D.A.R.E. PROGRAM SHOWS STUDENTS HOW TO MAKE GOOD LIFE
CHOICES

Kids Speak Out, School News

Do you like to play truth or dare? If you do, you will love D.A.R.E.
It stands for Drug Abuse Resistance Education and teaches Grade 6
students how to make good life choices.

Okay, so maybe it's not the same as truth or dare but it's just as good.

D.A.R.E. was founded in Los Angeles in 1983 by a group of police
officers. These officers are trained as coaches who teach kids to say
no to drugs and smoking.

Officers use brain imagery to show students the bad effects of drugs
on the brain.

Children are smoking at much younger ages than you would like to
believe and this program can help kids turn away.

Why will kids do drugs? Teens can resort to drugs because of peer
pressure, stress, abuse or just to feel "cool".

Scientists have found more than 50 reasons for why kids do drugs
(e.g. weak family structure), but there are two common paths that
lead to drug use: one is to feel good or be cool, this is called
"self medicating," the other is to reduce stress like abuse or
poverty or just to feel normal.

What's happening with teens and their parents? Most parents are
afraid to talk to their teens, so if those teens had taken D.A.R.E.,
it would be easier for everyone.

Parents have the right to be concerned about their child because
drugs are now illegally sold to young people.

What can parents do? If they suspect their child is using drugs, they
must talk to them as soon as possible.

If their child can reach the age of 20 without using drugs, they will
most likely not become addicted.

Remember; if your child is using drugs don't be afraid to get
professional help!

Nicholas Oswald, a Grade 6 student from St. Vincent School was asked
about D.A.R.E.

He said that the program "teaches us how to handle and resist drugs
and teaches very important lessons that will help us in the future,
and I will certainly not do drugs. We learned how to make good
decisions. We learn not to smoke, use drugs and drink alcohol. We
learn why they are addictive and we learn about peer pressure and how
it can be used positively and negatively."

To complete the program you must have your D.A.R.E. planner filled
out, have not taken illegal drugs or smoked during the program, you
must write an essay about what you learned in D.A.R.E., how you feel
about it and why it's important.

D.A.R.E. has continued to expand since 1983. There are programs in
all of the 50 states and in all of the provinces, with the exception
of Quebec. D.A.R.E is now taught as a follow up in high school.

Where would we be without D.A.R.E.? It helps children in many parts
of the world to understand that drug use can permanently affect their life.