Whether you are someone you love is addicted to drugs it’s a never ending cycle of wanting to achieve and chasing the high of the drug.  The most commonly abused drugs are alcohol, tranquilizers, heroin and methamphetamine or speed.  Alcohol and prescription pain medications are “legal” but that does not mean you can not become addicted to them-and many people are.

The problem with achieving the high continually is that it eventually wears off.  More drugs need to be used as time goes by to attain the same affect.  Families, employment, school all begin to suffer as the drugs become the most important thing in their life.

Anyone using drugs has the potential for drug abuse.  Even moms in suburbia that need help with sleeping or anxiety to teenagers and kids pressured by friends to try marijuana or ecstasy.  Kids are at the highest risk level because one they are immature, the pressures and stress put upon them, they are curious and want to see what it’s like, or they may try something because they view it as something fun to do at a party.  If people are depressed or have a family history of drug abuse they are also more likely to try a drug.

Members, friends and allies of Scientologists and Church of Scientology missions and churches in countries around the world are carrying out an all-out international effort this month to do something effective about drug abuse and addiction in their communities.

Treating April as “Drug Information Month,” volunteers distribute copies of 13 separate drug education booklets, which give simple and direct facts about drugs. These free booklets cover the effects of drugs such as marijuana, alcohol, prescription drugs, cocaine, heroine, crystal meth, crack, painkillers, LSD, Ecstasy, and Ritalin (known as “kiddie cocaine”), and show how these substances destroy a person’s health, creativity, family and relationships.

Scientologists distributed over 3,000 drug facts booklets in Hamburg, Germany, and thousands more in Berlin and Dusseldorf. Volunteers in Cagliari, Italy helped several hundred people learn the truth about drugs, many of whom asked for more booklets to pass on to their friends.

The Casa De Gozo Hispanic Church of Meriden is requesting a $ 100,000.00 grant from the Meriden Foundation to further enhance its community services outreach program. This program has been a positive part of the Meriden community for the past three years and it provides vital services to all its constituents. The program being one of a kind in this community provides the homeless with temporary shelter and our drug abuse and addiction services component of the program refers clients to other community health services as well as provides counseling to participating individuals. Casa De Gozo seeks to expand its services to also accommodate children and Youth by providing:

• Youth & children with an after school recreational and musical arts programming which will provide outlets and foster a learning environment.