Teacher

Students in the pre-teen and teen years are at risk for initiating alcohol and substance use. You as a teacher exert significant influence on your students’ attitudes, knowledge and opinions and you have a unique opportunity to positively influence the lives of your students. By becoming aware of substance abuse issues and promoting prevention activities you can help your students learn the complete story about drug use, balancing the misinformation they receive about drug use from their peers, the streets and the media.  .

Things You Can Do:

• Serve as a positive adult role model for your students and make yourself available for students to talk with you.
• Know the warning signs that may indicate drug use and abuse and learn about the treatment and prevention resources in your area in case you need to make referrals.
• Host school health fairs that provide drug and prevention education or host anti-drug use campaigns in your school.
• Invite substance abuse professionals to deliver presentations or prevention curriculums to your classes.
• Display anti-drug and alcohol use posters throughout your classroom and incorporate prevention games and activities into your lesson plans.
• Celebrate Substance Abuse Awareness Month (October) and Alcohol Awareness Month (April) by having students sign anti-drug and alcohol use pledges
• Attend trainings and workshops on substance abuse issues.

I loved cocaine. And I loved alcohol – probably more than anything else in my life.  But in the end, after trying to kill myself with them, I realized that I really didn’t want to die for them.