In elementary school you were exposed to the D.A.R.E. program which hopefully taught you that you wanted to stay way away from drugs.  In middle school, Life Skills Training and Red Ribbon activities reinforced that message.  An age old slogan in all probability popped up more than you wanted and you learned to repeat "Just Say No".  It's hoped that you can and do say no to drugs.  As a practicing high school student and an experienced adolescent, you know that JSN is easier said, and said, and said...than done.  This assignment asks you to go a step farther.  It asks you to dig a little deeper into the problem of teen drug use, specifically teen drinking, and yes, alcohol is a drug.  As a member of this community, what insight can you provide to those in position to guide programming that will actually impact the teen drinking issue? 

Welcome to the design team for Rock Hill School District Three, Tobacco/Drug Free York County, the Mayor's Commission on Children and Youth, the Interagency Health Coalition, and York County Safe Kids.  Alcohol abuse is a teen problem and as such should be addressed by teens.  This is your shot at being heard.  Not only will you receive a grade for the work you do on this project, but your ideas will be shared with community leadership.

The Questions
 

Is alcohol use in the adolescent population increasing or decreasing?
At what grade level does teen drinking increase at an accelerated rate?
What laws are in place to stop drinking and driving?
How does alcohol affect the brain?
How does alcohol affect other parts of the human body?
Does the age of first drink have any impact on lifetime use?
Does alcohol use have any affect on other health risk behaviors?
How does alcohol use affect family, friends, and society?
How successful are current curriculum based programs on teen alcohol, tobacco, and drug (ATOD) use?
What positively influences adolescents to JSN or limit drug use?

The Resources
 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dash/yrbs/2001/summary_results/

Be Responsible About Drugs  http://www.brad21.org/alcohol_and_you.html

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/faq/q-a.htm#question1

Whatsdrivingyou  http://www.whatsdrivingyou.org/laws/index.html#/laws/index.html

Just Say No http://www.reaganfoundation.org/reagan/nancy/just_say_no.asp

Intoximeters http://www.intox.com/wheel/drinkwheelresults.asp

Facts on Tap ttp://www.factsontap.org/default.html http://www.factsontap.org/yourbody/Yourbody.htm

Insurance Institute for Highway Safety http://www.hwysafety.org/safety_facts/state_laws/dui.htm

Life Skills Training http://www.lifeskillstraining.com/program.cfm

Developmental Assets http://www.search-institute.org/assets/forty.html

The Blood Alcohol Educator http://www.baecdrom.org/

Adolescent and School Health http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dash/yrbs/2001/summary_results/usa.htm

Advocating Safe Alternatives for Peers http://www.uga.edu/asap/

Family Doctor http://familydoctor.org/273.xml

The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence http://www.ncadd.org/facts/youth1.html

Mothers Against Drunk Driving http://www.madd.org/aboutus/0%2C1056%2C1157%2C00.html

 
 

The Big Question

If you were designing an interactive program focused on positively impacting teen drinking, what components would you include (objectives of the program), what delivery system would you utilize (how it's taught), who would your target audience be (grade levels), and how would you measure your success?