The alcohol and drug problem in this country is huge and most of the standard addiction recovery and treatment programs aren’t working. Consider the following:

CRIME: 25% of all prison inmates are there for drug related crimes. 16.4% are in prison for committing crimes to get money for drugs. 47% of crimes were committed while a person was on drugs or alcohol.

SEX: A lot of the sex outside of marriage wouldn’t happen if it weren’t for alcohol or drugs being used to try to drown out guilt and fear (which are nature’s feedback to try to stop us from doing something against its perfect order). And nature does other harsh things to try to stop sex outside of marriage. USA Today reported that shockingly, 1/2 of everyone under 25 years old in the United States has had an STD (Sexually Transmitted Disease). The U.S. Dept. of Health reports that there are 1.1 million current cases of AIDS/HIV in the United States. (So obviously, it needs to be recognized that nature is hostile towards sex outside of a monogamous, heterosexual marriage, which is the only sexual setting that nature doesn’t try to stop via harsh consequences). 80 percent of unmarried teen mothers end up on welfare, costing this country billion annually. And a University of Georgia study reports that of those individuals who experienced unwanted sexual intercourse in the last year, 92.1% had been under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

ACCIDENTS: Alcohol is involved in 50% of all driving fatalities. In the United States, every 30 minutes someone is killed in an alcohol or alcoholism related traffic accident. That amounted to 17,488 people last year alone.

Should food stamp recipients in Missouri be drug tested? Over the last few years debates have been held and arguments made on both sides of this issue. Many claim it violates the civil rights of the recipients while others claim many in the welfare system are on drugs and part of the bigger social addiction problem, while being compensated and not contributing productively to their own survival.

Missouri legislatures are working to implement such laws as are a number of other states like Oregon, Kentucky, New Hampshire and Nebraska. While the purpose of the food stamps is the help needy families get on their feet is good and many using the system do so legitimately, others with addiction problems abuse the system, taxing the system and depriving others who desperately need and deserve help.

As it stands people in the workforce, earning income and paying the taxes that support the food stamp programs are subject to random drug tests as should those who receive benefits. Many civil liberties unions claim that drug testing relies on unproven stereotypes about those that do receive assistance and being on drugs. Of course this is not the case, however many addicts do abuse the system and it is a safeguard for Missouri taxpayers and the children of the recipients.

The  issue of alcohol and drug abuse is one big  issue in our society  nowadays. The  trouble cuts across all ages and sex. But it is  abundant among the teenagers and young ones. It is one  issue that  several concerned government and non-profit or government organization are trying their best to resolve.

But it is  sad to note that they are not  getting much success. I believe the  solution lies in dealing with the origin of the  trouble. This means that parents, guardians and the government need to wake up to their responsibilities.

One of the  several causes of alcohol and drug abuse is peer pressure. This is not limited to only the teenagers. Many adults simply take to drugs and alcoholic drinks because of pressure from friends. For the teenagers, the parents need to  ensure that their young ones do not have bad friends. This means that you need to monitor the kind of friends your child moves or plays with.