Red Ribbon Week Living a DrugFree Life Lesson

Red Ribbon Week Living a Drug-Free Life Lesson week of October 27 th Gene Pike Middle School Aimee Andrews and Steve Bates Counselors Lesson week of October 27 th

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What is your “Natural High”? Sports Football Gymnastics Band Dancing SKATEBOARDING Discussion: 1. What do you enjoying doing the most? 2. What is it that you enjoy about it…how does it give you a “natural high”? 3. Name 3 ways doing drugs could interfere with you reaching your goals.

Peer Pressure is an influence that a peer group, observers or individual exerts that encourages others to change their attitudes, values, or behaviors to conform the group norms. 1. How does peer pressure effect decision making? 2. Discuss: Positive peer pressure vs. Negative peer pressure a. Positive Peer pressure can impact someone for the good, help them be a better person, athlete, and feel better about themselves. b. Negative Peer pressure can influence people to do the wrong thing, make poor decisions, and get into trouble.

Resisting Negative Peer Pressure Body Language and Assertive Refusal Effective refusal skills involve a three-step process. 1. State your position. Give an honest reason for your response. Offering a legitimate reason will help strengthen your refusal. 2. Suggest alternatives. Your suggestion is most effective if it takes you away from the dangerous or unpleasant situation. 3. Stand your ground. Use strong body language and maintain eye contact.

Friendships and Pressure 1. Find out what you are really good at Maybe it's playing an instrument or a sport. Maybe it's spending time outside, or starting a collection. The reason peer pressure works is because sometimes you feel like being accepted by your friends is the most important thing in the world. If you have other things going on in your life that make you feel awesome, you won't depend so much on what your friends think of you. 2. Evaluate your friends Are they starting to do more and more stuff that you don't want to do? Maybe you can talk to them about their new habits. Sometimes people just want to explore new things. . . other times they do those things because they feel stressed out by something else. Are you constantly having to resist bad decisions around them? 3. You may need to make new friends If you started pursuing new interests, try to find new friends who have those same interests. There are probably other people who are avoiding the same things you are.

If you need someone to talk to: Steve Bates Last Names A-L Sbates@nisdtx. org Aimee Andrews Last Names M-Z aandrews@nisdtx. org Request to see a counselor online: You don’t have to wait for a teacher to send you Request an appointment yourself online

Contacting Your Counselors Online • Go to the NISD Pike Middle School Website • http: //www. nisdtx. org/site/default. aspx? domainid=604 • Click Counseling tab • Click Request to see a Counselor • Click on the link on that page • It is a Google Doc so you may need to log in using your NISD Google login • Please read the information at the top regarding schedules and emergency situations. • Complete the form and click submit

Share, Like, and Favorite • Counselors would like to encourage students and teachers to use #positivelypike and #naturalhigh to share what you are good at and what you enjoy. • What is your “Natural High”? • What you are you most proud of? • What do you have to live for? • Use #positivelypike and #naturalhigh to share on social media.

Take the Pledge