NCJ Number
185606
Journal
Youth Studies Australia Volume: 19 Issue: 3 Dated: September 2000 Pages: 32-38
Date Published
September 2000
Length
7 pages
Annotation
This study examines students' perceptions of drinking, having fun, and losing control.
Abstract
The study involved a series of focus groups conducted with high school seniors in Western Australia. They were unresponsive to an abstinence-only message, regarding it as inappropriate and hypocritical in a society where alcohol use is prevalent, socially accepted and often encouraged. Alcohol programs that ignored young people's concerns were likely to be viewed by the target audience as irrelevant. Findings from this study were incorporated into the curriculum of the School Health and Alcohol Harm Reduction Project (SHARP) 2000 program. That program aims to provide senior high school students with skills to enable them to minimize alcohol-related harms they have identified as commonly encountered or of particular relevance at a time when alcohol use typically increases. The curriculum incorporates alcohol-related scenarios relating to risks and harms, realistic harm-reduction strategies and drinking settings. In addition, it examines sex-specific alcohol-related issues, issues surrounding drinking and driving and how students can find the line between having fun and losing control. References