Drug Prevention & Drug Education
by Narconon International
At every hand, it seems that our children are surrounded with insidious influences that seem to encourage or condone substance abuse. Movies, television, the actions of older children, sports figures, movies stars and musicians – everywhere, there seem to be people who can use drugs and still be successful. How do we counter these influences so that we can keep our young people from falling into substance abuse and addiction?
What we hear over and over is that educators are frustrated in their attempts to find a drug education curriculum that is simple, comprehensive and above all, effective enough to get desirable results. And in this context, “desirable results” means just one thing: fewer young people using drugs.
There are a couple of key concepts that must be conveyed to youth in a way they can accept and understand to get them to start making educated choices in this area.
- Young people must feel that the risks of using drugs far outweigh what they see as the benefits. The person offering to sell them a joint or share beer or prescription pills with them is not going to fill them in on the risks before he hands over the drugs. Drug education must fill this void with accurate information about the risks of drug use, presented in a believable manner.
- Drug use appeals to young people because it seems like it is going to solve a problem. The problems could be shyness or inability to fit in, stress of social, school or family situations, boredom or lack of adventure or excitement in their lives. Young people are capable of understanding this concept if it is expressed in their terms. Effective drug education must offer an alternative to the escape that seems like it will come from substance abuse.
The Narconon drug prevention and education curriculum makes the assumption that young people can understand these issues and learn how to make educated decisions about drug use. In thousands of deliveries to hundreds of thousands of students, it’s been proven that they can and do gain an understanding of the risks of drug abuse and as a result, more often make their own decisions to abstain. That decision, coming from their own hearts, is stronger than any advice or counsel that comes from the outside. That’s what makes the Narconon drug prevention and education curriculum one of the most effective choices for prevention of substance abuse among youth.
40 Years of Experience Preventing Drug Abuse
Narconon drug prevention staff have educated over 5 million school children through the Narconon drug education and training programs. The audio visual program, featuring segments of our live presentations with kids, has reached another 8 million students in over 8,000 schools. We have over 40 years of experience, and our program has demonstrated effectiveness in keeping kids off drugs.
Narconon centers and groups conduct numerous drug prevention activities around the world on a weekly basis. Many offer training programs in communication and other life skills for high risk youth. They also deliver Peer Leader training, which provides high school students with the skills needed to help counsel their peers and prevent them from using drugs.
The audio-visual format of our highly successful drug prevention and education curriculum makes it possible for a school or group to receive the Narconon program, no matter where they are located, and has been used in over 8,000 schools throughout the U.S.
Evidence Based Education
By continually monitoring trends in youth substance abuse, the Narconon Drug Education program keeps pace with changing community needs. Presentations are real and reflect what kids are actually doing.
The Narconon program surveys every presentation to generate data on changes in perception of risk, program efficacy and for quality control. Schools are required to use strategies that provide evidence of prevention or reduction in drug use. The Narconon drug prevention program consistently obtains these results.
A recent outcome study of the Narconon drug education program demonstrates its effectiveness in reducing drug use amongst high school students. Click here for the Narconon drug education study or view it online at www.substanceabusepolicy.com