Here are some sobering statistics:

  • An estimated 11.3 million teens (48 percent) have tried illegal drugs.
  • 9.2 million have used in the past year. 
  • 5.9 million (25 percent) have used illegal drugs in the past 30 days. 
  • Among 9- 12-year-olds almost 3 out of 10 were offered drugs at some point in 2000. 
  • More than half of all eighth graders have tried alcohol at least once and have had their first drink by age 11 on average. 
  • About one out of five fifth graders has been drunk. 
  • Four out of six sixth graders say they've felt pressure to use alcohol. 
  • Eighty percent of high school kids have reported using alcohol.

These numbers are alarming, causing more schools than ever to launch programs to prevent these dangerous behaviors among students. Experts say the most comprehensive programs start in kindergarten and follow children to twelfth grade.


The highest rated programs all share some common features: they help students recognize internal and external pressures to use drugs; they teach that substance abuse is not the norm; and they actively involve the family and community. The 11-year-old Michigan Model, which teaches comprehensive health lessons to kids in grades K-8, got As in developmental appropriateness, role-playing and overall quality in Making The Grade a report published by DrugStrategies.org

Additional research conducted by Jean Shope, PhD of the University of Michigan and published in the "Journal Of Drug Education" (Volume 26. Number 4-1996), demonstrated the Michigan Model substance abuse lessons had a statistically significant positive impact in curtailing rates of alcohol, tobacco and marijuana use in middle schools.

What Works?

So how can parents determine if their child's school is offering a quality prevention program? First, experts say parents need to be involved and know what information is being presented in the classroom. Second, they need to look for some research-proven factors that increase the success of prevention programs. These factors, identified by the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) through 25 years of research, include the following: 

  • Prevention programs should focus on improving academic performance and strengthening students' bonds to school, by giving them a sense of identity and achievement.
  • Programs should correct the misconception held by most young teens that most students are already using drugs.
  • Programs should ensure children understand the negative effects of drugs (physical, psychological and social).
  • Programs should send a clear message that drug and alcohol use for children is wrong. When children perceive their friends and families disapprove of this behavior, they tend to avoid it.

What Does it Look Like in Action?

The most successful prevention programs include a wide variety of techniques depending on the target population. However the NIDA research has identified several fundamental principals to follow:

  • Leave nothing out. Prevention programs should target all forms of drug abuse, including tobacco, alcohol, marijuana and inhalants. 
  • If I've said it once... Prevention programs aimed at young people should be age-specific, developmentally appropriate and culturally sensitive. Most of all, they should be long-term with repeated interventions to reinforce prevention goals. 
  • Make it real. Prevention programs should be adapted to address specific drug abuse problems in the local community. 
  • Make it a family affair. Family-focused programs have a greater impact than those that target children only. 
  • It takes a village. Prevention programs should include a component that equips parents to reinforce antidrug norms. 
  • "Just Say No" is not enough. Prevention programs should teach children how to resist drugs when they are offered, strengthen personal commitments against drug use, and increase social skills, while they reinforce attitudes against drug use. 
  • Know your audience. The higher the risk in your neighborhood, the more intensive the prevention effort must be and the earlier it must begin.

  

Dawn Marie Barhyte is a former teacher and freelance writer in Warwick, New York.