Forum: Close to Home
Topic: What elements are important in a prevention program?
Topic Posted by: Close To HomeDate Posted: Wed Mar 18 15:22:22 1998
Posted by: Steve
Date posted: Tue Apr 7 11:39:05 1998
Subject: "From Chocolate to Morphine"
Message:
Dr. Andrew Weil wrote a book, "From Chocolate to Morphine,"
that is his attempt to present straight facts about drugs to kids (and to parents, for that matter). His basic thesis is, "There are no good or bad drugs, only good and bad relationships with drugs." From that he proceeds to explain the effects of the common (and not so common) drugs, their dangers, and how to ensure you have a "good" relationship (basically "take it or leave it") with that drug. Along the way he asks questions like, "Why do you want to take drugs? Is that a good reason?" It is far removed from "Just say no," but it is scrupulously straightforward, honest, and objective. I doubt it could stand alone as the only component of a prevention program, but I think it would have a much better chance of reaching kids than all the "Just say no" hype. For one thing, the way it presents drugs is almost boring; it doesn't glamorize them or make them "the forbidden fruit." (We know how well that approach worked with Adam and Eve, and that aspect of human nature hasn't changed in the ensuing umpteen-thousand years.) I think it would tend to go a long way to satisfying curiosity and get kids thinking about responsible choices. And, if a kid does decide to experiment, I think the information would help the kid to experiment responsibly, so he would have a better chance of coming through the experience in one piece. But I sure don't know; if anyone else has read the book, I'd be interested in hearing your opinion.
Posted by: Annette (abessey@yahoo.com )
Organization:Opportunities Unlimited, Inc.
Date posted: Mon Apr 6 21:50:52 1998
Subject: Cognitive Restructuring/"Thinking Change"
Message:
You can read my story in the "real stories" section if you would like to know a little about my own background and drug addiction, etc. But from my experience, I believe that if you do not get at the thinking process (if you change the way you think, you change the way you act), the information many times provided in drug treatment won't work. I was fortunate to have been exposed to a program titled "A Framework for Breaking Barriers," a program produced by Gordon Graham & Company out of the Seattle, Washington area. I am now a master trainer for Gordon Graham & Company, and I am the director of operations of a non-profit organization founded by Gordon Graham which provides an awesome at-risk youth project in communities across the country. The process Gordon's programs provide (and he has a program titled "A Framework for Recovery which is same concepts as Breaking Barriers, but examples are substance abuse related) deals with identifying barriers (habits, skills, preconditioned beliefs, attitudes and expectations) that keep us stuck. It deals with changing the negative self-talk cycle we get in -- changing negative self-talk to positive with positve affirmations, and it deals with setting goals and developing an action plan, and affirming and visioning the achievement of what it is you want. It's a self-discovery process (change is an inside job), presented in a non-threatening way, that reaches people where they're at. It allows you to discover what it is you want, and gives you tools to be successful in getting there. I honestly believe I would not be alive today if I had not been exposed to the information I got in Breaking Barriers. I believe you must get at the thought process in the very beginning of a treatment program. It opens people's awareness to the possibilities, and they are better able to accept what the rest of a typical drug treatment program has to offer.
Posted by: rugby
Date posted: Sun Apr 5 17:45:04 1998
Subject: elements of prevention program
Message:
Who can give an absolute answer to this? I wish I could! As a parent of young children, and an aide in the public schools, I feel that one of the best things we can do is give a child good self esteem. This can't wait until middle school, or even 5th grade. It has to start early, or it will be too late. Coping skills and a sense of worth can make them stronger, but unfortunately, we would have to impact the parents as well, each of whom have their own agenda. In the end, we probably need to educate parents even more so than the kids. Not that I think that parents cause their kids to become addicts, but it's surprising how little things we do, say, feel, imply-can impact our children, undermine their confidence, suggest expectations they can't meet.
Posted by: Steve
Date posted: Fri Apr 3 9:08:55 1998
Subject: The answer is not D.A.R.E.
Message:
I think the main thing any prevention program needs is
honesty. I don't think D.A.R.E. is honest, and research has shown the D.A.R.E. program is worse than useless. Dr. Dennis Rosenbaum, head of the criminal justice department of the University of Illinois (Chicago), recently completed a 6-year study of D.A.R.E. He found that suburban kids who go through the D.A.R.E. program are *more* likely to use drugs than kids who don't.
Posted by: Rick Pepin (peppr@nwi.net )
Date posted: Tue Mar 31 2:53:57 1998
Subject: Prevention
Message:
I believe our next generations will never get better, until we realize people that are prone to addictions have a brain birth defect given to them, from their parents state of being, at the time of conception. Sincerely Rick Pepin