Drugs and Alcohol Awareness

It is unfortunate that our society holds drunkenness as a standard for “real” men and “real” women. That is not to say that drunkards are the standard of all our society, just athletes, cowboys (cowgirls), NASCAR fans, …. The list is extensive! We have been subjected to advertisers who equate anything “tough” and/or “attractive” with an ability to consume alcohol. Within the past four decades drug use has made its way into the “in-group” persona through movies and television programs. The influence of the media should never be underestimated!

Most schools have a Health Program as part of the required curriculum; however, the influence of perhaps 30-60 hours of Health Education, teaching the effects of risky behavior compared to the influence of thousands of commercials and risky behavior portrayed in movies and videos, is disproportional. Studies have shown that the influence of school curriculum is a distant third to “home” and peers. So what is to be done? Answer: “I wish I knew." The logical place to start is through the “home," but who’s to say that the homes of students exhibiting risky behavior are a model of healthy choices?!

Perhaps a peer based program for tobacco, alcohol, and drug abuse might be the best bet! There are several programs that have been developed (see articles and links).

While many teens, particularly from dysfunctional families, do not develop open relationships with a parental figure, the influence of the “home” environment should not be dismissed. Parents/guardians should be involved in the development of effective solutions. The rest of the page is devoted to effective programs, and suggestions, to help keep our student-athletes free from addictions involving tobacco, alcohol, and drugs.

Robert McGowan
Coaching & Sports Section Editor

The PAL® Peer Assistance Leadership Program is a peer-to-peer outreach program for elementary, intermediate, and high school students. The proven results are improved school attendance, reduced drug and alcohol abuse, a positive school climate, increased academic success, responsible behavior, and involvement in community service. The PAL® Program teaches life skills and builds resiliency and assets in students.

Established in 1980, the PAL® Program's comprehensive network of prevention activities and training addresses the underlying causes for alcohol, tobacco and other drug use by youth. Its unique features include a wide network of schools, PAL® Advisors, parents, corporate, and business organizations linked with a common goal of providing prevention and intervention services to students. The keys to the success of the PAL® Program are found in the extensive involvement of faculty and parent volunteers, and the cultivation of local ownership to ensure program continuation. The combination of these special populations empower caring students to assist their peers. - source: PAL®

Find out more about this program.

Through our current high school drug, alcohol, and tobacco-use prevention program, curriculum is integrated into various subject areas. These subject areas include English, Adult Living, Economics, Biology, Health, Peer Support Programs and Physical Education. Class lessons focus on refusal skills, decision-making, choices and consequences, responsibility, health effects, and dangers. The ninth grade English curriculum includes a novel selected for themes that focus on the development of refusal skills, decision-making, choices, and consequences.

Tenth grade students receive instruction in their biology classes that emphasizes the harmful effects of drugs, alcohol, and tobacco. Adult Living and Health classes encourage eleventh grade students to develop better decision-making skills and take responsibility for these decisions through the Reconnecting Youth Program. Eleventh grade students are also taught the harmful effects of drugs, alcohol and tobacco-use in relation to pregnancy. In economics classes, twelfth grade students learn about the pervasive role media plays in pressuring consumer decision-making. These students also understand the costs to society of substance abuse.

In middle school, drug, alcohol tobacco-use prevention curriculum is integrated into science, math, and physical education. Currently, the ACES (Adolescent Coping Education Series) program is taught to all seventh-grade students. ACES deals with self-esteem, responsibility and assertiveness. In eighth grade science class, during the Chemistry unit, students focus on the effects of nicotine and tar on the body. During the Human Physiology unit, lessons include the short and long term effects of tobacco. Other themes are focused on in the sixth, seventh and eighth grades through the Life Skills Training curriculum taught by grade level counselors. This includes risk factors, peer pressure, communication skills, asset building, advocacy activities and positive/negative peer attitudes.

Find out more...

source of this material.

Peers sway a child's interest in smoking, drinking as early as 6th grade - Young people's attitude toward smoking and drinking may develop as early as sixth grade and is greatly influenced by friends.

Positive Peer Solutions: One Answer for the Rejected Student - The authors describe an intervention strategy, the Positive Peer Group, that helps alienated and disengaged students bond to school through "making a contribution to the whole."

The Power of Peers - How well do you know your child's peers?

Rejection massively reduces IQ - Rejection can dramatically reduce a person's IQ and their ability to reason analytically, while increasing their aggression.

Secrets To Help Your Kids Handle Peer Pressure - How parents can best help their children develop the judgment necessary to determine when it is beneficial to go with the flow and when it is critical to walk away.

Substance Abuse Does Not Occur in a 'Vacuum' - Both parents and peers may promote or discourage substance abuse among teens.

What To Do When Your Teen Chooses Bad Friends - Your teen is going to pick his friends. There is very little you can do at this age to influence his choices. However, if you approach the problem with wisdom, there are a number of ways you can indirectly influence your child and help him to stay out of trouble.

Youth and the Occult - The increased exposure of witchcraft and other occult practices is increasing the acceptance of these practices by youth as exciting, exotic alternatives to mainstream religion.

With the "In Crowd?" - How deal with a child who is part of the "in crowd" or who's shut out.

Illegal Drug Use Patterns are Important to Adolescents When Selecting Friends - This study looks at how teens from various ethnic groups differ in their selection of similar friends.

Everyone needs to belong, to feel connected with others and be with others who share attitudes, interests, and circumstances that resemble their own. People choose friends who accept and like them and see them in a favorable light. Read the rest...

College Athletes and Alcohol and Other Drug Use

Few would argue that athletic success depends on both physical and mental health. Given that, it would be reasonable to expect that college athletes avoid using alcohol and other drugs to preserve their overall health and enhance their athletic performance. In fact, college athletes use alcohol, spit tobacco, and steroids at higher rates than their non-athlete peers. Cocaine attracted publicity for its role in the deaths of star athletes in the 1980s and has since waned as a prevalent drug among college athletes. Even so, cocaine still poses risks for college athletes, as do other drugs such as diet aids, ephedrine, marijuana, and psychedelics. Read this article. (source)