Educating Students about Drug Use and Mental Health: Grade 9: Expectation 3

Identify the major factors (e.g., environmental influences such as peer pressure, media influences, adolescent attitudes) that contribute to the use of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs.

Bold text between the orange lines are excerpts from Grade 9 Healthy Active Living Education Course Profile, Unit 3, Activities 4 & 5.

Teaching/Learning Strategy 6:

In triads, have students build a chart that identifies the pros/cons or advantages/disadvantages of drug use. Ensure students consider the following:

Drugs interfere with their thinking and responsible behaviour.
Drugs can make you feel relaxed.
Drugs damage their major body systems (e.g., liver, brain).
Drugs interfere or impede their social and emotional development.
Drugs increase the frequency of chemical dependence.
Drugs lead to social problems, such as failure in school, teenage pregnancy, violence, etc.

Teacher Background Information

Note: Although advantages are often only perceived, they are very real to those using or thinking of using drugs. It is important for students to do the thinking about drug use BEFORE getting into situations where they will be faced with a decision regarding drug use.

Perceived Advantages and Disadvantages of Drug Use

	Advantages	Disadvantages
Personal	- To satisfy curiosity - To cope with boredom - To have something to do - To rebel or defy parents - To get revenge - To gain attention from family - To avoid loneliness - To deal with stress / to survive - To forget disappointments - To avoid family arguments or family problems - To forget family (or friends) for a while	- Curiosity gets satisfied - then what? May or may not try something else - Excitement levels off - May get the "wrong" type of attention - May lose control of emotions (e.g., may become angry or violent, depressed or anxious) - Against family / religious values - Creates problems with family (e.g., loss of trust) - Does not resolve family or personal problems - May lose pleasure in everyday activities - May lose self-esteem
Social	- To fit in with a group or find new friends - To deal with shyness or lack of confidence - To be able to talk with strangers or feel comfortable in large groups - To avoid having to talk - To imitate role models - To create a positive social image (along with "approved" dress, hair and music) - To be the "real me"	- Often groups / friends change - May let friends down - Gives false sense of confidence or courage - May become more isolated - May say or do things will regret later - May make a fool of oneself or act bizarre - May become uncharacteristically rude - May become someone no one recognizes - May lead to negative episodes (e.g., drive when shouldn’t have; get involved in sexual situations otherwise would not have; others could take advantage of you)
Performance at School / Work	- To stay awake - To feel more creative - To have an edge - To try to focus / concentrate better - To forget school/work disappointments - To be in control of emotions - To avoid having to live up to too many pressures - To forget that school is not where they want to be	- Difficult to sleep / rest - May become very sleepy - May become less motivated to do well in school/at work - a "who cares" attitude - Memory, ability to concentrate and think clearly may be affected - Moods may change and may have difficulty controlling emotions - May lose employment
Health / Physical	- To control pain - To control weight - To gain muscle mass - To stay awake	- May lead to chemical dependence - May become undernourished - May cause the appetite to increase - Females may become masculine-looking - includes body hair - Males may experience breast development, decrease in size of testicles / lower sperm count - May find it difficult to sleep or get adequate rest - May get infections more easily (e.g., HIV/AIDS or hepatitis may be contracted through needle use) - May damage major organs, body systems
Financial		- Cost of purchasing drugs
Legal		- Negative implications regarding possession, purchase and use of various substances - Could jeopardize opportunities in future

(Adapted from “The Roles Played By: Tobacco, Alcohol and Other Drugs”, Parents Against Drugs (PAD) Toronto, 1999.) (Parents Against Drugs (PAD) is known as PAD Drug Education and Support Services.)

Additional Activity

Debate It:

Students debate the advantages and disadvantages of drug use. Divide the students into four groups for two debates. For each debate, there will be two sides, one arguing for the perceived advantages of drug use, and the other arguing for the disadvantages of drug use.

Debate #1: Considering Personal, Social, Performance at School/Work Reasons

Debate #2: Considering Health/Physical, Financial, Legal Reasons

Using background information and brainstorming, students will prepare their arguments on their positions. The first debate will be presented while students presenting the second debate listen. The group listening will make a decision about which side was most persuasive. A timekeeper can be assigned from the group that is listening.

Suggested debate structure:

Introduction - 1 minute each (both sides)
Argument - 5 minutes each
Rebuttal - 5 minutes each
Conclusion - 1 minute each

Teaching/Learning Strategy 7:

Introduce this topic with a brief discussion of why the teenage population is particularly vulnerable to substance use and abuse. Assist students in making the connection between drug use as the leading cause of death amongst youth (e.g., motor vehicle accidents, homicides, suicides and drowning) using up-to-date statistics. Discuss the impact of chemical dependence on a teenager's life and define the stages of chemical dependence (initial use, regular use, preoccupation, dependence). Students will brainstorm why teenagers are at risk of becoming chemically dependent. The list might include:

Developing brains and bodies are more sensitive to drugs.
Teenagers tend to use drugs more heavily and frequently.
Teenagers are more likely to use more than one drug.
Social and environmental factors (e.g., families and friends taking drugs).

Teacher Background Information

Drug Use Continuum:

Teachers should note that:

The Drug Use Continuum is an alternative to the Stages of Chemical Dependence. There is no automatic progression from stage to stage. Patterns of use can be influenced by many environmental factors (e.g., family, peers, media, other interests).

Drug Use Continuum
Non-use:	Never used a particular drug.
Experimental use:	Has tried a substance once or several times. Use is motivated by curiosity about the drug effect, and peer influence.
Occasional use:	Use is infrequent and irregular, usually confined to special occasions (holidays, birthdays, etc.) or when opportunities present themselves directly. Availability, accessibility and affordability influence use.
Regular use:	Use has a predictable pattern, which may entail frequent or infrequent use. The user actively seeks to experience the drug effect, or to participate in the drug-taking activities of the peer group. Usually he or she feels in control of the drug use (e.g., he or she can take it or leave it).
Dependence use:	Use is regular and predictable and usually frequent. The user experiences a physiological and/or psychological need for the drug. He or she feels out of control vies-à-vies its use, and will continue to use despite adverse consequences. Drugs are often used alone and daily activities may be planned around drug use.

(Adapted from “Youth and Drugs: An Educational Package for Professionals”, Health and Welfare Canada and Addiction Research Foundation, 1991.)

Hot Tips for Teachers

Why are teens at risk of developing substance use problems?

Personal Factors:

beliefs and perceptions about the benefits of substance use
lack of knowledge of consequences (e.g., the dangers of substance use)
factors such as self-efficacy psychological well-being
personality factors (e.g., depression, low self esteem )
psychological well-being

Behavioural Factors:

teenagers tend to be heavy and frequent users of substances compared with adults
teenagers often use more than one substance
academic achievement (statistically, low achievement = higher risk)
teenagers tend to be less averse to high-risk behaviour than adults
teenagers may lack well-developed self-control and may behave more impulsively than adults
curiosity leads to experimentation

Environmental Factors:

attitudes and values of parents and peers
parental, sibling and peer use of substances
advertising media
accessibility of substances
social and cultural norms
factors such as low socio-economic status are statistically related to the tendency to use substances

Physiological Factors:

developing brains and bodies are more sensitive to drugs

Teaching/Learning Strategy 8:

Outline the criteria for the summative evaluation. Students will prepare a report or presentation for a Grade 7 class. The report/presentation must:

identify facts and myths related to the use and abuse of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs
identify the school and community resources involved in the education, prevention and treatment of the use and abuse of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs.

Use the Achievement Levels (Knowledge/Understanding and Communication) to outline how the report will be evaluated. Students should demonstrate:

knowledge of facts and terms
understanding of concepts related to drug use and abuse and the relationship between concepts
information and ideas clearly
a clear understanding of the needs of the receiver of the letter

Educating Students about Drug Use and Mental Health: Grade 9: Expectation 3

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