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D.A.R.E. Was Laughably Bad; Are New School Anti-Drug Programs Any Better?
Written by David Heitz | Published on February 27, 2015
Two new programs, NOPE and Shatterproof, hope to use science to convince teens not to use drugs.
D.A.R.E. Was Laughably Bad
It was 1986 when first lady Nancy Reagan, like a firm aunt, acknowledged America’s youth had fallen prey to illegal, mind-altering drugs.
“Just say no,” she told the children of the 1980s.
The idea behind the campaign, much like today’s anti-bullying campaigns, was to stand up for what’s right. Decline drugs when offered, “even if it makes you unpopular,” she warned.
Today, critics say modern science makes Mrs. Reagan’s simplistic message easy to mock.
Her hopeful approach evolved into the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) program in schools nationwide. While police officers in many communities won accolades for engaging kids in the classroom, the program in general was declared unsuccessful by a number of agencies and studies.
Today, thousands of teens die every year from drug overdoses. The biggest culprit is opiates, pain drugs that suppress the central nervous system.
Although painkiller abuse among all Americans is down, heroin overdoses are up, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Overdoses from prescription drugs overall are also up nationwide, although they are leveling off.
Many parents of children who die from drug overdoses report their children took several drugs together in dangerous cocktail combinations, such as Adderall and alcohol.
New Programs Take a Different Approach
Unlike the abstinence based “Just Say No” or D.A.R.E., a new approach to drug education called NOPE focuses on the problem with opiates. It has proven one of the most difficult links to break in the chain of addiction.
NOPE, or Narcotics Overdose Prevention and Education, puts together large assemblies at schools all over the United States. Students watch a multimedia presentation of parents sobbing at the funerals of their children who died from drug overdoses.
In addition to its cornerstone video presentation, other stakeholders such as law enforcement come together at middle schools, high schools, and colleges to deliver the message that drug abusers die.
And then there’s Shatterproof, which as its name implies aims to keep kids from finding their lives in pieces.
The nonprofit was founded by a successful entrepreneur with an ambitious business plan and a large bankroll.
Shatterproof hopes to become the American Cancer Society or American Heart Association of addiction, a massive fundraising machine that brings all stakeholders to the table under one umbrella.
The program even holds events where participants rappel down the side of office buildings to help build their self-esteem.
Acknowledging Addiction to Stamp Out Stigma
What Nancy Reagan and her campaign did do was finally admit the U.S. had a big problem with drugs. While still highly stigmatized, drug addiction is now something parents around the country are stepping forward to talk about.
They include parents like Karen H. Perry, executive director of the Florida-based NOPE Task Force, and Gary Mendell, founder of New York City-based Shatterproof.
While their approaches to the problem of drug addiction are a bit different, their stories are similar.
Both lost their sons when the boys were in their early 20s. They both told Healthline their child’s drug problem began with marijuana. Both kids had used a smorgasbord of drugs. And both kids had been through treatment and had stayed clean for several months or longer.
And while some people believe a child’s drug problem is usually the result of bad parenting, Perry and Mendell stand out as textbook examples of parents who tried to do all they could to raise their children right and get them help when needed.
continued here http://www.healthline.com/health-news/are-new-school-anti-drug-programs-better-than-dare-022715#4
Written by David Heitz | Published on February 27, 2015
Two new programs, NOPE and Shatterproof, hope to use science to convince teens not to use drugs.
D.A.R.E. Was Laughably Bad
It was 1986 when first lady Nancy Reagan, like a firm aunt, acknowledged America’s youth had fallen prey to illegal, mind-altering drugs.
“Just say no,” she told the children of the 1980s.
The idea behind the campaign, much like today’s anti-bullying campaigns, was to stand up for what’s right. Decline drugs when offered, “even if it makes you unpopular,” she warned.
Today, critics say modern science makes Mrs. Reagan’s simplistic message easy to mock.
Her hopeful approach evolved into the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) program in schools nationwide. While police officers in many communities won accolades for engaging kids in the classroom, the program in general was declared unsuccessful by a number of agencies and studies.
Today, thousands of teens die every year from drug overdoses. The biggest culprit is opiates, pain drugs that suppress the central nervous system.
Although painkiller abuse among all Americans is down, heroin overdoses are up, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Overdoses from prescription drugs overall are also up nationwide, although they are leveling off.
Many parents of children who die from drug overdoses report their children took several drugs together in dangerous cocktail combinations, such as Adderall and alcohol.
New Programs Take a Different Approach
Unlike the abstinence based “Just Say No” or D.A.R.E., a new approach to drug education called NOPE focuses on the problem with opiates. It has proven one of the most difficult links to break in the chain of addiction.
NOPE, or Narcotics Overdose Prevention and Education, puts together large assemblies at schools all over the United States. Students watch a multimedia presentation of parents sobbing at the funerals of their children who died from drug overdoses.
In addition to its cornerstone video presentation, other stakeholders such as law enforcement come together at middle schools, high schools, and colleges to deliver the message that drug abusers die.
And then there’s Shatterproof, which as its name implies aims to keep kids from finding their lives in pieces.
The nonprofit was founded by a successful entrepreneur with an ambitious business plan and a large bankroll.
Shatterproof hopes to become the American Cancer Society or American Heart Association of addiction, a massive fundraising machine that brings all stakeholders to the table under one umbrella.
The program even holds events where participants rappel down the side of office buildings to help build their self-esteem.
Acknowledging Addiction to Stamp Out Stigma
What Nancy Reagan and her campaign did do was finally admit the U.S. had a big problem with drugs. While still highly stigmatized, drug addiction is now something parents around the country are stepping forward to talk about.
They include parents like Karen H. Perry, executive director of the Florida-based NOPE Task Force, and Gary Mendell, founder of New York City-based Shatterproof.
While their approaches to the problem of drug addiction are a bit different, their stories are similar.
Both lost their sons when the boys were in their early 20s. They both told Healthline their child’s drug problem began with marijuana. Both kids had used a smorgasbord of drugs. And both kids had been through treatment and had stayed clean for several months or longer.
And while some people believe a child’s drug problem is usually the result of bad parenting, Perry and Mendell stand out as textbook examples of parents who tried to do all they could to raise their children right and get them help when needed.
continued here http://www.healthline.com/health-news/are-new-school-anti-drug-programs-better-than-dare-022715#4
