Teenage drug and alcohol use is one of the major problems the world is facing today. Several countries treat is a priority, and several laws, charities and organization are currently in effect to help curb the teenage use of recreational drugs, and excessive drinking of alcohol.
During the 90s, Iceland is one of the countries with the worst problem of teenage drug use. But nowadays, according to huffingtonpost, "From 1998 to 2016, the percentage of 15-16 year old Icelandic youth drunk in the past 30 days declined from 42% to 5%; daily cigarette smoking dropped from 23% to 3%; and having used cannabis one or more times, fell from 17% to 5%."
Iceland is now a model to other countries in Europe to help lessen the teenage drug problem. And now other countries in the world are getting inspired too. So what's their secret?
Youth in Iceland is was the program initiated during the early 2000s in the whole country of Iceland. Researchers used the surveys and analyses gathered over the 90s, and with those surveys, they have hatched a plan that successfully curbed the drug abuse in teenagers.
Even before, there have been substance prevention programs and centers in Iceland, but drug abuse among teens is still rampant. So what they did was, they switched tactics and instead of implementing more drug prevention programs, they've started to produce other recreational programs that will help teens feel good and be part of a group- a common reason Icelandic teens say why they use drugs and drink alcohol.
A state funding was given to finance these recreational activities, ranging from sports, dance, art, and music. Laws were also changes. Now, it is illegal to buy cigarettes under 18; no cigarette and alcohol advertisement is allowed; teens are not allowed in the streets after 12 midnight, and so on.
Iceland has also initiated programs that help parents to bond more with their kids, a tactic done so that every teenager in Iceland feels loved and therefore will have no reason to depend on drugs and alcohol for depression treatment. Those programs are still in effect today.
Now, you can walk along the streets of Iceland and not have to worry about drunk and high kids causing a problem. Iceland is also one of the top countries with the highest literacy rates in the world, and their success is now an inspiration everywhere.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
