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Page Map · Drugs and
Terror: Understanding the Link and the Impact on America 9 Principles for Preventing Drug Abuse 1. Children need to know
that drugs affect behavior. Children need to be aware that drugs can
change the way a person acts. They need to know that the effects of drugs
differ for each person, and that people can become dependent on drugs to
the point where nothing matters except getting high. 2. Children need to know
the differences between legal and illegal drugs and between appropriate and
in appropriate drug use. Some drugs are beneficial and necessary for
improving or maintaining health. Children should be informed about
appropriate use of prescribed medicines and over-the counter drugs, and be
able to distinguish these drugs from illegal drugs. Children should understand
that although alcohol is a legal drug and is socially acceptable and safe
when used responsibly by adults, it is illegal for children to buy or use. 3. Children need to develop
an appreciation of the importance of caring for their body and of how drugs
can affect their physical health. Drugs can damage their body and their
physical growth and health. They also need to know that a good diet,
exercise, sleep, and relaxation are important for a healthy body. Children
can benefit from learning to identify and deal with stress. 4. Children need to know
that their questions about drugs will be answered accurately and honestly.
It is important for adults to listen to children’s questions and help them
find answers. Keeping information about drugs from children will not help
them become drug resistant. 5. Children need to know
that it’s important to talk with an adult they trust and to ask for advice
when they have a problem. Children have limited knowledge and
experience. Often they don’t know what to do when they have a problem and,
because of their, they may feel confused. They need to be helped to
identify adults who care about them and whom they can trust. An adult
friend or parent who is willing to listen and encourage a child will
reinforce and help build the child’s ability to solve problems. 6. Children need to know that they always have a choice
in what they do, and they need to develop basic problem-solving skills.
Knowing how to make choices gives children confidence. Children need to
learn a process for making decisions that will work for everyday decisions
and for decisions that have long-term consequences. The following
problem-solving steps/questions can be applied to both kinds of decisions: · What is the problem? · How do you feel about it? · What are the choices? What will
happen with each choice? · Make a choice and act on it. 7. Children need to learn
how to choose friends and cope with negative peer influences. It is
difficult for children to stand up to their peers. Ways to cope with peer
pressure and rejection can be learned. Another safeguard is learning how to
select friends with similar values, so they will have support in resisting
negative influences. 8. Children need to be
encouraged and reinforced about their ability to make good decisions.
Children need to feel confident about their decision-making ability. Often
children are criticized for their mistakes and the things they do right
aren’t given as much recognition. When children’s efforts and
accomplishments are given as much notice as their mistakes, positive action
is reinforced. 9. Children need to know that it’s okay to say no. Frequently
children are criticized for being assertive. Children need to know that
adults support them when they say no to drugs. Children and Adolescents’ Beliefs About Alcohol ·
Very young children- even preschoolers – can tell that
alcohol has an effect on people that other beverages do not. In fact,
children begin forming opinions about alcohol at an early age, and they
tend to view it negatively. · Boys’ beliefs tend to be more favorable toward drinking
than those of girls. Boys also tend to associate drinking with being more
grown up – a perceived positive outcome of drinking. · Adolescents ages 12 to 14
believe that the positive benefits of drinking (feeling good, fitting in
with peers) are more likely to occur than the negative effects of drinking
(feeling sick, causing serious health problems). · Adolescents ages 12 to 14 who expect to gain greater
social acceptance from drinking are more likely to begin to drink as well
as to consume alcohol at faster rates. · Adolescents ages 12 and 13 see other people, including
their parents, as less disapproving of their engaging in drinking than do
younger children. · Fifty-six percent of students in grades 5 through 12 say
that alcohol advertising encourages them to drink. · In an annual survey of adolescents, 56 percent of 8th
graders, 52 percent of 10th graders, and 43 percent of 12th graders believe
that having five or more drinks once or twice each weekend is harmful. · Seventy-five percent of 8th graders and 89 percent of
10th graders believe that alcohol is readily available to them for
consumption. The reasons why adolescents
use alcohol are complex but include curiosity, a need to fit in with
friends, and a desire to relax and escape problems. For some additional
factors may be involved. Highlights from the
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Alcohol Alert on Youth
Drinking include the following risk factors: ·
Genetic Factors: Children of alcoholic are significantly
more likely to initiate drinking during adolescence and to develop alcohol
use disorders, but the relative influences of environment and genetics have
not been determined and vary among young people. · Children Behavior: Research has shown that children who
are very restless and impulsive at age 3 are twice as likely to be
diagnosed with alcohol dependency at age 21. Aggressiveness in children as
young as ages · Parental and Peer Influences: Parents’ drinking behavior
and favorable attitudes about drinking have been associated with
adolescents’ initiating and continuing drinking. Early initiating of
drinking has been identified as an important risk factor for later
alcohol-related problems. Lack of parental support, monitoring, and
communication also has been significantly related to frequency of drinking,
heavy drinking, and drunkenness among adolescents. Peer drinking and
acceptance also influences adolescent drinking behaviors. Expectancies:
Positive expectations from alcohol use have been found to increase with age
and to predict the onset of drinking among adolescents. ·
Being a sibling of an adolescent who uses alcohol and
illicit drugs · Experiencing learning disorders or other academic
problems · Delinquency · Teen Pregnancy · “Your Time – Their Future” is a
campaign of the Drugs and Terror:
Understanding the Link and the Impact on President
George W. Bush ·
Drugs form an important
part of the financial infrastructure of terror networks. Twelve of the
28 terror organizations identified by the U.S. Department of State in
October 2001 traffic in drugs. Drug income is the primary source of revenue
for many of the more powerful international terrorist groups. The
Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) receives about $300 million
from drug sales annually. The Unites Self Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC)
relies on the illegal drug trade for 40-70 percent of its income. · The Taliban regime in · The growing link between
terrorists and the drug trade contributes to an increased threat to · Parents, educators,
faith and community leaders recognize that youth drug use is a serious
issue in this country, and they work tirelessly to educate children about
the dangers of substance abuse. Today there is a new reason to continue
this important effort: the illegal drug trade is linked to the support of
terror groups across the globe. Buying and using illegal drugs is not a
victimless crime-it has negative consequences that can touch the lives of
people around the world. · September 11th has
brought the complex and horrific reality of terrorism into the lives of all
Americans. Many are asking, “How did this happen?” and “What can I do?”
The link between terror and drugs is an important part of the puzzle, as is
the recognition that individual decisions about using drugs have real-world
consequences. · Americans spend billions
of dollars on drugs every year. According to “What America’s Users
Spend on Illegal Drugs.” Americans spent approximately $10.5 billion on
marijuana alone in 2000. The bottom line is clear: Marijuana trafficking
and use is a big, often violent business. Help the kids you know make the
connection between this risky drug and acts of violence committed against
innocent people where you live around the world. · Do you understand the
link between drug money and “terrible things”? Money from a drug
transaction on a local street corner can end up in the hands of groups that
commit violent crimes to support the drug trade. New advertisements, “Dan”
and “Stacey,” show viewers how money from a simple drug transaction can
lead to crime and violence around the world. View the ads or read true
stories of cases showing how drugs and money fueled crime and violence. Resource Websites for
School Climate Issues The Whole Truth About
Marijuana Prescription Drug
Abuse Prevention · In 1999, an estimated nine million people aged 12 and
over (about 2 percent of the population) were using prescription drugs
non-medically: including pain relievers (2.6 million), sedatives or
tranquilizers (1.3 million), and stimulants (0.9 million). · In 1999, 1.5 million persons used pain relievers
non-medically for the first time—and alarming rise compared to the mid-1980’s
when the figure was less than 400,000. · 12 to 14 year-olds reported prescription medications as
one of two primary drugs used. · Persons aged 18 to 25 are more likely than persons in other
age groups to begin abusing prescription drugs. · Between the ages of 12 and 17, girls are more likely than
boys to begin prescription drug abuse and are more likely to abuse stimulants
and sedatives than other prescription drugs. · Women using a sedative, anti-anxiety drug, or hypnotic are
almost twice as likely as men to become addicted. · People aged over 65 represent about 13 percent of the · Date from the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse
indicate that the most dramatic increase in new users of prescription drugs
for nonmedical purposes occurs in 12- to 17-year-olds and 18- to
25-year-olds. · It also appears that college students’ nonmedical use
of pain relievers such as oxycodone with aspirin (Percodan) and hydrocodone (Vicodin) is on the rise. · Overall, men and women have roughly similar rates of
nonmedical use of prescription drugs. An exception is found among 12- to
17-year-olds: In this age group, young women are more likely than young men
to use psychotherapeutic drugs nonmedically. Awareness Campaign on Alcohol and the Developing
Brain Electronic
Toolkit for Grades K-6 - right click to download this word document Electronic
Toolkit for Grades 7-12 - right click to download this word document |
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Counselors
and educators agree that the best way to prevent children from using drugs is
to educate them early – before they’re tempted to experiment. Before young
children can say “No” to drugs, they need to learn basic skills for resisting
peer pressure – skills of assertiveness communication, and decision-making.