Neustadt: Action day educates students about alcohol and drug consumption

Status: 23.09.2024 18:00

The first “Prevent DRUG” action day was organized on Monday in Neustadt in Holstein. The goal: to educate schoolchildren about alcohol and drug consumption using deterrent examples.

by Selma Zoronjić

Accident, emergency room, shock room: a nightmare scenario for many people. This also applies to the approximately 100 students in the tenth grade of the Küstengymnasium in Neustadt in Holstein (Ostholstein district) who took part in the first “Prevent DRUG” campaign day on Monday. To prevent this scenario from becoming a reality if people are not careful, Dr. Felix Behrendt and Dr. Christian Schultz from the Schön Klinik in Neustadt initiated the campaign day. They want to show young people the consequences that alcohol and drug consumption can have on the road.

A tour that has it all

In the hospital’s emergency room, Dr. Christian Schultz explained the admission process.

To illustrate what can happen if you get behind the wheel under the influence of alcohol or drugs, the students were also taken through the emergency room during a tour of the clinic. There they saw patients lying in their hospital beds in the corridors – and the trauma room, which made one or two students feel uneasy.

In the ADAC driving simulator, they then had the opportunity to test their attention and reaction speed under simulated alcohol influence. Student Johanna also sat in the simulator and got a feel for what it is like to drive a car with a blood alcohol level of 0.8 per mille.

With the simulated tunnel vision, it was extremely difficult for her to see people on and next to the road. “I would never have seen these people and braked,” she says.

Anyone driving with a blood alcohol level of 0.8 per mille must expect a driving ban and a fine, as the current limit is 0.5. The THC limit is 3.5 nanograms per milliliter of blood.

Student response is good

The response to the action day was “extraordinarily positive,” says co-initiator Dr. Christian Schultz. The students are very interested, which gives hope. The aim is to raise awareness “so that the dangers of drugs are recognized and tragic accidents do not occur.”

In discussions with experts, the students learned more about the influence of drugs and alcohol.

Dr. Felix Behrendt is also satisfied. This event gives us the opportunity to meet students “when they no longer listen to their parents and are at the same time going through an incredibly sensitive phase.” Many young people are not aware of how many people and departments work hand in hand when there is a traffic accident, says Dr. Behrendt.

Action day also for other schools

Currently, only the Küstengymnasium is taking part in the action day, but it will not stop there. It would make sense to do this with other tenth grade classes as well, says Dr. Behrendt. He would also like to encourage other hospitals and schools to organize similar events.

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