Ignorance is not always bliss, especially in the case of drug and alcohol awareness. An awareness class that to us who haven’t already taken one may seem a bit of a pushy idea. If it does, it isn't meant to be. You wouldn't believe how many people die every year just due to a lack of drug and alcohol awareness.

In most cases of fatal overdoses, it could have been avoided if only they had been given the proper education about what type of drugs lurk around in the streets, what they can do to you, and what they'll turn you into. This is true even of the smallest towns. In fact, most hardcore alcoholism will be found in the small cities and single bar towns.

There are over 75,000 alcohol related deaths every year, young, old, babies caught in the path of a drunken driver.  Perhaps, just perhaps, if that drunken driver had taken an alcohol awareness class early on in life, a deadly accident would never had occurred. Sadly though, that wouldn’t solve it all.

Due to the simple lack of drug and alcohol awareness 15,000 people a year die from alcohol related diseases. Yes, you can get certain diseases from consuming alcohol that are just as deadly as smashing headfirst into a tree. That is 80% higher than most researchers expected.

Doctors and researchers at the North West Public Health Observatory stated that just over 600 men had developed cancer in their stomach and breasts while just over 1,000 men developed cancers of the mouth, purely from consuming alcohol. Dr. Bellis is the director of the North

West P.H.O. and of the team during this research. Dr. Bellis advised, “Most people don’t realize how many of the body’s systems are affected by alcohol.” He went on to say that there is direct correlation between alcohol and the number of digestive cancers.

Many people have been misinformed that drinking can give them better health, but if what Dr. Bellis says is true, and his reports and experiments are sound, then even the smallest of amounts of alcohol may be, in the long-term, extremely detrimental to your health. Getting informed and helping inform those around you can save a life simply through the knowledge of what ‘could’ happen.

Even the World Health Organization has stated that the number of hospitalizations and deaths due to alcohol related accidents are significantly higher than in the years past, as reported by the U.K. newspaper, the Telegraph. The numbers the W.H.O. has are more than likely an underestimation, since many of the alcohol related accidents, and even sometimes deaths, go unreported altogether.

In some countries, like the U.K., the answer has been to crack down on the pubs and bars. The powers-that-be want to shorten “happy hour” and all you can drink specials.  Perhaps instead of punishing the people, another method should be used, like educating the citizens so that thousands don’t die each year due to alcohol related deaths, accidents and diseases caused by excess.

There are many options for education such as online alcohol awareness classes in several lengths including 8 hour alcohol awareness classes, 12 hour alcohol awareness classes and longer programs.

When you have just found out that your car has been stolen or your stocks have taken a turn for the worse, the last thing anyone thinks about is alcohol awareness. The lessons learned in these classes can be vital to not contributing another problem to your life – alcoholism.

Alcohol has the direct effect of making the situations you’re in even worse. The chemical make-up of alcohol depresses the system, slowing it down to a crawl, even though you think it’s doing just fine. It slows your response time while in the bar, so what do you think it’s going to do behind the wheel?

By getting informed about the full effects of alcohol, and not just how the buzz starts, you can keep yourself from being another statistic. Alcohol claims the top spot among addictions for the U.S., pulling in more than 12 million hardcore alcoholics, and those are just the ones in or out of rehabilitation. By becoming aware and informed through self-study or through a professional class, the chances of you and your family members experiencing alcohol problems drop drastically.

The Numbers:
America doesn’t have the highest population in the world, but somehow within the U.S. there is an alcohol related accident every 30 minutes! You can avoid being part of these statistics by seeking information about alcohol abuse. The more education and information that you and your family receive, the less likely that you, your spouse, or your kids will end up being addicted to alcohol, or even receiving a criminal conviction.

You may ask, what does being a felon have to do with alcohol? Well, up to 73% of all felonies are committed by alcoholics or alcohol abusers as well as 73% of all cases of child abuse being committed by an alcoholic or while a person is intoxicated.

Reduces Accidents
You know for a fact that drinking and driving can be a fatal combination. But it can be avoided. In 2004 the University of Missouri ran a study in conjunction with the state of Oregon to make a law stating that all new drivers have to take an alcohol awareness class. This class concentrated on the dangers of binge drinking, which has been linked to not only to a large  of D.W.I.’s (Drinking While Intoxicated) that get reported, but also to tens of thousands of property damage cases.

In the first year that Oregon brought in the alcohol education statute, the amount of alcohol related crashes dropped 11%, in the second year it had dropped 18%, and in the final year it showed a drop of accidents involving alcohol by 23%. When looking at these numbers you may not think that’s a lot, but 23% is a nearly a full ¼ of a 100% drop! Imagine getting 23% off your next car!

I think it has become clear that alcohol awareness classes reduce accidents and saves lives, and  keeps people informed of the dangers of binge drinking and alcohol poisoning.

Most parents would say they try and protect their children from drinking or gaining access to alcohol.  It would seem almost common sense to not supply alcohol to minors, especially your own, right?  Wrong!  Shockingly, in a recent survey, minors who were polled admitted that about 20% of the alcohol they used came directly from their house, parents or older siblings.  What this means is that the very problem of teenage drinking can originate directly from your own home!

Alcohol awareness for adolescents in their teenage years is a huge concern.  Most teens and their parents simply don't really understand fully the dangers of underage drinking and drug use.  Most parents would agree that teens shouldn't drink.  In fact, even most teenagers would admit that drinking can be dangerous.  The problem is really three fold.

1. Underage drinking is illegal, so the minor in possession of alcohol is actually breaking the law

2. Parents who buy alcohol for teens are breaking the law by supplying alcohol to a minor

3. Underage drinking can have long term and lasting effects on brain and body development

Knowing this, why do some parents still turn a blind eye to one of America's biggest problems?  Is it ignorance, stupidity?  Perhaps the belief that they drank as teens, so what's the big deal?  Perhaps just looking at the statistics of teenage deaths in the U.S. related to alcohol might help?  It is estimated that about 4,500 teenagers die each year as the result of an underage drinking accident.  Still want to give your teen alcohol?

Despite all this good evidence and research, some parents still don’t fully comprehend the bigger issue.  Even if you don’t, you still owe it to your underage teenager to become better aware of the pitfalls of alcohol abuse and use.  Becoming educated has become simplified.

What parents can do to help is better educate their teen about the pitfalls of underage drinking and drug use.  Once such way of doing this is having them take either an 8 hour Minor in Possesion class, 12 Hour Minor in Possession class or a 16 hour minor in possession class. These classes are an ideal resource to get quick, fast and effective results because the classes can be taken any time, instantly from any location in the country.  Isn't your teen worth it?  Get them the education they need before it's too late.

Wyoming students still reeling from the tradegy that killed 8 cross country altheltes in 2001.  Just 5 days after the fatal attack of 9/11, these 8 students were killed when a drunk driver hit and fatally killed them in their SUV.  These bright, shining young stars had their life put out by the toughless act of a driver who didn't think enough about his own life and the lives of others to not get behind the wheel. 

In the city of Laramie, where the accident took place, people still talk about that fatal day.  Shockingly, about 1,825 college students die every year from an alcohol related accident.  Even more horrific is that close to 700k students are assaulted by other students who have been drinking.  This data comes straight from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

Both parents and students should highly consider the use of a prevention program such as an online acohol awareness class.  Such programs will teach students and parents about the the risks and consequences associated with both alcohol and drug abuse before it's too late.

The evidence is shocking.  Parents grossly underestimate their teenagers drug use and alcohol abuse.  Most parents are aware that teens drink, but they are also falsely under the impression that their own teen does not.  Interestingly about ten percent of parents believe their own son or daughter consumed alcohol within the last 365 days, and only 5 percent believed their teen used marijuana in the past school year, according to a recent poll done in Michigan.

Now here is some more shocking information.  When these same teens were polled over 50% of them said had drank alcohol in the last year and almost 30% reported smoking pot within that same time period.  Those number are reflected in a national survey of over 400 hundred schools across the country, both public and private.

Why is there such a disconnect between parents believes and their children's behavior?  It mostly has to do with parents being in denial about what their teens are really up to.  Even good kids make bad decisions sometimes.  Most parents simply assume their child wouldn't ever want to try those harmful things or they simply view them as innocent.  It is believed that most 10th graders will use both alcohol and marijuana in the next year.  In fact the estimation is about 60% will try or use alcohol and 40% will use marijuana.

Alcohol Awareness classes and Drug Education classes will help open the door to communicating to young America how important it is to understand the risks and consequences of using these substances.  Educational programs such as these offer a low barrier to entry because they are relatively inexpensive and provide quality education that both teens and their parents can immediately benefit from.