Municipal Alliance for the Prevention of Alcoholism & Drug Abuse

Middletown Township is a forty-two square mile municipality that more than 69,000 neighbors call home.    We are a unique collection of nine neighborhoods, each with its own flavor and personality.  Together we form a dynamic community. As parents, friends, brothers and sisters, our Alliance recognizes that we have to take more proactive measures instead of reactive measures to educate the public and, more importantly, our young children.  We present residents of all ages with opportunities to learn about the current realities of alcoholism and drug abuse and to ask questions will that help them protect their loved ones.
Although tragic events afford an immediate opportunity to disseminate facts, it's too late.  The Middletown Alliance does everything it can to educate our residents before a tragedy occurs. 

An evaluation through Early Identification, Intervention and Referral results in utilizing appropriate substance abuse services, which are provided at no cost with complete confidentiality.

By accurately presenting the health, legal, and personal consequences of alcohol misuse and drug abuse, the common programmatic theme revolves around "it only takes one night of bad judgment to ruin your life and the lives of those who love you".

Local recognition of "April is Alcohol Awareness Month", "September is National Recovery Month", and "December is Drugged and Drunk Driving Month" reminds residents that no community is exempt from the devastation associated with the disease of addiction. 
The K.I.D.S. program, Kids Instructed on Dangerous Substances, provides substance abuse prevention education to youth from ages 5 through 15.   The G.L.A.D. program, Grownups Learning About Drugs, provides adults with substance abuse prevention education and early intervention tools.

Fifth grade students who participate in Project P.L.U.S., Peer Leaders Understanding Students, emerge with the potential to be middle school peer leaders helping one another avoid alcohol, drugs, and tobacco as they mature into healthy, productive adults. They absorb the real life stories of guest speakers and communicate their new found knowledge with their peers and parents.  

Reaching Out to Prevent Substance Abuse provides community awareness in the form of a newsletter, mailed to each of our almost 25,000 households, that highlights current drug trends, local ordinances and statistics. The interactive Reaching Out program provides a consolidated continuum of our prevention education programs offered to youth and adults.  Professionals representing the legal, police, and education communities come together with parents and youth to collaborate to develop a community action plan that will save lives. Networking within our community continues to contribute to preventing substance abuse related tragedies, ultimately resulting in a better quality of life for all our citizens.

The Middletown Municipal Alliance for Prevention of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse was created by township resolution in 1990 in response to the Governor's Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse (GCADA)  blueprint to establish and maintain a network of community based prevention programs. Middletown's networking associates include the Health Department, the Board of Education, the Police Department, the Municipal Court, Parole, Probation, local civic associations, treatment facilities, individuals directly affected by substance abuse, as well as other individuals and organizations.

The Alliance office is based at Crossroads at Croydon Hall, the township’s substance abuse services center. Partial funding for Municipal Alliance prevention programs is derived from the Drug Enforcement Demand Reduction fund. These are fines levied on convicted drug users and sellers. By way of annual application to the Monmouth County Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services, Middletown receives in excess of $26,000 of these funds for township substance abuse early intervention and prevention education programs.

Our membership continues to be a broad representation of the private sector and professional communities. Meetings are generally held the third Saturday of each month, 8:30AM-9:30AM, at Crossroads at Croydon Hall, 900 Leonardville Road. There are no meetings during July and August.

Call 732-615-2269 for more information.