 • Introduction Considering the substantial list of drug education materials that Guidance Associates has produced, one might assume that developing this program, Me, Myself…and Drugs, would be a relatively easy task for us. In fact, just the opposite has been the case. The specific difficulties we encountered bear mentioning, for in many ways they reflect the complex nature of the current drug predicament, in which educators find themselves called upon to explain advanced physiological concepts to young students as well as to give reasons why drug abuse exists in our society. They also relate to an additional task: the introduction of basic mental health concepts (which we feel are essential to elementary school education) under the heading of drug education, when in fact, they pertain to every area of curriculum. By way of explaining the thematic content of Me, Myself…Drugs, I would like to share with you some of the thinking we brought to this publishing project, and which we subsequently translated into this program. When we sat down to formulate the outline for this program, there were certain ideas we knew had to be included: We wanted youngsters to start looking at all drugs in a continuum—to see them all as chemical substances which, when taken into the body, produce noticeable changes. We were “turned off” by people who classified some drugs as “good” and some as “bad” largely on the basis of their legality or the extensiveness of their use as household remedies. We felt this way because legal drugs have helped produce millions of alcoholics in this country and have contributed to an average of more than 25,000 drunken-driving deaths per year, and because aspirin (a so-called “good” drug) is still the number one poisoner of young children. We wanted to help youngsters develop a respect for drugs, so that they would begin to consider the consequences of putting any drug, legal or illegal, into their bodied. We wanted to give kids facts about drugs in terms they could understand, though we were determined to avoid leaving them with the notion that drug abuse is a simple problem to define or solve. From past experience, we knew that the use of overly dramatic photography and heavy reliance on slang terms for the sake of audience impact were both ultimately self-defeating audio-visual techniques in the area of drug education. So we set out to make the sound and video interesting, but not glamorous. Recognizing that drug use in our country is very much related to the American style of living, we wanted young people to consider the cultural implications of using drugs for pleasure, relaxation, or heightened sensitivity. (What does it mean when adults drink or smoke or use sleeping pills? What does it mean when other kids use drugs to get “high”?) Moreover, because of the constant media bombardment to which everyone is exposed, we wanted to impress upon youngsters the importance of being able to distinguish truth from exaggeration where advertising messages were concerned. Because students in grades 5-8 are, to varying degrees, in the midst of psychological transition from almost total dependence on adults for guidance to the adolescent need for recognition and acceptance from peers, we wanted to examine the matter of peer pressure as it related to drug use, and also the importance for youngsters of developing a personal capacity for decision-making and the strength of conviction. Along these same lines, we recognized that young children often look to older children (in this case junior high school kids) as models for “grown-up” behavior, and we saw a need for examining the implications of imitative behavior where drug use was concerned. (“By imitating older kids, I feel more grown-up.”) Finally, we felt that elementary school children must be encouraged to understand their emotions and be reassured that good and bad feelings are something everybody has in common—they are normal, and not something to be afraid of. Taken all together, our objective for this program is to demonstrate that drug education at the elementary level is as much a matter of building healthy personalities as it is of making students well informed. Our feeling is that ultimately the decision to abuse or not to abuse drugs rests with each individual. If she is not prepared to make responsible decisions concerning her own well-being, no amount of factual data will sway her from choosing the wrong course of action where drugs are concerned. --The Producer • Summary of Content What Are Drugs? • Jessica Halstead, the on-camera teen narrator for this segment, introduces the program with some basic definitions. She defines a drug as any chemical substance that affects the way the mind or body works. She explores a typical medicine cabinet and points out that medicines are drugs that come in different forms and are used in different ways when we are sick or hurt. • We follow Jessica into her kitchen where she points out some other common drugs that are rarely used as medicines. The nicotine in tobacco, the alcohol in whiskey, wine and beer and even the fumes from airplane glue are all substances that have an effect on us. • Pharmacist, Mel Berger, points out that many of the drugs he works with can be used to fight sickness and pain. He also states that the responsible use of any drug involves carefully following instructions and being aware of any side effects. • Science teacher, Connie Claytor, describes how drugs work within the body. We follow the course a drug takes once it is swallowed, into the bloodstream and finally reaching the brain and affecting the body. Ms. Claytor also describes the major groups of drugs and their characteristics: stimulants (e.g. amphetamines, cocaine, crack, caffeine), depressants (e.g. barbituates, alcohol, marijuana), and hallucinogens (e.g. LSD and mescaline). • Carolyn Sandberg, a drug counselor, defines physical and psychological dependence on drugs. She also talks about the need for all people to learn to deal with stress and points out that some people turn to drugs in order to avoid difficult situations. • Jessica concludes this part by saying that she believes that learning to handle problems, although difficult, is part of growing up. • Outside Influences • Jason Zook is the on-camera teen narrator of this part. He points out the variety of messages we get to use drugs: from adults, from commercials and the media, from peers. • A group of young people discusses the hidden messages behind a variety of advertisements and found in magazines. • We see some examples of the kind of pressures young people get from their peers and older kids and we hear a group of young people talking about how they perceive and deal with peer pressure. • Carolyn Wade, a guidance counselor, explores why young people are vulnerable to pressure from their friends and suggests some constructive ways for them to deal with this. • Thirteen-year-old Becky Habel describes the power dynamics at her school. She also gives an example of a time when she was up against pressure from the “cool” group to do something she didn’t feel was right for her. • Feeling Bad, Feeling Good • Iris Chang, this segment’s teen narrator, introduces the idea of thinking about feelings. We then meet four young people who describe times when they really felt bad about something. • Allison Burke describes how she felt when everyone turned against her. • Guillermo Brown talks about a time when he was afraid to go on the rides at an amusement park and even more afraid of what his friends would say if he didn’t. • Cathy Symon tells us about the sadness she felt when she moved away from Hong Kong and had to leave her friends. • Rafi Jacobi describes the anger he felt when his mother knocked over the model he had been working on, and it broke into a million pieces. • Carolyn Sandberg, a drug counselor, talks about the kinds of stress young people have to learn to deal with and explains that some of the people she works with have turned to drugs as a way of avoiding pain. • Iris introduces us to some young people doing things that they enjoy and talking about what it is that makes them feel best about themselves. • Questions for Discussion and Review • What are Drugs? 1. Define what a drug is. 2. What do nicotine, alcohol and airplane glue have in common? 3. Describe what happens to a person after a drug is swallowed. Describe the course the drug takes through the body. 4. List two characteristics of each of the following drugs: amphetamines, cocaine, alcohol, marijuana, LSD, nicotine. 5. Why is it important to follow the doctor’s instructions for a drug’s dosage? What kind of side effects can a drug have? 6. Contrast chemical dependency and psychological dependency. • Outside Influences 1. What kinds of “hidden messages” are there in advertisements? 2. What do you think many young people assume when they see adults drinking and smoking? 3. How might someone feel when they get pressure from a friend to try smoking or drinking? 4. What do you think “peer pressure” is? What kind of pressure exists in your school? What do you have to do to be popular? 5. How would you have handled the situation described by the last girl in this part? • Feeling Bad, Feeling Good 1. Describe a time when you really felt bad about something. How did you handle the feeling? 2. List three situations that you find difficult to handle. List two ways of handling each situation. Here is an example: You find it difficult to deal with your mother when she “nags” you about picking up your room. You can either storm out of the house leaving the mess behind or you can tell her how much it “bugs” you when she nags and describe a different way she might ask you to take care of your things. You then go and pick up the room. 3. Did the things that made the people in the program happy have something in common? How did these people feel about themselves? 4. Name something you can do that makes you feel best about yourself. 5. How can friends help each other through difficult times? |
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