Policy change and advocacy and Responsibility

Policy change and advocacy and Responsibility.This video is more of an inspiration to be deliberate about how we influence policy.As an extension to your reflection in Module 11, think about what you are passionate about or your area of work and consider the issues which you feel are not being addressed appropriately or adequately. In your My Journal write down the issue and reasons why you think something can be done about the issue you have identified . Consider the advocacy steps and think about the following questions in your reflection.

How is the issue being addressed? What is not right about the way the issue is currently being addressed? What needs to change?
Any like-minded people?
Is there evidence to support your claim?
What role do you think you can play to ensure that the change happens? If you are not able to play a rile or do anything about it, what are the reasons?
What sort of support do you think you would need in terms resources and people/expertise?

Alcohol is among the most abused drug in the United States despite campaigns that create awareness on its health effects. Additionally, underage drinking has become a significant public health problem and some of its effects include violence, injury, death, property damage, and aggressive behavior. When I was in high school, I often used to save up money so that I would join my friends during the weekend for a drink. I would lie to my parents I have gone for a sleepover at a friend’s which sometimes earned me a day or two of freedom and particularly taking alcohol. Fortunately, my parents realized something was wrong when I dropped my grades and eventually I was taken to rehab and recovered. One of my friends got into an accident and passed on while others contracted diseases as a result of excessive drinking of alcohol.

Policy change and advocacy

To solve the issue of underage drinking, the government has been conducting campaign with the aim of creating awareness among parents, equipping them with knowledge and skills to prevent underage drinking, and increasing actions they can take to prevent the issue (SAMHSA, 2018). Although the strategies have been bearing fruits, there is much more that can be done. Considering that teenagers are sometimes influenced by peer pressure and lack the wisdom to make the right decisions, severe action should be taken on the people who supply them with alcohol. This way, they will lack access to the drug which will solve the problem. Additionally, parents should partner with social workers, religious leaders, politicians, and the suppliers of alcohol to educate and ensure teenagers do not get access to alcohol. As a contribution to solving the problem, my role would be visiting schools and educating s students on the dangers of consuming alcohol. However, I would require support from school administrations and equipments such as a laptop and a projector to enhance teaching.