At Wantagh, guidance counselors and social workers have a lot of information and experience helping families with alcohol and drug abuse prevention and referral for treatment. The SADD club recently coordinated a school wide commitment for students to make a pledge not to smoke. An overwhelming majority of the middle school students linked their names, forming a large paper chain representing our middle school students' commitment not to smoke. His appeal was for responsible and responsive behavior regarding teenage drug and alcohol use especially at this time of the school year. According to recent statistics cigarette smoking accounts for nearly 419,000 deaths a year and alcohol accounts for 108,000 deaths a year.
Death can result in respiratory arrest, asphyxiation or cardiac irregularities.
A recent U.S. Department of Education publication confirms that although the vast majority of college students are under the legal drinking age of 21, alcohol is the drug that causes the most problems. Repeated use of these substances leads to permanent changes in the brain. Steroids have been used for centuries as performance enhancing drugs-primarily in the area of sports and bodybuilding. Risks associated with regular use include bone weakness, cancer, acne, feminization in males and masculinization in females. Continued use leads to emotional instability, rage and psychosis.