Tobacco Alcohol Other Drugs What Middle School Students

Tobacco, Alcohol & Other Drugs What Middle School Students need to Know and Learn

National Health Education Standards Standard 1: Students will comprehend concepts related to health promotion and disease prevention to enhance health. Standard 2: Students will analyze the influence of family, peers, culture, media, technology, and other factors on health behaviors. Standard 3: Students will demonstrate the ability to access valid information and products and services to enhance health. Standard 4: Students will demonstrate the ability to use interpersonal communication skills to enhance health and avoid or reduce health risks. Standard 5: Students will demonstrate the ability to use decision-making skills to enhance health. Standard 6: Students will demonstrate the ability to use goal-setting skills to enhance health. Standard 7: Students will demonstrate the ability to practice health-enhancing behaviors and avoid or reduce health risks. Standard 8: Students will demonstrate the ability to advocate for personal, family, and community health.

Top 10 Abused Drugs 1. 4. Tobacco Methamphetamine 6. Ecstacy 7. Crack (Cocaine) 2 . 8. Heroin 9. Steroids 5. 10. Inhalants Alcohol 3. Marijuana Prescription drugs

Tobacco and You Tobacco use is the leading preventable cause of death, disease, and disability in the US. Each year, around 443, 000 people die from smoking or exposure to secondhand smoke, and another 8. 6 million suffer from a serious illness from smoking. (Vital Signs at cdc. gov) • • • Nicotine in cigarettes, cigars, and spit tobaccois addictive. Smokers suffer shortness of breath (gasp!) almost 3 times more often than nonsmokers. Smokers run slower and can’t run as far, affecting overall athletic performance. Tobacco smoke can make hair and clothes stink. Tobacco stains teeth and causes bad breath. Take care of your body by avoiding smoking, other tobacco use, and secondhand smoke. (www. cdc. gov/ncipc/factsheets/teenmvh. htm )

Alcohol Most teens are not drinking alcohol. Do you know the facts? Question National. Females Males Georgia Females Males Drank alcohol for 1 st time before age 13 years 18. 1% 23. 7% 17. 5% 23. 8% Usually obtained alcohol by someone giving it to them 49. 8% 35% 41. 4% 29. 6% Ever had 1 drink at least 1 day 74. 2% 70. 8% 70. 6% 65. 2% Currently use alcohol 42. 9% 40. 8% 35% 33. 7% Review the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey @ cdc. gov to find out more facts about teens and alcohol.

The Five Most Commonly Perceived “Benefits” of Tobacco and Alcohol • 1. Use Is a Rite of Passage — a way to enter adulthood, be grownup. • 2. Use by Successful, Attractive People — a way to be popular, glamorous, sexy, charming, tough, independent, strong. • 3. Use Is Normal — a sense that “everybody’s doing it. ” • 4. Use Is Safe or Not Harmful — a sense that it can’t be that bad or so many people wouldn’t do it, or that use isn’t dangerous in moderation for just a few years. • 5. Use Is Relaxing in Social Settings — a way to feel at ease in a group or a crowd ; to relax, escape, and celebrate. (Media Sharp @ cdc. gov)

Negative affects of Drinking Alcohol • Heart - Alcohol causes the heart rate to slow. Heavy drinking over a long period of time can also increase the risk of heart disease, stroke, and high blood pressure. • Stomach - Alcohol can give you an upset stomach because it makes you produce more stomach acid. Drinking a lot of alcohol over a long period of time can damage the lining of the stomach—causing ulcers or stomach cancer. • Kidneys - Drinking alcohol causes your body to produce more urine, making your kidneys work overtime. Heavy drinking over a long period of time may lead to kidney failure. Skin - Drinking alcohol can give your skin a red appearance similar to blushing because it allows more blood to flow near the skin surface. Drinking a lot of alcohol over a long period of time can cause acne to become worse and make your skin look puffy Eyes - Alcohol can blur your eyesight. Your pupils (the black center of the eye) may get small, making it difficult for your eyes to adjust to light. Bones - Drinking a lot of alcohol over a long period of time makes it more difficult for the body to soak up bone-building calcium. Eventually, that makes the bones thinner and easier to break. (NIAAA, www. niaaa. nih. gov/FAQs/General-English. ) • • •

More Negative affects of Drinking Alcohol • Liver - Your liver is a critical organ; it helps filter poisons out of the blood and makes bodybuilding proteins. Your liver breaks down alcohol so that your body can get rid of it. Heavy drinking over a long period of time can permanently damage your liver, causing a disease called cirrhosis. • When a person drinks alcohol, it is absorbed into the bloodstream within minutes and affects nearly every organ system in the body. How alcohol affects people depends on a number of factors, such as: The same amount of alcohol more strongly affects a person who weighs less than a heavier person Because their bodies are still developing, young people are more at risk for some types of alcohol damage The same amount of alcohol typically affects women more than it does men. • • • (NIAAA, www. niaaa. nih. gov/FAQs/General-English. )

Review what you learned about alcohol’s negative affects on the body. Which organ breaks down alcohol? • A. Liver • b. Kidneys • c. Heart • • • • d. Lungs Over time, alcohol can make it difficult for the body to soak up bone-building ____. a. calcium b. enamel c. oxygen d. carbon Alcohol causes your ____. a. liver to produce more urine. b. heart to produce more blood. c. stomach to produce more acid. d. stomach to produce more urine. Which of the following statements is FALSE? a. Long-term alcohol abuse may lead to cancer. b. Drinking alcohol over a long period of time decreases blood pressure. c. Alcohol affects nearly every organ system in the body. d. Abusing alcohol over a long period of time can make acne worse. (NIAAA, www. niaaa. nih. gov/FAQs/General-English. )

Let’s Investigate! 1. Scan the internet, papers, magazines for articles related to alcohol and tobacco. Analyze articles for product information, situations of use, affect from use, plus long and short term results. 2. Create a visual display of findings. 3. Reflective writing: Make a determination based on article reviews the implications of alcohol or tobacco use. 4. Find out more about one of the other top ten drugs.

Under Pressure Sometimes teens face pressure to engage in different types of behavior. What are different types of pressure and where are they coming from? How can teens overcome the pressure to engage in certain activities they may not want to do? View the next few slides to find answers to these questions.

Spoken Pressure From The Cool Spot • • • • Spoken pressure—when someone pressures you with words—can be difficult to resist. Most people don’t want to risk making others feel bad, but it’s important to stand up for yourself. Check out these strategies for dealing with spoken pressure. Do Say no assertively Stay alcohol free Suggest something else to do Stand up for others Walk away from the situation Find something else to do with other friends Don't Attend a party unprepared to resist alcohol Be afraid to say no Mumble Say no too aggressively Act like a know-it-all when saying no

Unspoken Pressure From The Cool Spot • Sometimes you can feel pressure just from watching how others act or dress, without them saying a word to you. This "unspoken pressure" is especially hard to resist, because instead of standing up to a friend, you're standing up to how you feel inside. • Unspoken pressure may come from role models like your parents, your older siblings, teachers, coaches, or celebrities you see in movies and on TV. Unspoken pressure may also come from peers— your friends or other people your age. Here are some tips for resisting unspoken pressure: • Take a reality check—most teens don’t drink • Remember it’s risky—alcohol can be dangerous • Walk away from the situation • Find something else to do with other friends Go to: www. thecoolspot. gov to see examples on how to resist unspoken pressures.

Resisting Pressure - Why It’s Difficult • • • If someone is pressuring you to do anything that's not right or good for you, you have the right to resist. You have the right to say no, the right not to give a reason why, and the right to just walk away from a situation. Resisting pressure can be hard for some people. Why? They… are afraid of being rejected by others want to be liked and don’t want to lose a friend don’t want to be made fun of don’t want to hurt someone’s feelings aren’t sure of what they really want don’t know how to get out of the situation Sometimes resisting isn’t easy, but you can do it with practice and a little know-how. Keep trying, even if you don’t get it right at first. To get started, check out Quick Tips: You can resist alcohol or anything else you may feel pressured into. These tips will make resisting a little easier. Print it, cut it out, and stash it somewhere safe where you can peek at it if you need a refresher. (The Cool Spot. gov)

Advocacy What’s in your community? Here’s something you can find out or give as a class project. Locate service providers in your local community and county. • List agency name, address, and telephone number. • Indicate type of service provided along with a brief description for clarity. • What is the target group? If there is more then one, list the type of services focus provided for each target group. • What are the hours of operation and days services are provided? What public transportation services are available in the community if citizens do not have their own? If public transportation is not available, are their companies filling this void citizens can contact? Give pertinent information.