Some SADD members recently attended a leadership conference about drug prevention in Saratoga. A major topic at this conference was drinking and driving and how it has an effect on not only on the individual, but the community.
The first speaker was Matthew Coseo. Mr. Coseo is an Assistant District Attorney for Saratoga County. He presented several DUI cases and their devastating effects on the community. These cases were very heartbreaking to see and read, as many innocent people suffered because of one person’s decision. Not just a small community was affected, but also a larger community like the whole state because of the ripple effect. One shocking fact that he showed was that Saratoga County was the second leading county in the state for DUI’s and drug related accidents. This was extremely shocking to hear because you would expect a larger country with more people to have more cases of DUI’s, but no, it was Saratoga County. This really shows how important it is to bring awareness to drinking while impaired in our own community.
The second speaker was Brendan King. Mr. King spoke about his story and how he overcame his addictions. Now he uses his story to inspire struggling people and say there is a way out. He also helps youths at local colleges. He works at a clinic and talks to college students about how addiction affects their life and their future. His biggest goal for the students he teaches is to encourage them to avoid drugs in the future.
Our final project at this convention was to create a “Social Norming Campaign” presented by The Prevention Council. The idea was to turn drug related statistics positive. For example our statistic was that 88% of American student drivers report that they have never driven under the influence of cannabis. By changing the statistics to a positive, it shows that the majority of teens are making good decisions when it comes to substances. By having a positive message, it can help spark hope into people who struggle with substances and encourage them to seek help.
Overall, this Convention was really enjoyable and eye opening. It definitely made us think about what we can do to help our community. We would like to also give a special thanks to our bus driver, Joe Moran, who was amazing and made our journey to and back from this convention safe and enjoyable.