World News and Trends: Drugs spell disaster for more than just users
A recent study in The Journal of the American Medical Association reported that people who are not users of illegal drugs, but who live in households of users, are killed at a rate 11 times higher than those who live in drug-free homes.
The study also reported that, in households where one or more members are alcoholics, nondrinkers run a 70 percent greater risk of being killed than nondrinkers in other households.
Earlier studies showed that 40 to 70 percent of homicide victims had alcohol in their blood. Alcohol abuse was also shown to triple the risk of suicide, while those who abuse both alcohol and illegal drugs run a 16.6-times-greater risk for suicide and 12-times-greater risk of being a homicide victim than nonabusers. Those who live with drug users also showed a higher rate of suicide than the general population.
In preparing the report, researchers studied medical examiners' findings on 438 suicides and 388 homicides covering a three- to five-year period, then compared victims' proximity to drug and alcohol abusers with control groups of nearby residents. (Source: The New York Times.) GN
An Article from:
Good News Magazine: January - February 1998
Course Content
John Ross Schroeder
John died on March 8, 2014, in Oxford, England, four days after suffering cardiac arrest while returning home from a press event in London. John was 77 and still going strong.
Some of John's work for The Good News appeared under his byline, but much didn't. He wrote more than a thousand articles over the years, but also wrote the Questions and Answers section of the magazine, compiled our Letters From Our Readers, and wrote many of the items in the Current Events and Trends section. He also contributed greatly to a number of our study guides and Bible Study Course lessons. His writing has touched the lives of literally millions of people over the years.
John traveled widely over the years as an accredited journalist, especially in Europe. His knowledge of European and Middle East history added a great deal to his articles on history and Bible prophecy.
In his later years he also pastored congregations in Northern Ireland and East Sussex, and that experience added another dimension to his writing. He and his wife Jan were an effective team in our British Isles office near their home.
John was a humble servant who dedicated his life to sharing the gospel—the good news—of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God to all the world, and his work was known to readers in nearly every country of the world.
Scott Ashley
Scott Ashley was managing editor of Beyond Today magazine, United Church of God booklets and its printed Bible Study Course until his retirement in 2023. He also pastored three congregations in Colorado for 10 years from 2011-2021. He and his wife, Connie, live near Denver, Colorado.
Mr. Ashley attended Ambassador College in Big Sandy, Texas, graduating in 1976 with a theology major and minors in journalism and speech. It was there that he first became interested in publishing, an industry in which he worked for 50 years.
During his career, he has worked for several publishing companies in various capacities. He was employed by the United Church of God from 1995-2023, overseeing the planning, writing, editing, reviewing and production of Beyond Today magazine, several dozen booklets/study guides and a Bible study course covering major biblical teachings. His special interests are the Bible, archaeology, biblical culture, history and the Middle East.
