At River Valley Rising we know that substance use and addiction has no class, gender, or town lines. We exist to support people where they are and to see how we can work together to improve overall quality of life.

Research shows that addiction is a learned behavior, that the earlier a person starts using, the more likely they are to become addicted; that’s why we strive to keep the youth of our area free from substances.

Our key focuses are decreasing underage drinking, marijuana use, and prescription drug misuse. Although those are the three drugs we’re focusing on, there are many more that are available, but studies show that when you implement strategies to decrease the use of one drug, typically the use rates of other drugs also decrease. 

Some of what we do:
– Sticker Shock
– Responsible Beverage Services Trainings
– WOW! Campaign for Prom Season
– Prescription Monitoring Program
– Drug Take Back Day

Another huge part of what we do is partnering with other local organizations, businesses, law enforcement, schools, and many more to try and bring about change to our area.

Collaboration with Local Law Enforcement Reduces Youth Access to Alcohol:

• Party Patrols - Patrols by local law enforcement during high use times such as sporting events, holidays, proms, and graduation.
• Store Surveillance - Monitoring store parking lots for those over 21 that are purchasing alcohol for those under 21.
• Investigations - Investigating underage drinking incidences to determine the source of the alcohol.
• Compliance Checks - Identifying alcohol establishments that sell alcohol to underage youth and to enforce state statutes. We also use compliance checks as an educational tool for merchants and other liquor licensees.

River Valley Rising is a coalition under the fiscal agent of River Valley Healthy Communities Coalition. It is funded through the Drug Free Communities grant.