Skate and Create: The Positive Benefits of Skateboarding

How Skateboarding and Related Sports Combat Drug Addiction, Crime and Other Destructive Behaviors  

It may sound counter-intuitive, but skateboarding — and other related sports such as BMX and snowboarding — can be used to help people succeed in life. Millions of Americans are burning calories and finding happiness through skateboarding, so more should be done to partner the sport with developmental programs, such as alternative education schools, drug treatment facilities, and crime prevention initiatives.

Clinical research now shows that physically active youth are less likely to use illicit drugs, and they are less likely to be involved with serious crimes overall. As would be expected, those who avoid drugs in their youth also have a greater tendency to stay away from drugs later in life.

Nevertheless, too many other drug use trends are moving in the wrong direction. The U.S. is currently seeing a widespread resurgence of illicit drug use, such as heroin and methamphetamines; addiction levels have reached epidemic proportions; and overdose deaths are at rates never before seen. Here are a few statistics from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

• Opioid overdose deaths, including both opioid pain relievers and heroin, increased an alarming 14 percent from 2013-2014.
• Heroin-related death rates increased 26 percent from 2013–2014.
• More than six out of 10 drug overdose deaths in 2014 involved opioids, including opioid pain relievers and heroin. 

Many people know they are in trouble with drug addiction, but that's obviously not enough to reverse addiction trends. Currently, the medical community emphasizes that addiction is a clinical brain disorder, which takes away a users simple choice to just quit. It's a disease. Not a choice. 

Much like how people can't cure themselves of cancer, they can't cure themselves of drug addiction either. So experts are pushing for more resources to prevent addiction before it occurs and abusers are unable to stop their destructive habits.

As states across the nation relax their rules and enforcement of recreational and medical marijuana use, it's becoming more obvious that people will need more definitive guidance to help them stay away from the gateway into destructive drug addictions. 

Some organizations are turning specifically to skateboarding as a way to keep adolescents and young adults from becoming dependent on illicit drugs. It can also have a positive influence, which keeps people away from a range of other serious criminal activities and self-destructive behaviors.

Contact info@solstik.com for more information on ways to use skateboarding and music to help children, teens and adults ride against the wave of negative social pressures.