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SOC 204 Drugs & Society
Goldberg Chapter 16 Drug Prevention and Education
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Attendance: How are you doing?
A. Terrific!
B. Okay.
C. Completely stressed.
Terrific!
Okay.
Completely stre
ssed.
60%
27%
13%
Approaches to Prevent Drug Abuse
What should be the goals of drug education and prevention?
When should drug education and prevention efforts be initiated?
What education and prevention efforts are effective?
Who should be responsible for drug education and prevention?
Goals of Drug Prevention
To prevent the individual from beginning drug useTo minimize the risks of drugs to the userTo reduce the risks of drug use to societyTo prevent drug dependencyTo teach responsible drug useTo stop drug use after patterns have been establishedTo delay the onset of drug use
Funding Drug Prevention
In the US, most funds for drug prevention come from the federal government
2012 National Drug Control Budget: $1.7 billion was allocated to drug prevention out of a budget of $26.2 billion
Most community leaders favor spending a larger portion on reducing demand rather than supply of drugs
Agencies
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is responsible for:
Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP)
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA),
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)Office of Treatment ImprovementNational Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Drug Prevention in Retrospect
1970s: Primary focus was to reduce the supply of drugs by stopping their importation, sale, and manufacture
Interdiction remains a popular strategy but now is complemented by other measures
1980s: Some drug experts began to contend that prevention should be directed toward the underlying factors that contribute to drug abuse
Drug Prevention in Retrospect
Society was concerned primarily with hard drugs such as heroin, LSD, cocaine, crack, and PCP
Soft drugs such as alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana are known as gateway drugs
The primary strategy of CSAP is to keep young people from experimenting with drugs at all
Effectiveness of Prevention Programs
Problems in assessing effectiveness of programs:
Absence of control groupsPoor data collectionGroups that are too smallInappropriate statisticsLack of follow-up to determine how long any
change in drug use persisted
School-Based Programs
Five essential criteria:1. Adequate hours of curricula, over at least
three years
2. Peer involvement
3. Emphasis on social influences, life skills, and peer resistance
4. Change in perceived norms
5. Involvement of parents, peers, and the community in changing norms
Levels of Drug Prevention
Primary prevention: Strives to reach people before they start using
alcohol, tobacco, or other drugsShould be initiated at a young age because
most children already have tried drugs, especially alcohol, by the time they get to high school
Includes drug education, mass media campaigns, community-oriented programs, drug testing, and legislation
Levels of Drug Prevention
Secondary prevention: Attempts to minimize potential damage resulting
from drug use by targeting people who have experience with drugs.
Considered an early intervention stage
Tertiary prevention: Geared to heavy drug users and those whose
patterns of drug use are well establishedBasically refers to drug treatment
Identifying High Risk Youth
High risk behaviors include:Delinquent behavior, self-destructive behaviors,
and dropping out of school
Risk factors include:Individual behavioral factorsIndividual attitudinal factorsIndividual psychosocial factorsFamily factorsCommunity environmental factors
Resilient Children
Many children from impoverished backgrounds display resiliency despite the presence of major life stressors
Characteristics of resilient children:Flexible, responsive, adaptable, and activeHave positive relationships Empathetic, caring, persistent, competent problem-
solvers, success oriented, and educationally motivated
Able to disengage from dysfunctional family environments
At-Risk Factors
Hereditary and Familial Factors:Sons of men with alcohol problems are
more likely to have alcohol problemsRates of dependence are greater if siblings
are dependentFamily history of antisocial behavior or
criminality increases the risk of drug problems
Lack of supervision of children after school is related to drug use
At-Risk Factors
Psychosocial Factors:Peer pressureLow self-esteemLow self-efficacySensation seekingLack of social skillsRebelliousness against authorityLack of commitment to schoolAttraction to devianceUnfavorable attitudes toward adult behavior
At-Risk Factors
Biological Factors:Different amounts of pleasure derived from
drugsDifferent amounts of self-control
Community Factors:Communities where people move oftenExtreme poverty and deprivationCommunities that lack social support and
controls regulating behaviors, including drug use
Preventing High-Risk Behavior
Education:Poor school performance and low expectations
for school are strong predictors of drug use
School alternative programs focusing on community and recreational activities, physical activities, and job training help youths at risk to stay off drugs
Teachers may be role models for helping children to develop resilience
Preventing High-Risk Behavior
Role of parents:Parental drug use greatly increases the
likelihood of children’s drug useParents who have high expectations for their
children foster academic success and resilience
Community efforts:Drug use is prevalent in impoverished, urban
neighborhoodsJobs have been shown to help curb drug use
Preventing High-Risk Behavior
Barriers to community prevention efforts:Leaders’ lack of perceived empowerment to
continue prevention workInsufficient preparation for adopting successful
programs Public resistance to spending more money on
drug prevention programs after ineffective programs
Idea that programs that are effective in one community will not necessarily work in other communities
Goals of Drug Education
Possible goals:To impart knowledgeReducing drug abuse or dependencyPreventing or delaying first-time drug useCurtailing students’ drug useTeaching responsible drug use
Drug Education
Evolution in Drug Education: 1970s: Information about the dangers of drugs
Mid 1970s: Values clarification focused on the underlying values contributing to drug use
Alternatives approach substitutes a positive addiction for the negative addiction
More emphasis on health in general and less emphasis on the pharmacology of drugs
Current education emphasizes developing resilience skills, learning peer-refusal techniques, and gaining life skills
Limitations of Drug EducationProblems with Drug Education:
Teachers often do not keep up with latest information
Students sometimes know more about drugs than teachers do
Some teachers are judgmental or moralisticGoals of drug education are often unclearGoals of drug education are often unrealistic
One-Size-Fits-All Drug Education
What Works: Schools Without Drugs Objectives
1. Valuing and maintaining sound personal health and understanding the effects of drugs on health
2. Respecting laws and rules that prohibit drug use
3. Recognizing and resisting pressure to engage in drug-taking behavior
4. Promoting activities that reinforce a positive, drug-free lifestyle
Current Approaches to Drug Education
Personal and Social Skills Training:Young people who rate high in self-efficacy are
more likely to avoid harmful patterns of drug use
Skills training: A drug prevention program in which one learns skills to prevent drug use○ Includes skills for resisting media and
interpersonal influences, problem-solving and decision-making, relieving stress and anxiety, relaxation, self-control, self-esteem, interpersonal relations, and assertiveness
Current Approaches to Drug Education
Social Norms Approach:Goal is to correct misperceptions of students
and reduce alcohol use
Resistance Skills Training:Involves recognizing, managing, and
avoiding situations that may encourage drug use
Current Approaches to Drug Education
Drug Prevention Programs:Project ALERT has been shown to reduce
weekly alcohol and marijuana use, at-risk drinking, and alcohol use resulting in negative consequences, as well as attitudes and perceptions conducive to drug use
Life Skills Training (LST): students are taught how to avoid being persuaded by others, to manage anxiety, to communicate more accurately, to be assertive, and to enhance their self-esteem
Current Approaches to Drug Education
Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE):
Police officers go to classrooms and teach elementary students about drugs and personal safety
Had little impact on drug use
Just Say No!Adequate for some students, but not for othersSome students do not recognize peer pressure
or have the skills to refuse drugs
Effectiveness of Drug Education Components of Effective Programs:
Based on an understanding of theory and researchInformation is developmentally appropriate; short-
term, negative social consequences are emphasizedEmphasize social resistance skills training Includes normative educationTeachers use interactive teaching techniquesTeachers receive training and supportTime devoted is sufficient and continuedPrograms are culturally sensitive.School programs include family, community, and
mediaEvaluation is necessary to determine effectiveness
Health Education
Drug education at the secondary level typically is taught in health education classes
Sequential health education from K through 12th grade had a positive effect on knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors
Administrative support and teacher training are important to the success of health education
Peer Programs
In some, older students teach younger students about drugs
In other programs, peers facilitate discussions about drugs with others of the same age, or peers counsel peers
Besides acting as role models, peer leaders have to be able to communicate effectively
Peer programs were most effective with the average student; for at-risk students, alternative programs were most effective