Question

 

Teaching Plan Topic: How to prevent substance abuse amongst adolescents and how to promote good choices amongst this age group.

Learning Objectives:

• Define addiction/abuse and the stages of addiction/abuse, as well as what leads up to addiction/abuse
• Determine the reasons why teens use tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs
• Evaluate the dangers of using/experimenting with tobacco, alcohol, and/or other drugs
• Explain the negative consequences of drugs addiction and abuse
• Explain how to make good choices, prevent addiction, and watch out for signs of abuse/addiction

In order to be able to determine how to prevent substance abuse amongst teens, it is very important to actually be able to define what addition and/or abuse is. A person must also be able to define the stages of addiction/abuse and know what leads up to it. Once a person is able to define these things, it will be much easier for them to determine whether or not someone has the potential for addiction/abuse or possibly if someone is addicted or abusing. It is also very important when learning to prevent addiction and/or abuse to be able to determine the reasons why teens use tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs. This will help understand the concept and why/how a teen may get addicted. It is also very important to evaluate the dangers of using/experimenting with tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs among adolescents. Typically, the person who got addicted or is abusing started off with experimenting. Therefore, it is very important to understand why the experimenting started and what are the dangers associated with it. It is very important to be able to explain the consequences of drug addiction and abuse in order to help prevent it. If we do not know the consequences why should we prevent it? Therefore the consequences are definitely an important aspect to learn. Lastly, it is very important that a the end of the lesson or teaching plan, the person learning is able to explain how to make good choices when it comes to addictive substances. Also, the learner should understand and be able to explain how to prevent addiction and abuse. The learner should also be able to explain how to look out for signs and symptoms of substance addiction and/or abuse. This will help recognize the problem earlier rather than later. Overall, substance addiction and abuse is a rising problem amongst adolescents, therefore this is something very beneficial to learn about. According to the National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics (2020), 86% of adolescents know someone who smokes, drinks, or uses drugs during the school day. This number is very high and very concerning. This shows explaining why teaching how to prevent drug abuse and addiction is so important

Answer 1

Ans) Providing a firm foundation and clear ideas on the damage addiction can cause is critical to teenage substance abuse prevention efforts. The goal of prevention is to attempt to stop someone from partaking in a harmful action that has substantial consequences before those consequences occur. In the case of teenage substance abuse, this can range from stopping them from taking drinks of alcohol, to more dangerous drugs like cocaine or fentanyl.

- Harmful consequences of substance abuse:

Teens abusing harmful substances may decide to do so in order to cope with distressing mental and emotional conditions. Although some of these conditions may be temporary, their effects can last a lifetime. Such examples include, but are not limited to:

Depression and anxiety
Broken relationships (family, friends, and romantic relationships)
Poor or declining health
Difficulty maintaining self-esteem

Grief, loss or trauma
Problems making friends and feeling isolated
In addition to such experiences, teens may also use illicit substances because of peer pressure or to belong. Unfortunately, such acts of substance abuse can have devastating effects on individuals and their loved ones. Consequences of teen drug abuse can include legal trouble, like time in jail, prolonged substance abuse, poly-drug use, and unwanted pregnancy.

Prevention Strategies:

Family Influence:
Prevention of drug and alcohol abuse can start at home. Parents can talk to their children and explain the consequences of drug and alcohol abuse. Specifically talking to children while they are young can create a strong foundation for awareness of drug use. This helps parents positively influence their children, while teaching their children about boundaries.

- In teaching boundaries, parents help children to understand when to deny something that can hurt them, while controlling the dynamic of an unhealthy request. Prevention talks also create deeper bonds and guidance between children and parents. Parents can establish consistency in communication, as well as guidance that can be followed for years. Preventative conversations can lead the adolescent to strengthen trust with their parent, and make wise decisions with habits, friends, interests, and influences.

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Educational Tools
There are governmental agencies, community leaders, and school personnel that attempt to teach children about living a drug-free life. Much of this is to prevent teen drug abuse before they reach adulthood or go into the real world. As a result of these educational tools, teen drug abuse has significantly decreased from previous decades.

Educating teens on the effects of drug abuse is important as it attempts to control possible drug use before the age of maturity. There are presently various

educational programs in place for this very reason, including:

Universal
Selective
Indicated
Universal programs function to teach social, personal, and drug resistance techniques on a weekly basis. Selective programs are interventions for teens who may be more at risk and have unstable home lives, or other risk factors. Indicated educational programs are geared to teens showing problematic behavior.