Lifeskills Training Program

One of the programs they review is the Multisystemic Therapy (MST) program. To prevent juveniles from repeating the same crimes they would keep them in the community instead of locking them away in jail. The juveniles would have family therapy, individual therapy, group therapy, and other types of support. As a result, “MST participants had a rate of recidivism of 22.1 percent…the individual therapy group which had a recidivism rate of 71.4 percent…those that participated only temporarily in the MST program also had a reduced recidivism rate of 46.6 percent compared to the control delinquent group MST participants had a significantly lower recidivism rate” (May, Osmond, and Billick 298). This programed showed that like the J RIP the delinquent juvenile who get help from their community are more likely to not go back to crime. The review also mentions, “one of the main goals of MST is to decrease the juvenile delinquents association with other delinquent youths, while facilitating familial support through communication and guided problem solving” (298). Because most criminals gain support from other criminals and learn new ways to commit crimes from them by keeping the influence away it shows the juveniles that that’s not the best route to

According to current statistics released by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, “In the United States in 2011, there were an estimated 25.1 million adolescents aged 12 to 17. In the past year, more than one quarter of adolescents drank alcohol, approximately one fifth used an illicit drug, and almost one eighth smoked cigarettes” ("A Day in the Life of American Adolescents," 2013, para. 1). Substance abuse is major problem amongst adolescents. Some are experimenting, but some adolescents may become dependent on a particular substance. If one becomes dependent on a substance as an adolescent it could be detrimental to their future health and success as an adult. Spear (2003) stated in an article titled Alcohol’s

Research has proven that those under the age of twenty one are more likely to be heavy or binge drinkers and more specifically, twenty two percent of all students under the age of twenty one are binge drinkers. There are many beliefs on what is to blame for the irresponsible drinking habits of these teenagers. One popular belief is that because they’re not drinking with other adults or experienced drinkers they are not being guided into the proper direction to being responsible drinkers. However, the main reason is the lack of education on the topic. D.A.R.E. ® is a program executed through local Police Stations that does a Drug Abuse Resistance Education program for a large array of age groups. The program teaches the students about the decisions they have to make in the future and the harms of drugs and alcohol and they teach students in the elementary, middle, and high schools all across the nation. The problem with this program is that they only present their education program once through the course of every student’s public school experience.

Perkins and Wesley (2014), found that a handbook should be used by educators, counselors and clinicians for understanding and implementing an alternative to traditional methods for preventing substance abuse among young people. the social norm approach present in the handbook focuses on the phenomena beyond the individual’s personality and personal values which are important determinants of behaviors and offers information about how these influences can be changed. The handbook consists of a variety of specific techniques, programs and field-tested results of the application which can be used in various schools and

Adolescence, usually defined as individuals between the ages of 12 and 20, is a period of transition, brain development and challenges1, 2, 3. Adolescence is the peak time to engage in risk taking behaviors2. Substance use is a common occurrence among adolescents. The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse has identified adolescent substance use as one of the United States’ top public health concerns4. In fact, an individual’s chance of becoming a cigarette smoker drastically declines if smoking is not initiated by the time the individual is 18 years old. Alcohol and Marijuana are the most commonly used substances among adolescents1,2,3. The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Study, the Center for Antisocial Drug Dependence, Monitoring the

The first unit of the curriculum consists of the basics of binge drinking such as addressing what alcohol misuse is and what is considered a standard drink. Distinguishing what regular drinking is from problematic drinking will also be taught in this unit. The following unit addresses the negative consequences associated with alcohol misuse. The long term and short term consequences will be discussed in the section. Drinking norms, beliefs, and attitudes will be the following unit, individuals will learn to differentiate between common alcohol myths and facts. In addition, individuals will interpret current binge drinking trends. The fourth unit of the curriculum consists of skill-based strategies, where individuals will be able to assemble a resource list for alcohol abuse and learn how to respond to an alcohol related emergency. The last unit that will be covered in the curriculum is healthy living practices. From this unit, individuals will learn safe sex practices, healthy eating habits, and stress reduction

The primary prevention topic of this community healthy and population field experience is related to the Healthy People 2020 goal to “reduce substance abuse to protect the health, safety, and quality of life for all, especially children.” (Healthy People 2020, 2018). This topic correlates with the Roanoke Valley’s increase in fatal drug overdoses and the public health emergency that was declared by the Virginia state health commissioner in 2016, related to the opioid addiction crisis (Virginia Department of Health, 2016). While all members of the community are affected by this health concern, the primary focus of this assessment will be on the effects of and prevention of substance abuse within the areas youth.

According to Mathea Falco, “Many schools rely on programs which have not been evaluated, or worse yet, have been found to have no impact. In 1988, a review of 350 different school programs found that only 33 had any valid evaluation data, while just three programs reported reductions in tobacco, alcohol or drug use” (qtd. in Rosenbaum). One of the most prolific abstinence based education programs is DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education). The program, founded in 1983, places police officers in classrooms to provide training to help youth recognize the dangers of drug use, resist peer pressure to try drugs, and focuses on the importance of avoiding drug use of any kind. In 2002, a study funded by the Partnership for a Drug-Free America found that 48% of the teen population has tried illegal drugs (United States). Abstinence based education programs ultimately imply and teach false information: that a single use of any number of drugs can kill a child or leave them addicted. Once these children enter their teen years, the numbers presented by the Partnership imply that it is likely they are going to be exposed to drugs. Once they try drugs or see others try them, if they do not see the outcomes taught to them as immediately evident, they become mistrustful of all the other information that was taught to them. This renders the entire

LifeSkills Training (LST) is an evidence based primary prevention program aimed at preventing substance use and abuse among adolescents (Botvin & Kantor, 2000). LST is established on Bandura’s Social Learning Theory and Jessor and Jessor’s Problem Behavior Theory; the theories essentially state that drug and alcohol use is a result of observational learning and an interaction of individual and environmental factors (Spoth, Randall, Trudeau, Shin, & Redmond, 2008). As opposed to only teaching the long-term effects, LST highlights the immediate effects of drug and alcohol use. LST focuses on cognitive-behavior changes and emphasizing skill development in three areas: personal self-management skills, general social skills, and social resistant

One may be astonished to discover that in 2012 “..about 17 percent of American high school students were drinking, smoking or using drugs during the school day” and this number has remained relatively stagnant throughout the years (Kuczynski-Brown). The amount of students who take part in the illegal acts of drinking, smoking, and drug use has been difficult to combat. Students do not understand that these substances can result in harmful consequences down the road. This is why it is imperative that, as a society, we begin looking for solutions to defeat these harmful habits, and sometimes, addictions. The earlier we begin to inculcate the effects of these substances on the young, the better. That is why the prime-time to spread this message

The facts given are told in a conversational way, as opposed to a chart or statistical presentation. Instead of listing the long-term effects of chewing tobacco, the speaker tells us about his personal experience of needing oral surgery to recover from the effects of the drug (Healthy2Fitness 2013). The potential of death is shown in a real-life way by saying that close friends died in drug-related incidents. This prevention method is more personal, and the message of “it could happen to you because it happened to me” takes textbook fact and applies it in real-life. Successful prevention programs will relate to the community in the same way, making consequences relatable and less surreal than bullet point information about

Nowadays students are not only being pressured to smoke by their peers and by their surrounding, but they are also watching their parents smoke. Many teens have been influenced by

One of the largest issues today is adolescent smoking. According to a heath based website, nearly 90% of adult smokers start while they are still teens and they never intend to get hooked. They may start by bumming a cigarette or two from a friend at a party, and then go on to buying an occasional pack. Soon they realize that they can't go without that pack. They've gotten used to reaching for a cigarette first thing in the morning, after meals, or during any stressful time. They become addicted, both physically and psychologically. According to the American Lung Association, each day 6,000 children under the age of 18 smoke their first cigarette. Almost 2,000 of them will become regular smokers – that’s 757, 000 new smokers annually!

Alcohol and illicit drug consumption are all too prevalent today in high schools, colleges, and all across the globe. Students seeking to fit in or forget about the repetitiveness of school and homework have a tendency to experiment. Drug addiction is known by the scientific community to be a psychological condition based on excessive, obsessive, and compulsive actions. Once that regular user crosses the line into addiction their only concern is their self and their life revolves around the getting, using, and finding ways and means to get and use more. Most people start using drugs and alcohol occasionally, which is a voluntary decision,

Statistics show that prevention programs decrease binge drinking in students 6th through 12 grades, as indicated by the successful intervention programs of Project Northland and Life Skills Training. Assessing the strengths and weaknesses of both programs, The Atlanta Public School System decided to use strategies from both program which addressed the closest positive results that matched the Atlanta Public School System’s objectives of decreasing substance use (alcohol), improvements in positive attitudes/behavior and reductions in negative attitudes/behavior, and reduce the possibility of automobile accidents and health problems related to alcohol abuse.