Alcohol Treatment Centers within St. John’s, Newfoundland
With a population of one-hundred and fifty thousand people, St. John’s is the bustling capital of Newfoundland and Labrador. It has been around for a long period of time, and recently has been deemed the seventh fastest growing city across Canada. While the conception has always been that their economy was fishing, it has switched to oil. The people of St. John’s are hard workers and take pride in everything they do. Unfortunately, St. John’s still has its fair share of alcohol related issues. Not so much from older generations, but the teenage population in general.
General Situation
As previously mentioned, the problem within St. John’s is not that dire, but it is still a cause for concern. The problem comes from the teenagers within this city, as they are frequent heavy drinkers. There should more alcohol treatment facilities available in relation with the urgency of the problem.
Teenage Alcohol Problems
St. John’s teenage population is the city’s primary focus. Statistically speaking, fifty-two percent of all student teenagers drink. When compared to other cities, this is not nearly as bad. It is still a need for improvement though. Ten percent of these students purchase their own alcohol and about thirty take alcohol from their parents.
The frightening statistic is that twenty-five percent of St. John’s teenagers admitted to drinking until they were drunk at least once each week. This type of drinking habit is a serious cause for worrisome. With a quarter getting drunk on a regular occasion, there is a much higher chance that this statistic - or even half of this number - will become dependent on alcohol or suffer from some type of alcoholic addiction.
Researchers believe that this teenage percentage is due to the lack of proper education, or efficient education. Teenagers switch in terms of effective learning strategies, and while there are educational programs that teach them how too responsibly drink, the vast majority of these programs are not offering the knowledge in the correct way. Lectures do not work anymore, and with the progression of the internet and media capabilities, teachers and city officials within St. John’s should consider creating a visual demonstration of what happens when one drinks irresponsibly. This could include vivid images of car crashes, alcohol poisoning, and people choking on their own alcohol vomit.
These images do sound terrible, but sometimes drastic measures need to be taken to ensure the teenage population remains safe. Words do not go into the heads of a rebellious teenager, but images and movies stick with them. These educational programs should be considered by the officials within St. John’s to ensure these alcohol statistics decrease.
Furthermore, parents must cease supply their minors with alcohol. The problem is that so many parents believe that teaching and supervising their teenagers while they drink will ensure they do so responsibly. Unfortunately, this requires parents to break the law and provide their teenagers with alcohol prior to them becoming the age of majority. This may not seem like a big deal, but in reality it is corrupting the thought process of your teenager. They are much more likely to break the laws when they do turn the age of majority - such as driving under the influence. In addition, they are more likely to break any rules and guidelines you set in place as well.
When it comes to the safety of your teenagers and ensuring they drink responsibly, it is best for you to teach them the importance of laws and government regulations. Do not provide them with alcohol before they turn the age of majority.
Driving While Impaired
Once again, the main source of drunken driving accidents that occur within St. John’s comes from the teenage population - more specifically those ages sixteen to twenty-four. In fact, sixteen perfect of teenagers in high school have driven with alcohol in their system. In addition, another sixteen percent were completely fine with getting into cars whose driver was impaired. Getting in to an alcohol treatment program in Newfoundland can help with the sentencing of your DUI.
These numbers are extremely frightening. As long as this continues throughout St. John’s, the number of those who die in an alcoholic related crash will rise. City officials should be prepared to introduce new and strict safety precautions. For example, simple road stops can work wonders. St. John’s should allow officer to create regular stops in multiple locations throughout the city in multiple areas. By doing this, the teenage population is much more likely to get caught - and the more they get caught, the more they won’t take the risk of drinking and driving.
