This year, giving the Truth About Drugs to children and teens could be the best gift ever

As parents prepare for the holidays this year, offering the truth about drugs to the children, teens, and young adults in their family could be that gift that keeps on giving year-round and in the years to come.

The holidays are a time of joy—but not for those addicted to drugs as it tears apart families and friendships.

A recent study of 7th-12th-grade students revealed 10 percent of them abused over-the-counter drugs typically found in the home medicine cabinet. The U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy reports that prescription drug abuse is the country’s fastest-growing drug problem. Drugs are finding their way into the nation’s classrooms and schoolyards.

According to the Partnership for a Drug-Free America, 90 percent of addictions start in the teen years. Fortunately, some 50 percent of these cases can be prevented if parents talk to their children about avoiding drugs. The Truth About Drugs makes it easy for parents to do just that.

For a quarter of a century, Scientologists around the world have been working with youth, educators, parents, religious and community leaders and law enforcement officers to provide drug education to children and teens. The result is a series of drug education resources that work—a multimedia program that speaks to the youth of today, informing them of the truth about drugs and empowering them to make their own decisions to live drug-free.

The cornerstone of the program is a series of booklets that provide the facts about the most commonly abused drugs: marijuana, alcohol, Ecstasy, cocaine, crack cocaine, crystal meth, inhalants, heroin, LSD, prescription drugs, painkillers, and Ritalin.

Next is a series of 16 award-winning “They Said, They Lied” public service announcements. They are contemporary, high-impact communications aimed directly at youth.

Finally, the core of the Truth About Drugs educational program is a 100-minute documentary, The Truth About Drugs: Real People, Real Stories. The film is a hard-hitting, no-holds-barred presentation told by former users who themselves survived life-shattering addiction.

Parents can order Truth About Drugs booklets and DVDs free of charge from the Scientology website or download the free Truth About Drugs Education Application onto their children’s iPads or iPhones, giving them the knowledge that will guarantee the joy of this holiday season is theirs for years to come.

The Church of Scientology has published a new brochure, Scientology: How We Help—The Truth About Drugs, Creating a Drug-Free World, to meet requests for more information about the drug education and prevention initiative it supports. To learn more or to read a copy of the brochure, visit the Scientology website at www.scientology.org/antidrug.

Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard wrote, “The planet has hit a barrier which prevents any widespread social progress—drugs and other biochemical substances. These can put people into a condition which not only prohibits and destroys physical health but which can prevent any stable advancement in mental or spiritual well-being.”

The Church of Scientology supports the Truth About Drugs, one of the world’s largest nongovernmental drug education and prevention campaigns. It has been conclusively proven that when young people are provided with the truth about drugs—factual information on what drugs are and what they do—usage rates drop commensurately.