D.A.R.E. program aims to end addiction
The Butler County Sheriff's Department is taking measures to keep kids off drugs amid the county's opioid epidemic.
Last year, 74 people died from drug overdoses in Butler County. This year, there have been 44 confirmed overdoses.
The sheriff's department is part of Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) America, which is aimed at educating youths about drugs and alcohol.
The officers are hoping to have an impact in the county amid rampant drug use.
Gene Troyan, director of operations of Butler Ambulance Service, noted that the rash of overdoses in the county has been on the rise since the beginning of 2016.
He estimated that Butler County averages one drug overdose — either nonfatal or fatal — per day.
Locally, officers teach a program called “Keepin' It REAL (Refuse, Explain, Avoid and Leave).”
“We talk very little about drugs,” he said. “We talk more about making good decisions, good life skills, being responsible, identifying peer pressures and how to respond to those peer pressures.”
D.A.R.E. officers teach the “Five W's” — who, what, when, where and why — for children to have on hand when they report bullying or something else negative happening in their lives.
D.A.R.E. is taught to 1,500 fifth grade students across Butler County. They go to every district in the county except for Seneca Valley School District.
The county has three full-time D.A.R.E. officers and will add a part-time officer this fall. Each year, they go to elementary schools and teach a 10-lesson course, with one lesson per week.
“Prevention is a big deal,” Callithen said. “The people that are already in (addiction), that is such a huge, huge process to get someone to be well.”
A full report will appear in the Butler Eagle.
