Substance abuse is serious, but we can make a difference
A Commentary by Marty Martinez

(The views and opinions expressed in the commentaries of the Somerville News, do not neccessarily reflect the views and opinions of the Somerville News, it publishers or its editors)

    Drugs and alcohol continue to be a life and death struggle facing young people all over this country. The statistics are clear. The average age that young people first try alcohol is 12 years old. Adolescents who begin drinking before the age of 15 are four times more likely to become an alcoholic. Alcohol continues to be a gateway drug for the various other substances that take away too many precious lives. Here in Somerville, the numbers are no different. We continue to have a problem with drugs and alcohol among young people in our community and it‚Äôs an issue that we must all continue to fight.

  Its because of this fight that I was eager to join some of my fellow neighbors as we listened and learned from one another at the recent Addictions forum on underage drinking at Somerville High School. The statistics shared were alarming and continue to highlight the need for our community to do more than just talk about the issues but to actually act upon them. Somerville Cares about Prevention, the drug and alcohol community coalition, who hosted the forum, is working hard to bring our community together to tackle these issues. They are recognizing the need to create more than just dialogue but to create real action to save the lives of the many young people that face this issue.
   Although there were many teenagers, community activists and members of the recovery community at the forum, there needs to be many more in our city that see this issue as one they should be addressing. In an auditorium that can hold many hundreds of people, there was no more than 80 people present with very few of our local leaders in attendance as well. Every speaker talked about the need to speak up and out and to let our voices be heard in this fight. Each young person expressed a need for adults to get involved and listen to their issues and concerns and to act to make a difference. We must hear these calls. As a community, Somerville must not just be alarmed when we have a very public overdose or drug bust, but we must be working all the time to combat this deadly issue. Drugs and alcohol claim too many young lives and Somerville is all too familiar with this crisis. From the need for increased funding to more active participation by some of our local leaders, Somerville must not wait for the next crisis but must be proactive, aggressive and strategic in countering drug and alcohol use in our city. We must have the courage to join our youth in their life and death struggle and to live up to the motto of Somerville Cares about Prevention.   Because together, we CAN make a difference. 

Marty Martinez is a Somerville resident and the former Somerville City Youth Director.