Bad Bad Kids
Originally uploaded by _Faith.
From the LA TIMES
Most drug-prevention programs don't work because they use scare tactics, Hanson says. "They tell kids things they will later find out aren't true, like alcohol is a gateway to drugs and will seduce you into trying more dangerous substances. Also, by saying all alcohol is bad, they send kids home thinking that if their parents have a glass of wine with dinner or a beer with their pizza, they are abusing drugs. If a child's father happens to tend bar, they come home and ask why he's a drug dealer. Then what happens when the child sees the off-duty DARE officer having a beer at the local bowling alley?"
Further, drug-prevention programs often make drugs sound more prevalent than they are. Studies show that when middle school students report what percentage of kids they think are using drugs, their estimates top the actual numbers.
When you give kids the true perspective, that not everyone is doing it, they don't feel as much pressure to try, Robertson says. "That's a lot more beneficial than a five-hour blitz of information that covers every drug and how they're used, and that glorifies and exaggerates them."
This news comes right after the latest report on prescription drug use among teens: 1 in 5 teens has abused painkillers, study finds
