by Joseph Byrum Coalition Corner is an opportunity to highlight the good work that coalition members do every day and to hear their thoughts about coalition work. Byron Butts is the Executive Director for the Twelve Way Foundation, a faith-based nonprofit dedicated to providing a sober living...
By Nathan Grounds March 17 is St. Patrick’s Day; a time filled with parades, shamrocks, green clothing, and plenty of alcohol. But how did this centuries-old holiday evolve from a day to commemorate the patron saint of Ireland to the biggest beer-drinking holiday in the United...
By Joseph Byrum How much do you know about electronic cigarettes? Before becoming coalition coordinator for the Piney Woods Substance Abuse Coalition last September, I didn’t know much about electronic cigarettes or how they can affect your health, particularly the health of adolescents. To be completely honest,...
by Joseph Byrum Coalition Corner is an opportunity to highlight the good work that coalition members do every day and to hear their thoughts about coalition work. Officer Patricia Davis is a School Resource Officer at Kilgore Middle School and serves as the Youth Director for the...
Most teens don’t drink regularly. Why do so many East Texans believe the myth that they do? One of the questions we ask students during alcohol presentations is “What percentage of teens do you think drink regularly?” More often than not, students think that most of their...
As part of National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week, we’d like to remind parents about the importance of talking to their children and teens about underage drinking. You may be thinking, “We’re in the middle of a global pandemic, why would I worry about talking to...
By Nathan Grounds In our previous blog post, we gave a cursory summary of the War on Drugs and revealed its failure to curb the American drug epidemic. In this post we’ll discuss the modern approach to addiction, which holds great potential in actually helping people...
By Nathan Grounds I was 7 years old when Toy Story hit theaters. Although I was old enough to know better, the portrayal of walking, talking toys reinvigorated my imagination. I soon found myself speaking to my toys and keeping them on clean, open shelves (rather...
Underage drinking kills more teens than all other illicit drugs combined, about 4,300 annually, according to the Centers for Disease Control. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) National Prevention Week is this week. Tuesday’s focus is on alcohol. While most people think of car...
When most care givers think about underage drinking, one of the only concerns is that drunk driving is dangerous. Yes, drunk driving is dangerous in all ages, but there are other concerns with underage drinking. (And only one-third of underage drinking deaths involve auto crashes.) We’ve...