Teenage Drug Prevention

The use of drugs by teens can be of particular concern to parents, teachers and other adults who spend time with adolescents and young adults. In many cases, behaviors that contribute to drug use in teens can be avoided if programs are implemented that prevent teen drug use, rather than encourage it. Although it is often difficult for parents to relax and allow teenagers to make their own mistakes, values and examples provided during early developmental years contribute at great deal to future behaviors.

Encourage Positive Behaviors

According to an extensive study on teenage drug prevention by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), programs that identify and target teens who have aggressive behaviors or risk factors (volatile home life, divorce, history of drug abuse, poor self-esteem, low academic performance) can help significantly to reduce and discourage drug use. In many cases, positive peer pressure from students can be a good method of encouraging positive alternative activities for teens at risk.

Make Programs Age Appropriate

According to the NIDA report, risk factors and targeted behaviors change over time as a child develops into a teenager and young adult. One of the key elements of a successful teenage drug prevention programs is that the materials and activities should be geared toward this specific age group. For example, teens are not likely to be interested and engaged in activities such as group readings or overly simplistic descriptions of various drugs and paraphernalia. More appropriate activities and materials for teens might include using popular music, having participants write their own rap songs for drug prevention and role playing of potentially difficult scenarios.

Programs Should Be Long-Sighted

As with other forms of education, teen drug prevention programs should be planned for the long term and should not be considered a one-shot attempt to help adolescents. According to the NIDA report, drug-prevention programs should be offered and implemented into the school curriculum across numerous years. Additionally, parents should consider providing drug education and having discussions with their children on a regular basis. This provides multiple opportunities for children to ask questions as they occur and to integrate parental attitudes about drug use as they mature and grow.

Prevention Efforts Should be Broad in Scope

The NIDA recommends that teen drug-prevention programs should include information on a wide range of different types of drugs and drug-addiction issues. These issues include both street drugs such as cocaine and marijuana along with a wide variety of prescription drugs such as narcotics, stimulants, sedatives and tranquilizers. Teen drug abuse is not limited to only one type of drug. Consider, for example, that street names for drugs change over time. Additionally, drug-use trends change over time and may dramatically change from one year to another. Activities that include educating and discussing common drugs, street names, how those drugs are used and what prescription-drug abuse is should be included in prevention programs.

Parental Programs

According to NIDA, programs that emphasize parental monitoring and family education should include information that encourages family bonding and maintaining of family relationships. Very often, the strongest influences in children's lives are their family, parents and siblings. In families where drug use has been a problem in the past or there is a history of multi-generational drug abuse, providing education about drug abuse, genetic influences and family drug avoidance goals can be extremely important.

References

• NIDA InfoFacts: Lessons from Prevention Research