I Don't Tell Kids, "Say No to Drugs"

Ok, ok, the title sounds bad.  But I also don't promote drugs & alcohol either.  What I'm trying to say is that I remember being in elementary school.  Year after year during Red Ribbon Week, we went through some sort of D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) or anti-drugs programs.  As an elementary child, I thought, "Oh, of course I would never do anything like that."  Many of my friends did too.  I don't think these are bad programs, but I feel the reality of our world today needs a slightly different approach.

As kids get older, they think they know what they're doing, act like adults when they're not, make mistakes, learn from them, and hopefully think "Ugh, my mom was right."  I was one of them.  I didn't act on what I was told to do, I did what I wanted to do, then learned from it.  All we can hope for as adults and teachers is that our kids make good choices and remember our voices/messages as they encounter situations of pressure as they get older.  Don't get me wrong, I was NOT the kid who went off to college and used a bunch of drugs or went off the deep end.  The only thing my D.A.R.E. education would be ashamed of would be the fact that I really like to enjoy a glass of wine (or two).  Not that I'm doing that now while pregnant anyway.

So for Red Ribbon Week, I do it differently.  I don't say, "Say no to drugs."  I feel students need to learn that their choices lead to consequences, which can be good or bad. (This is a message I try to reinforce in every decision they make throughout the year.)  Their LIFE choices can determine the roads that open or close in their future.  Some consequences are small and we can bounce back from them pretty easily.  Some consequences, especially as we get older and the risks are bigger, are life altering/threatening/uncontrollable.  My approach with the kids starts with this chart below.  They copy/take notes as I talk about each section.

I got this from a Marcia Tate classroom management workshop way back when.  She was great and talked about how to manage a classroom based on brain behavior, etc.  I immediately thought of Red Ribbon Week when I did this and have been using it ever since.  It's a great way to teach kids about how drugs affect our brain and what happens when we have a chemical imbalance.

We talk about our brain's neurotransmitters and the natural chemicals we possess.  We discuss how there are positive and negative chemicals and they are both good for us.  Negative chemicals are good in small doses so that we learn how to deal with stress, anger, or sadness in a positive way. Then we talk about what would happen if our brain was chemically imbalanced and missing or lacking some of these chemicals.  Our body craves them and drugs can alter chemicals in our brain artificially.  (This is also when we need to discuss prescription drugs vs. illegal ones.)  We discuss how some people who use drugs want to feel more of some chemicals than others (i.e. morphine for endorphins).  In the case of addiction, some people feel that they need these drugs because their brain is out of practice when it comes to how to deal with negative chemicals in a natural way.  Knowing that some of my kids have close family members who use drugs, I am very sensitive about how I talk about this.  I make a note that these people are not bad, but they may have made a poor decision, are not feeling well, and perhaps cannot control what has happened.  I tell them to be compassionate with these people, but first and foremost, take care of themselves.  Learn from the mistakes of others.

Students also get sensitive about seeing their parents drink beer or wine, or smoke when we talk about this.  I tell students that it is legal for them to drink and smoke and I hope their parents are responsible about it.  However, if they ever decide they would try it, they need to think about its effects and gauge how often they need it.  Can you handle not being able to have a cigarette if it's not allowed somewhere?  Are you smoking an entire pack a day?  Can you handle having one drink?  Do you think about wanting to drink constantly?  I tell them that whatever they decide, they need to be aware of themselves so they don't lose control.

Anyway, it's a pretty deep conversation and I end by telling my students something that sounds like this, "I will not be telling you not to do drugs.  You will do what you want.  I probably won't even be there in your life when you have that decision to make.  All I hope you remember is what we talked about and know that your choices can affect your life.  If you do decide to try something, I hope you know and learned about it and its effects before doing something just to please others or try it blindly.  However small or large your consequences, I hope you'll be able to take care of yourself to make good decisions for your future.  Also remember that your life choices affect those around you.  Surround yourself with good friends and live healthy so that you can have control of your life."