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Running head: ABOVE THE INFLUENCE ANTI-DRUG MOVEMENT 1

Above the Influence Anti-Drug Movement

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ABOVE THE INFLUENCE ANTI-DRUG MOVEMENT 2

Above the Influence Anti-Drug Movement

Drug abuse is an extensive health problem that plagues the society today. Drug abuse

hampers the progress of economy of many nations across the globe. For example, costs of health

care, charges associated with accidents and crimes, and lost earnings lead to revenue damages.

Any country where the drug traffic is uncontrolled suffers the loss of human capital, which in

turn increases inflation rates and taxation. Today, the United States is experiencing extremely

negative trends regarding the issue of drug abuse (Reynolds & Zontou, 2014). Volunteer

organizations and not indifferent stakeholders form movements to counter the problem. An

example of such movement is the Above the Influence (ATI). This paper discusses the Above the

Influence as a social movement and reviews an interview with one of the activists in the

campaign against drug abuse.

Above the Influence (ATI) is an anti-drug movement which uses the media to reduce and

eliminate drug abuse among the youths in the United States. The Office of National Drug

Control Policy (ONDCP) launched the ATI campaign as means of reducing the use of alcohol

and substance abuse (Berridge, 2014). The campaign has three primary objectives. First, it aims

at actively engaging the kids at the community level to grant them a direct participation in the

program. Second, it aims to provide community-based youth organizations with an

acknowledged national podium to further their distinct initiatives and goals towards prevention

of drug abuse. Thirdly, the ATI program supports local advertising, including outdoor

advertisements and posters that feature works of art created by youths and teens across

communities to increase awareness.

The movement has two distinct areas of focus. First, it focuses on a teen-targeted

campaign which helps to reach all teenagers in the United States by collaborating with youthful

ABOVE THE INFLUENCE ANTI-DRUG MOVEMENT 3

organizations. The collaboration enables the movement to carry out their activities with teens.

The campaign wants to protect the youth from the negative influences and social pressures by

making them aware of the existing organizations. At the same time, the campaign helps those

who are already subjected to drug abuse. The primary contributors of drug abuse are inclusive of

alcohol and pill drugs. The second area of focus of the ATI movement is the anti-meth campaign

that targets young adults in age brackets of 19 years to 34 years. The campaign encourages social

awareness and sensitization against the rising rates of meth usage.

The ATI relies on the television advertising and the internet platforms to provide

information to teens on the impacts of alcohol and drugs abuse. The ATI also advises the youths

on healthy ways of avoiding peer pressure. By using the mentioned earlier methods of

networking, the campaign believes that abuse of drugs and substances will decrease among the

youths and teens in the US. The movement also helps in the provision of technical support and

training to community organizations by holding webinars and workshops.

A Phone Interview

I had a phone interview with Amber Shrodes, the Director of the Community Services

Department in the Office of Drug Control Policy. During the interview, I posed several questions

to the Director.

Q: What is “Above the Influence” and what led to the establishment of movement?

A: Above the Influence movement is a non-profit social movement that was established by the

National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign scheme of the ONDCP to help teens reject the

negative influences or pressures of alcohol and drugs use. If you are informed about the risks

surrounding you, it becomes easier to avoid their influence. The information we retrieved from

teens concerning their lives and their approaches to the risk factors inspired the formation of the

ABOVE THE INFLUENCE ANTI-DRUG MOVEMENT 4

movement. ATI motivates and informs the youth through television, the Internet, local radios,

and print media in collaboration with community-based organizations.

Q: For how long have you been in the ATI movement and what is your personal history as a

critical player in the program?

A: I have worked with the ATI movement since its formation in the year 2005. Personally, I

have witnessed the development of the program by an increase in networking with other youth-

serving organizations. Although the program has faced funding challenges, it has continued to

serve its purpose of enlightening teens on influences and risk factors of drug abuse.

Q: What are the activities that you have actively participated in and that have led to a positive

change?

A: I was among the founders of the “Made by Me” campaign which is the part of the new ATI

system. It inspires teens to share their suggestions for upcoming ATI’s announcements. Teens

can vote on the submissions, and the best approach gets filmed by famous directors.

Q: Why does the issue of drug and substance abuse matter to you?

A: Drug abuse leads to annihilating social effects which are detrimental to the wellbeing of

society. The adverse effects are vast: education and family, crime, violence, vagrancy, financial

problems, etc.

Q: How will you know that you have accomplished your initial goals of starting ATI movement?

A: A continuous decrease in the number of youths abusing alcohol and drugs will be an indicator

of goal achievement. The decline will serve as a mark of increased awareness of children

towards drug abuse. Besides, a reduction in the number of deaths arising from drug and

substance abuse might be a positive indicator as well.

ABOVE THE INFLUENCE ANTI-DRUG MOVEMENT 5

Conclusion

Drug abuse has remained a prevalent issue in many countries, both rich and developing.

Finding a solution to the menace is a primary objective for many organizations and government

bodies. Formation of social movements such as the ATI is critical as non-profit organizations, as

a rule, provide their assistance in a more timely manner than the government institutions. It is

important to pinpoint that the social movements cannot achieve their objectives if there is no

collaboration between the citizens and the community stakeholders at the grassroots level.

ABOVE THE INFLUENCE ANTI-DRUG MOVEMENT 6

References

Berridge, V. (2014). Demons: Our changing attitudes to alcohol, tobacco, and drugs. Oxford,

UK: Oxford University Press.

Reynolds, J., & Zontou, Z. (2014). Addiction and performance. Newcastle upon Tyne, UK:

Cambridge Scholars Publishing.

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