INC NEWS - Herald-Sun Article - Wanda Boone

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Good Morning,
This initiative is not reserved for the Faith-based community only. Please  
feel free to join in to make a difference in Durham County.
 
Best Regards,
Wanda
 
_http://heraldsun.southernheadlines.com/durham/4-971796.cfm_ 
(http://heraldsun.southernheadlines.com/durham/4-971796.cfm)  
 
____________________________________



Faith community works to end alcohol abuse    By Laura Collins : The 
Herald-Sun
_lcollins at heraldsun.com_ (mailto:lcollins at heraldsun.com) 
Jul 17, 2008 

DURHAM -- Members of Durham's faith community  gathered this week to learn 
more about substance abuse in the area, specifically  underage drinking. 

Pastors Wanda and Earl Boone of The Servant's Call  presented information 
concerning the underage drinking problem in the area and  what the community can 
do to combat it. 

"If you look at the big picture,  it can be overwhelming. There are 19,000 or 
more individuals in Durham that are  addicted to alcohol or other drugs," 
Wanda Boone said, citing statistics from  the Partnership for a Healthy Durham 
Web site, www.healthydurham.org.  

Boone said the environment surrounding drinking has changed and that has  
contributed to a growing number of underage drinkers. Some of those changes  
include more alcohol advertising, more alcohol-sponsored events and festivals  and 
easier availability. 

"One consistent message from youth is that it's  easy to get," she said. 

Wanda Boone said that of convenience stores  checked for alcohol sales 
compliance, 53 percent of those in Durham failed.  

According to a 2007 Youth Risk Behavior Survey by the Centers for  Disease 
Control, of Durham public middle school students polled, 30 percent said  they 
have used alcohol, 15 percent have used marijuana and 16 percent have  sniffed 
glue, paint or sprays to get high. 

Of the Durham high school  students polled, 51 percent said they have used 
alcohol, 35 percent have used  marijuana and 12 percent have sniffed glue, paint 
or sprays to get high.  

"It's pretty much accepted as fact that the younger they start drinking,  the 
more likely they are to become onset users," said Earl Boone. "Every young  
person we can get not to go down that path is one more productive society 
person  we have." 

Durham police Capt. Larry Smith said most of the crimes his  department 
investigates are drug or alcohol influenced. He said the problem  can't be 
"arrested away," and the community should take an active role in  seeking lasting 
resolutions. 

"There's a lot of people out here that are  doing bad things that are really 
good people. They are looking for somewhere to  be diverted to that can help 
them," Smith said. 

Wanda Boone encouraged  the community to take part in an action plan. She 
asked anyone interested to  identify and observe convenience stores that have 
alcohol advertisements in  their windows, tolerate loitering and have 
insufficient outside lighting.  

They should also identify and record parks where loitering is  commonplace 
and beer cans and cigarette butts litter the ground. And  neighborhoods that 
have abandoned lots, alcohol-related billboards and  insufficient lighting. 

She asks anyone who does collect such information  to e-mail those 
observations to her at theservantscall at aol.com and once a list  of problem areas is 
completed, she and her team can work to come up with answers  to the problems. 

© 2008 by The Durham  Herald Company. All rights reserved
 




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