ARISE FLOURISH, INC.

Arise Flourish, a nonprofit organization, helps those who struggle with alcoholism and addiction, including individuals and their families. Arise Flourish brings together like-minded organizations and individuals to share ideas and information concerning the critical social needs created by alcohol and drug dependency in the Washington Metro area. Arise Flourish advances specific solutions for those needs through prevention, education, fundraising, and issue awareness-building activities.

Arise Flourish focuses primarily on prevention through awareness. We will use social media such as Facebook and Twitter to reach younger audiences. We will use current available information in relation to addiction to increase the younger generation’s awareness. We will build a website with this information and update this information in a timely manner to voice our intention of prevention. Consider the following:

• According to the National Institute of Drug Addiction (NIDA), 14.8% of high school seniors used a prescription drug (perhaps even one not prescribed for them) for non-medical reasons during the past year.
• According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), national data suggest that, by age 18, 70% of teenagers will have tried alcohol.
• Opioid deaths have nearly doubled between 2001 and 2010, largely because the number of people using both prescription and illicit opioids has been on the rise.
• Approximately 60,000 residents in the District of Columbia are addicted to alcohol and other drugs. A household survey revealed that rates of addiction in the District were nearly double those of the U.S. The primary drug of dependence in the District is alcohol. In 2006 and 2007, cocaine/crack, marijuana, and heroin continued to be the primary illicit drugs in Washington, D.C. The use of PCP continued to fluctuate, and the growth of heroin use is believed to be due to the increased cost of prescription drugs.
• According to the Office of Adolescent Health (which published the results of a 1991-2011 study in 2012), the use of alcohol and other drugs in Maryland among high school students compared to the national average is alarming. Also, the percentage of those aged 12-17 who needed — but did not receive — treatment for substance abuse impacts negatively on every aspect of our society. The staggering costs of chemical addictions include violence, crime, overburdened healthcare and other service systems, higher healthcare costs, and reduced productivity.

The missions of Arise Flourish are to educate, to prevent abuse, to help those in need get treatment, and to provide financial support for those in need of treatment. It is Arise Flourish’s intention to solicit donations, raise funds, and seek partnerships with a wide variety of organizations on a local level.