Early Action Against Teen Drug Use -Teens as Communicators to Their Peers: A Unit for High School Educators

• NCJ Number: 231976
• Author(s): Clayton Dekorne Ph.D.
• Editor(s): Stephanie Doba
• Date Published: 2010
• Length: 84 pages
• Sponsoring Agency: Office of National Drug Control Policy
• Corporate Author: The New York Times Newspaper in Education Program
• Sale Source: The New York Times Newspaper in Education Program
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Curriculum
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

A curriculum is outlined as a guide for educators to motivate teenagers to be effective communicators to their own peers on the subject of avoiding drug or alcohol use.

Abstract

The curriculum outlined helps educators inform their students why addiction is a danger young people need to know about, how to recognize patterns of behavior that indicate early involvement with substance abuse, how they can play a caring role in influencing a friend-abuser to pull back from drug or alcohol use and how they can suggest ways to seek help. The curriculum encourages the use of the New York Times for relevant articles on drugs, alcohol, and health, as well as teens, anti-drug advertising, etc. The articles will stimulate discussions with students reinforcing the lesson themes. The curriculum includes seven lesson themes which are outlined in this report: (1) Understanding Addiction, (2) Recognizing Patterns of Substance Abuse Behavior and Stages of Addiction, (3) Caring and Enabling Responses, Understanding the Differences, (4) Speak Up! Using Diplomacy and Communication Skills, (5) Research Behavior and Perceptions of Drug Use, (6) Teen Images in Movies: What's "Cool," and (7) Community of Care. For each lesson plan, objectives, tools needed, resources, and relevant articles are provided and outlined.