Dallas ISD Superintendent of Schools Michael Hinojosa selected one of the Council’s collaborative efforts, the Buzz Free PROMises Dress and Tuxedo Giveaway, to receive the Dr. Emmett Conrad Extra Mile Award for ongoing volunteer service to support the Dallas ISD. The award presented to an individual or group whose volunteer service has supported and enriched the lives of Dallas School children for three or more years and demonstrates significant growth in student participation and impact.

On April 30th the community responded to National Prescription Take Back Day. The Council on Alcohol & Drug Abuse was part of a collaborative effort to collect unwanted, expired or unused medications. The efforts resulted in 291 pounds of pharmaceutical products collected in Dallas, part of an astounding 8,431 pounds removed from homes in North Texas and across Oklahoma. According to the 2010 Partnership Attitude Tracking Study, 1 in 4 teens (25%) reported taking a prescription drug not prescribed to them by a doctor at least once in their lives. More than 1 in 5 teens (23%) used a prescription pain reliever not prescribed to them by a doctor. The Take Back Initiative reduces the availability of prescription drugs to our youth.

Special thanks to the Council’s fellow collaborators on this initiative: The Dallas Area Drug Prevention Partnership, Drug Enforcement Administration, Dallas Independent School District Police Department, and The Twelfth Step Ministry, Inc.

Similar Take Back initiatives are planned for October 8 and October 29.

The Council on Alcohol & Drug Abuse, in collaboration with the Tobacco-Free North Texas coalition, Denton County Health Department and Denton County Mental Health and Mental Retardation, rallied residents for community health initiatives. Read more…

The Council on Alcohol & Drug Abuse has partnered with Radio One, Inc - Rickey Smiley, City Councilman Dwaine R. Caraway, KBFB – 97.9 The Beat and other community agencies on this annual event educating the community on the epidemic of HIV/AIDS.

Between the July 12th City Hall press conference kick-off and Aug. 20, all individuals taking a confidential, oral swab HIV test with The Council will receive brief education and one FREE ticket for the Hip Hop for HIV Concert on August 21, 2011. The concert will feature national, regional & local Hip Hop artists, such as T. Cash, Yung Nation, B. Hamp, Dorrough, Doughski G, BMC Boyz and more!

With the increasing rates of individuals between the ages of 13 & 24 testing positive for HIV, innovative testing initiatives such as HIP HOP FOR HIV is being used as a unique approach to raise awareness, educate and provide testing for this targeted group.

Recognizing the extraordinarily strong relationship between substance abuse and the spread of HIV, hepatitis, and other STDs, The Council’s coordinated network of services has included HIV outreach prevention services since 1995.

Nearly half of all U.S. high school students currently smoke, drink or use other drugs, and a third of users meets the medical criteria for addiction, according to a new 400- page report by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, or CASA, at Columbia University.

Other report findings include:

• Three-fourths of high school students have smoked cigarettes, drunk alcohol or used another drug.
• Alcohol is the most preferred addictive substance among high school students, followed by cigarettes, marijuana and prescription drugs.
• Two-thirds of high school students have used more than one addictive substance.
• Although 1.6 million U.S. high school students meet the clinical criteria for an alcohol or drug use disorder, only about 100,000 have received treatment in the past year.

The younger people are when they start using addictive substances, the greater the likelihood for addiction. Ninety percent of Americans who meet the medical criteria for addiction started smoking, drinking, or using other drugs before age 18. People who use addictive substances before age 18 are six times more likely to develop a substance use disorder than those who didn’t start using until they were 21 or older. One in four Americans who began using any addictive substance before age 18 developed an addiction, compared to one in 25 Americans who started using at age 21 or older. (CASA)