How to Teach Students About Drug Abuse
When a person becomes addicted to drugs, the addiction will not only destroy his life, but it will also destroy the lives of individuals who are close to him. One of the best ways to combat drug addiction is to prevent it from happening in the first place. This can only be done by teaching your students about drugs. Knowledge is a form of prevention. The more the student knows, the more equipped she will be to say "No."
Instructions
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Teach your student about the causes of drug abuse by explaining to him why drug addiction begins in the first place. One person might start doing drugs because he is crying out for love and attention, while another person may do drugs because she has peers around her who have pressured her into doing drugs. Perhaps a person was taking prescription medications and became addicted to the way the drug made him feel emotionally, which led to abuse. If the student knows why drug addiction occurs, she will be better prepared and educated if she ever faces those issues in her own life.
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Teach the student about the dangers of drug abuse and the effects of drug abuse on the body. The student should be taught that the drugs will leave him feeling "high" temporarily. However, after the drug wears off, he will be left with feelings of depression, irritability, nervousness and paranoia. After the "high" wears off, she must take more drugs in order to reproduce the feeling. She needs to know how sharing needles increases her chances of contracting diseases, such as HIV and hepatitis. When teaching about the dangers and effects, it is important to discuss the drugs according to the categories they fall in since each drug has a different danger and effect on the body. For example, you can discuss the dangers and effects of marijuana, dangers and effects of heroine, dangers and effects of ecstasy, LSD (hallucinogens), methamphetamine, oxycontin, vicodin and crack cocaine.
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Teach the student how to recognize the symptoms of drug abuse. Recognizing the symptoms will not only benefit her, but will also help her to know whether or not she has a friend that is battling addiction.
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Advise the student of places he can seek help if he has found himself addicted to drugs. He should be taught that the first step to breaking the addiction is to admit that he has an addiction instead of living in denial. Give out telephone numbers for help hotlines, such as the National Drug Resource Center. If your school has an open door policy for counseling, advise the student that she can speak to the school counselors for help without worrying about getting in trouble.
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Take your student on a field trip to a local rehab center to hear testimonies from others who have experienced drug addiction. The student will be able to hear stories of how drugs ruined the life of another individual. By seeing and hearing the stories of others, it can persuade the student that drugs is not the road she should travel.
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