specifically to first, capture the attention of young people and then help them understand why they need to stay away from drugs.
Proceeds from the sale of the two books will be used to fund the 2024 movie of the same story. When the movie is completed, we will then be able to reach an even broader market, educating tens of thousands of teens around the world. We will also format this for television and streaming to reach the broadest possible audience.
We are an NGO, a non-governmental organization, and do not receive direct government funding because the government’s priorities seem to change with every election cycle. We are supported by individuals and businesses who benefit from living in a drug-free community, support drug-free workplaces, and want to protect their children from the potential ravages of drugs and substance abuse.
We published our first book in 1992. Five Minutes A Day to Drug-Free Kids. It is now in its fifth edition.
Over the years, a large number of individuals and businesses have helped the Saving Our Children Campaign. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you.
If you would like more information about the novel Eric’s Song, which was released last month go to SavingOurChildrenCampaign.com.
If you would like to contribute to the cause, please do so HERE.
END: Keep Everything in Perspective