NCSA trains preachers on drug abuse

The National Council on Substance Abuse (NCSA) moved today to educate church leaders about drug abuse, convinced that churches and faith-based organizations could become key anti-drug forces.

The NCSA brought together 50 religious leaders for an inaugural seminar to train them to identify the signs and symptoms of drug use, illegal substances and emerging drug trends.

The seminar, part of its Drug Awareness Month activities was launched at the NCSA’s Belleville, St Michael headquarters.

NCSA manager Betty Hunte told the seminar’s opening: “Churches exist almost ‘cheek by jowl’ with rum-shops in communities, and so, these factors, by their very nature, place faith-based organizations in a unique position to enhance existing prevention approaches and have a positive effect on a community’s response to substance abuse.”

Hunte said the use of religion and spirituality in preventing and treating substance abuse was well established across the world. She said religion was able to influence substance use and recovery through establishing moral order, providing opportunities to acquire learned competencies, and providing social and organizational ties.

Research also showed that persons who did not consider religious beliefs as important or attended religious services were more likely to smoke, binge drink, use an illicit drug other than marijuana and smoke more ganja than those who believed that religion was important, she noted.

The NCSA manager said: “Religion, spirituality, belonging to a church not only encourages abstinence from drug use, but also offers social resources for rebuilding one’s life: a new network of friends; a way of spending one’s free time doing voluntary work; individual psychological attention; value placed in the individual’s potentials, and I hope and strongly encourage, unconditional support for those impacted by drug abuse from the church without judgement.”

But Hunte said that while they were being called upon to intervene in the drug fight, few church leaders over the years had received very little if any substance abuse training.

Today’s workshop represented an effort to increase the capacity of churches and faith-based organizations to implement substance abuse prevention programming, she declared.

Hunte said: “It is hoped that this new, or perhaps, reinforced knowledge will equip you to better carry out your duties as you interact with persons who are misusing substances and their families and friends who are negatively impacted.”

The NCSA manager said she hoped those present would be strengthened as the NCSA aims to prevent, eliminate or control illegal drugs and substance abuse.

Drug Awareness Month is being celebrated under the theme: ‘We give you the facts, you make the choice.’