DrugWatch goes online

The Citizens’ DrugWatch is now officially online to give parents, students and teachers an invaluable source of reliable information on the dangers of drugs and alcohol abuse.

The DrugWatch website includes a directory of drug rehabilitation centers all over the country and basic information about the costs of treatment and the names of people-in-charge. It also provides basic information about the symptoms and effects of drug and alcohol addiction as well as some tips for parents so that they can prevent drug use in their family.

An Internet user can access the anti-drugs website by going to: www.citizensdrugwatch.org which also features an e-mail service where visitors can seek advice from DrugWatch counselors or send confidential information about notorious drug lords and users in their locality.

"Any teacher can download and print materials from our website which they can use in a classroom setting while talking about the danger of substance abuse," DrugWatch executive director Susan Ople said.

One unique feature of the website is entitled "101 Reasons to Say No" where visitors are invited to contribute their own personal reasons for staying drug-free. It also provides visitors with basic facts about alcoholism and why young people should not make it a habit to drink alcohol.

The DrugWatch website also features the different hotlines that a concerned parent can call when confronted by a drug problem at home. DrugWatch officials said they would like to reach as many people as they can by going online.

The Citizens’ DrugWatch is a non-stock, non-profit organization founded in 1989 by Sen. Ernesto Herrera to help the government in fighting drug abuse. Since its inception, the CDW has raised funds for the building of drug rehab facilities at the Narcotic Group Rehab Center in Bicutan and other parts of the country. It maintains a counseling and drug treatment and referral program and a speakers’ bureau. Its latest project is a poetry therapy workshop held at the NBI-TRC in Tagaytay City every Saturday.