Dare To Replace D.A.R.E. With An Effective Program
Throughout human history, drugs have always been present in society. ¬¬¬¬¬Some societies have accepted them and incorporated them into their cores, while others have shown a fervent opposition to their very existence. Our own society can be placed into the latter group. Our government has a vendetta against drugs which includes a War on Drugs that spans decades as well as a strong push to educate our nation’s youth on the dangers of drugs through in-school programs. Drug Abuse Resistance Education, or D.A.R.E., is one of those programs. Through an examination of program effectiveness, potential for increased abuse, and the budget of the program, it becomes clear that D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) is not the best way to combat teenage drug and alcohol abuse.
There is a commonly held assumption that any program that aims to keep children away from drugs is a program full of merit, unfortunately, this is not the case with D.A.R.E. West and O’Neal’s 2004 meta-data analysis of the effectiveness of D.A.R.E. program, which was spurred by an increase of reported drug and alcohol abuse amongst high school students, concluded that the D.A.R.E. program made little to no impact of abuse levels. Any positive reported impact was miniscule and solved for by the error margin of the study. Specifically, of the 11 studies included in West and O’Neal’s analysis, one found the program to have a negative effect, four found it to be completely void of effect, and the other six found an almost indistinguishable positive effect (West and O’Neal 04). An analysis by the Surgeon General found that there was no difference in drug use between those students who had participated i...
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...eems to be enough to provide for an effective program, but this is not the case. In fact, program leaders even refused to hear the data that their program might need to be changed to maintain effectiveness, and dismissed those presenting the data as supporters of teenage drug use (Zernike 01). The issue with this argument is that is ignores all of the other potential reasons behind their data analysis in its use of an either/or logical fallacy (Weber and Brizee 14).
There are many major issues in the supposedly beneficial D.A.R.E. program. The lack of effectiveness, the increased drug use, and the economic costs are enough to negate any need for the program. Drug education is a major part of a well-rounded schooling, but D.A.R.E. is not the program to carry out that goal. The lack of positive effects coming from the program is enough to call for no program at all.
D.A.R.E can also have a negative result and counter act the effects of the program. As the program teaches children about drug/alcohol abuse and what kind of effects it has on a person. In the program police officers show children different types of drugs and also tell the children how they are used. This is not a positive learning outcome, for children at this age as they are very curious. It only shows children what drugs are and how to do them. After teens have taken the program, some are curious and try these illegal substances to physically feel what kind of effects it has on them. Teenagers also have a hard time resisting temptation, as they see and hear about how different kinds of drugs and alcohol have effected their peers. Teenagers often seek to be center of attention ...
...esh our minds on how to just say NO! Drugs shouldn’t ruin youth’s life. On an average day in 2006, 3,600 adolescents smoked marijuana for their first time. EXPLAIN If you help cut, that number by at least a quarter it will be a success. So, here I am to persuade you, to really take some time to think about how D.A.R.E can help kids deal with drugs.
Did you know tobacco and alcohol use cause over 475,000 deaths in the U.S. annually? To assist young people in avoiding these harmful behaviors, the D.A.R.E. program enhances the knowledge and awareness of the hazards regarding dangerous substances throughout a ten week program. The acronym D.A.R.E. stands for drugs, abuse, resistance, and education. D.A.R.E. ensures the safety of adolescents in various situations and instills beneficial strategies, techniques, and tips to aid young people in making responsible decisions. D.A.R.E. exposed many young people, including me, to the dangers in society today.
... associated harm as a sole programmatic response to student drinking. They have proven to be ineffective.
With such statistical information it is unsurprising that governments have not fully embraced the harm reduction concept, with some countries reverting back to older methods. For instance, Canada is on the verge of closing the dangerous In-site injection facility in Vancouver and reallocating funds to traditional inpatient treatment--real treatment that promotes eventual abstinence. One can conclude that the effectiveness of harm reduction is a very questionable topic as not only does it aid in offender substance abuse, but at what cost. The topic of harm reduction provokes a deeper thought, what happened to prevention methods and what about them is not working?
The biggest question people ask is if the “war on drugs” was successful. According to the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), “The goals of the program are to reduce illicit drug use, manufacturing and trafficking, drug-related crime and violence, and drug-related health consequences.” The best way to measure the effectiveness of the “war on drugs” is to focus on these basic questions; Is drug use down? Is crime down? and Are drugs less available? Since 1988, drug use by individuals ages 12 and over has remained stable according to the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA). The number of individuals reporting any drug use has increased by approximately 7 million and the number of those who reported drug use in previous months or previous years has remained unchanged. The Organization Monitoring the Future studies drug use, access to drugs, and perspectives towards drugs of junior and senior high school students nationwide. Results of a study conducted in 2005 showed a minor decline in substance abuse by older teens, but drug use among eighth graders stopped remained the same. However, the changes were not statistically significant and ultimately there was no reduction in substance abuse among young students. Crime in the United States has decreased significantly since 1993, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics. On the other hand,
Robertson, E. B., David, S. L., Rao, S. A., & National Institute on Drug Abuse (2003). Preventing drug use among children and adolescents: A research based guide for parents, educators, and community leaders (2nd ed.). Bethesda, Md: U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Drug Abuse.
Coley is a timber cutter that is addicted to crystal meth. He has three young children, two girls and a boy and a wife that he affects everyday with his crystal meth abuse. Throughout the episode Coley locks himself in the garage, so he can snort powder form of crystal meth without his children being directly in front of it. Coley thinks that if he locks himself in the garage his children do not see his behaviors. Coley's addiction stemmed from his childhood where his mother was a speed addict and alcoholic and allowed Coley to do drugs and drink with her throughout his young teens and late adult hood. After Coley married his wife and his wife recognized the problem was connected to when he was at his mother's home she asked that he not be involved with his mother. Coley does this and shortly after his mother dies. This leads Coley to more drug abuse and his addiction becomes worse, due to the guilt he feels for hurting his mother and the guilt from the fact that she died alone. Coley somewhat blames his wife for this. Coley put his family in great danger with the bills not being paid and him putting off jobs for something he thinks will become his gold mine and turns out not to.
Drugs cause an overall disturbance in a subjects’ physiological, psychological and emotional health. “At the individual level, drug abuse creates health hazards for the user, affecting the educational and general development of youths in particular” (“Fresh Challenge”). In youth specifically, drug abuse can be triggered by factors such as: a parent’s abusive behavior, poor social skills, family history of alcoholism or substance abuse, the divorce of parents or guardians, poverty, the death of a loved one, or even because they are being bullied at school (“Drugs, brains, and behavior”) .
required to submit a drug test; it puts a lot of pressure on them making them aware that they
The United States government projected $25 million to support schools in school-based drug testing and other drug-free programs. In 2003, many schools across the nation provided their own funding for student drug testing programs. The President wants to increase this program for 2005. He also wants to continue funding for ONDCP. This media campaign sends anti-drug messages to young adults via web sites, functions, and events on drug awareness. This approach will include information for parents and youth to encourage early intervention against drug use in 2005.
Purpose According to the U.S Department of Health and Human Services, the greater extents of substance abuse among younger Hispanic students are severe and a challenging public health concern since the early age of initiation, they have been associated with increased risk of serious substance abuse related problems and addiction. Adult Hispanics report lesser drug use rates than grown up non-Hispanic Whites. Therefore, the central drive of this research is to address, prevent and decrease the probability of substance abuse by Hispanic students of two high schools from Osceola County by at least 3% in approximately one year. To reach this goal, the writer suggested that the students of this study must take part every other day after classes
Glazer, Sarah. “Preventing Teen Drug Use.” CO Researcher. 28 July 1995: 659-662. Mack, Alison.
program doesn't work. A few years ago they decided to try and change the curriculum. D.A.R.E. was reborn, as highlighted by Nordrum, "the “keepin’ it REAL” substance-abuse curriculum focuses on elementary and middle-school students’ decisions, not drugs." Behavioral scientists called for lessons that were more hands on, and they selected Keepin' it REAL from a national registry of programs with results that were backed up by science. REAL is an acronym officers use to teach four different ways to say no: Refuse, Explain, Avoid, and Leave. Evidently, studies are showing promising
Mandatory drug testing is proven to help reduce the number of kids who do drugs (Journal of General