Day-Long Conference to Deter Drug Use Among Minors?

According to a recent news article posted on the Wiltonvillager.com, Harvard Medical School Clinical Professor of Psychiatry Dr. Edward Khantzian and Cambridge Health Alliance Director of Addictions Treatment Dr. Mark Albanese will be discussing treatment strategies for drug abuse among youth as part of a day-long conference at Western Connecticut State University on Friday, Oct. 16, 2009.  The topic of discussion will focus on substance abuse and drug and alcohol addiction among adolescents and young adults.

Often, when people think of drug and alcohol abuse, they think of adult males over the age of 18.  However, disturbing numbers of adolescents and other members of the youth are just beginning to or have already previously dabbled in drug and alcohol use/abuse or experimentation.  For some of these adolescents, they have had a high price to pay with drug overdoses or DWIs that resulted in their death or the death and injury of other people around them.

If we are ever to really put a stop to drug and alcohol abuse by minors, something needs to be done now.  Many critics are quick to blame parents for not stepping it up and speaking to their kids about the inherent dangers that drug and alcohol use involve.  However, this is not always the case.  It is the hope of those putting together the aforementioned lecture that the lecutre will provide more successful approaches as well as ideas on how to curb drug and alcohol use by minors.