Page 100 - Life In Naples Magazine - November 2015

MOST COLLIER TEENS

ARE ABOVE USING

W hile many local organizations have developed avoiding the dangers of using and/or abusing alcohol and other drugs.
individual programs to address alcohol “We are very concerned about the rising trends among teens in our
and substance abuse among teens, a new
collaborative effort brings several area groups community,” said Black. “We have lots of data on accident statistics and
together to face this critical issue as one. Initiated by health consequences. But for teens, much of their influence comes from
Drug Free Collier and the Naples site of the Hazelden peers, and we want to let them know that for the most part, their peers
Betty Ford Foundation, the social norming campaign are drug and alcohol free.”
entitled “I’m Above Using” launched mid-September. The
campaign aims to correct misperceptions that teens have The fact that 4 out of 5 teens do not use drugs or alcohol is great
about substance use among their peers. news for Collier County, Black said. “It should no longer be a well-
kept secret, but rather something to be celebrated each day throughout
The campaign focuses on the reality that four out of this campaign.”
five Collier teens are not under the influence, according
to the latest Florida Youth Substance Abuse Survey. “It’s Joining forces with partners like the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation
important for teens to know this positive statistic,” said and the Collier County Sheriff ’s Office shows how others in our
Melanie Black, Executive Director of Drug Free Collier. community honor, respect and encourage our youth to continue making
healthy choices.
Overestimating or underestimating what our peers do
can have negative consequences, Black said. When teens ABOUT DRUG FREE COLLIER
think everybody is using drugs or alcohol, it’s almost
inevitable that more will. It’s these misperceptions that Protecting Children from Substance Abuse! Drug Free Collier
create more problems, she added. is a coalition of concerned citizens working to protect children from
substance abuse. Established in 2005 with the help of key leaders in
To correct these misperceptions about drug and alcohol our community, the local non-profit organization actively works on
use among teens, Drug Free Collier and its partners have solutions to reduce the tragic impact of adolescent substance abuse in
key information that will help set the record straight. “It’s Collier County.
our responsibility to continue to educate the community on
all areas of substance abuse, treatment and recovery,” said For help and information visit www.drugfreecollier.org or www.
Heather Burton, continuum coordinator at the Hazelden hazeldenbettyford.org or www.colliersheriff.org.
Betty Ford Foundation. “We need an ongoing, collaborative
effort to help kids during adolescence where research shows
it usually all begins.”

Posters, television and radio announcements and other
marketing materials are being used to drive home the message
to students and parents. The hashtags #ImAboveUsing and
#DetermineUrDestination are incorporated into the social
media campaign.

Over the summer, Drug Free Collier polled hundreds
of Collier youth between the ages of 12 and 18 years old
to select the creative direction and messaging that would
resonate with them. The students’ input resulted in a
targeted campaign that provides our youth with tools
to make good decisions and to bring awareness to the
importance of taking a positive direction in their lives by

100 Life in Naples | November 2015