Drug and Alcohol Abuse in Minnesota Schools

What are the odds that your child is drinking more than twice a week?

Does it matter if their friends drink or do drugs?

What are the odds that they will carry on drinking straight through college and into adulthood?

In a recent survey in the Minnesota public schools 30% of 12^th graders report binge drinking in the past two weeks and 30% reported that they used marijuana in the past year.

If your child is drinking at a young age the odds increase that he will have a substance abuse problem for his lifetime. Half of the people who drink at a young age will have an alcohol problem for life.

86% of parents think their children need to drink to have a full college experience, 51% of teens think drinking is a big part of the college experience.

In Minnesota it starts in high school and goes into college, in another survey 47% of 18 to 26 year olds binge drink.

From the same survey it says that 30% of high school seniors have tried marijuana and from a different survey marijuana is smoked monthly by 17% of people aged 18 to 26 and 11% percent of this age group use prescription pain killers at least monthly.

43% of parents think it is impossible to expect their children not to smoke marijuana.

The odds are that at least 8.5% of these kids are addicted to drugs or alcohol and will need drug rehab at this stage in their lives. While it's not one in ten it is close enough, parents should be aware that their children are abusing drugs and alcohol and should not be complacent about it.

Your children's friends are drinking and taking drugs, 20% of them at least are influencing your child to do the same. One in five of your children's friends or their parents are not discouraging drug or alcohol abuse and they may be encouraging it.

Drug Rehab Referral can help you if you have a family member or friend who needs to find a drug rehab in Minnesota.