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Sober now, safer later: Pledge bridges addiction’s stormy seas

By DAN ROBLEE

droblee@mininggazette.com

HOUGHTON – The vast majority of American drug, alcohol and nicotine addicts get hooked before they turn 21, according to New Wave Recovery CEO Camden Brieden. Waiting just a few years for that first drink can be the difference between a reasonable relationship with alcohol and a crippling addiction.

“Statistics show you can reduce the risk of addiction by 90 percent if you wait until you’re 21,” said Brieden.

That’s why he and his team created the Wait 21 pledge, and why Dial Help is promoting the program locally.

The pledge itself is simple, writes Dial Help Prevention Coordinator Kevin Weir. Students sign up online, at wait21.org, pledging to abstain from drug or tobacco use and to not drink before their 21st birthday.

They will then be asked to fill out a couple of surveys each year to track their substance use or non-use and will eventually be given a letter of recognition to include in college applications. They will also be entered to win a college scholarship offered by Wait 21 sponsors.

Wait 21 also offers an online community on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to connect students with others committed to the sobriety pledge.

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