July’s topic for the 2015 “The War at Home” theme included a presentation on substance abuse by Lehigh County’s Drug and Alcohol Program Administrator J. Layne Turner.

According to lehighcounty.org’s website, the philosophy of the Lehigh County Drug and Alcohol Abuse Program is that it “recognizes the disease concept of chemical dependency and believes that early intervention is the key in overcoming addiction.”

”My job,” Turner said, “is to disperse funds that are given to us by the federal government, by the state, by the county to create prevention, intervention and treatment programs (for) substance abuse.”

”The youngest overdose (victim) in Lehigh County in the last couple years was 9, (and) it ended in death,” Turner said.

There are many reasons why children, as well as adults, begin to use drugs, but two main reasons Turner brought attention to were peer pressure and boredom.

“Our teens are bored,” Turner said.

”One of the neat things about being here today is that Whitehall is the only school district in the entire state, that I’m aware of, that has a comprehensive drug and alcohol program starting in the second grade (and) goes up to their seniors. It involves the parents, it involves their clubs, it involves their coaches, their athletes, the band, drama, it involves every single part of their students,” Turner said.

To be even more proactive, Turner recommended changing the conversation at home as an important factor many parents do not take into consideration. For example, replace conversation starters of “just don’t,” “you shouldn’t” and “you know better” with “asking open-ended questions, having a nonjudgmental tone or approach and learning to listen (to your children),” Turner said.

In Pennsylvania, adults aged 20 to 44 are dying more from overdoses than from car accidents, but “you can make a difference,” Turner informed the audience.

Educating yourself on substance abuse and dropping off unused medications at designated locations are just two ways to help stop the growing epidemic of drug and alcohol abuse.

In other crime watch meeting news, for reported incidents for the month of June, there was one robbery, five disorderly conducts and 11 non-aggravated assaults.

Crime watch meetings are held the fourth Monday of each month in the public meeting room of the Whitehall Township Municipal Building, 3219 MacArthur Road. Meetings start at 7 p.m. and are open to the public.