Contributor: Yvette McBride Thomas

Prevention Programs

“Just Say No”

• Sponsored by local governments and found in schools and public agencies.
• The program’s message is incorporated into public service announcements on television to influence preteens and teens by their peers to say “no” when offered a cigarette or other addictive or dangerous substance.

D.A.R.E.

• Drug Abuse Resistance Education
• Found in late elementary and early middle school grades
• Uses police as instructors and provides case scenarios that challenge fifth and sixth graders to think about and answer them.

S.A.D.D. and M.A.D.D.

• Students against Drunk Driving
• Mothers against Drunk Driving
• These associations help educate and orient young people about the hazards of drug abuse and the dangers of addiction

Tobacco and Cocaine Programs

• These programs focus on the external and internal factors important to teens. External factors
• External factors include: breath, teeth, clothes, and costs.
• Internal factors include: lifestyle choices, time management, and nutrition.
• Group pressure and dynamics are common elements in prevention.
• Adolescents who get involved in the use of drugs do so because of friends who use drugs.
• When a group perceives drugs as hazardous, its members are less likely to engage in the behavior.
• Educational and support groups are a valuable tool to help ward off abuse and addictive behaviors

Reference:

Gladding, S.T. (2011). Counseling: A comprehensive profession (7th ed.). Upper Saddle, NJ: Pearson-Merrill.