Recently the National Institute on Drug Abuse finally acknowledged that cognition—one’s thoughts, beliefs and goals—play a role in drug abuse.  Education, alternative choices and competing temptations all play a role in determining whether a drug user is seeking occasional reinforcement from drugs or heading for chronic use.

  Ignorance is the condition of not knowing.  Education is the cure for ignorance.  Physicians, scientists, teachers and anyone with an interest in the future of our society need to speak out about the total problem of drug abuse.  When I say speak out, I mean to teach young people about behavior choices, alternative ways of dealing with disappointment, depression and boredom.  We must teach and encourage self-esteem in the young as illicit drug abuse drops dramatically with age; past age 35, the casual use of illegal drugs is rare.  We must continue to be mindful of this problem and take every opportunity to help with substance abuse prevention, treatment and education.

  You do not have to be formally trained in teaching to be a teacher.  Teaching may occur by example or by instruction.  Parents are natural teachers.  They teach their children knowingly and unknowingly about the virtues of faith, loyalty, honesty, perseverance, courage, work, friendship, compassion, self-discipline and responsibility.

  The essence of compassion is to feel another’s anguish.  I believe that if we reach deep into our hearts we can find the compassion to use our natural talents as teachers to help those in our society who struggle with this desperate problem.

  Last year there were 13 million opportunities (13 million Americans were illicit drug users).  This is essentially unchanged from 1995 when the estimate was 12.8 million.  However, this is down from the highest level in 1979 when there were 25 million or more illicit drug users in the United States.  This improving trend has come about largely through the Drug Education Council’s local and national community awareness efforts.  These efforts have been carried out in communities by individuals like you who have compassion for others and a strong commitment to building healthy and drug-free communities.

  If knowledge is power, there is probably no more empowering technology than the Internet and its World Wide Web.  We must remember that we are rewarded well only when our work unseen is just as good as our work seen.  Go out and show your compassion and use your natural skills as a teacher to teach young people by example or instruction about drug abuse prevention.