Alcohol and Drug Awareness Programs

Alcohol and drug abuse is a serious problem many individual face on a daily basis. Awareness programs can start off with simple educational activities and tools that are easy and simple to understand.

School Aged Children

Often times the best way to create drug and alcohol awareness is with young children. If they learn how to identify drugs and alcohol and know what the effects may be, they become educated and less likely to abuse substances in the future. Group talks in the classroom can make children feel more comfortable about asking questions. Explaining what cigarettes, different types of drugs and alcohol look like and what can happen if they are taken is one way to create awareness. Educational videos and printouts can assist with the process. The South Dakota Department of Education website offers free online lesson plans and online activities for teachers to use interactively within the classroom.

Teens

Reinforcing alcohol and drug awareness with teens and young adults is especially important because of the influence of peer pressure. When teens are beginning to drive and becoming more independent, it is crucial to implement a program into a high school classroom or teen community program. Having open discussions about how drugs have impacted the students, their friends or family can spark awareness and allow for a good opportunity to discuss where kids can get help. Abovetheinfluence.com offers a variety of drug abuse and alcohol related resources and online videos that can be shared in a classroom or small round table setting.

College Students

Many parents voice concerns once their child leaves for college that they may be in a situation that could put them under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Because college kids are just starting out on their own, they are faced with a variety of new risks and peer pressures. One way parents can assure their kids stay on track is by encouraging them to join a campus coalition. This type of awareness program is usually headed by a campus psychologist or professor who offers a support group to students. They may also recruit other students to lead awareness on campus by having them post flyers and organize meetings.

Communities

Communities as a whole can become involved in starting drug awareness programs. One such program includes the Meth Watch Program. Meth watch is sponsored by the Consumer Health Care Products Association. This program creates awareness by developing community leaders that try to prevent the sale of suspicious household products possibly used to create a meth lab. Speaking in neighborhoods and installing awareness signs will help encourage the Meth Watch Program among neighbors and discourage illegal drug making and use.

Drug and Alcohol Offenders

When someone has been convicted of a drug or alcohol crime, typically one of the first things ordered for them by a judge is to complete a treatment class to promote awareness of drugs and alcohol prevention. Recoverymonth.gov offers banners, flyers, logos, literature and educational videos to help treatment centers promote sobriety among first time and repeat offenders. They also have resources available for classroom teaching and educating teenagers and adults who may have a problem with alcohol or know someone who does.