This booklet explores various aspects of drug addiction, with a special focus on drugs' effects on the brain. A brief introduction presents information on the rampant use of drugs in society and elaborates the distinction between drug abuse and drug addiction. Next, a detailed analysis of the brain and its functions is given. Drugs target the more…

The Peer Helper Program was administered by Substance Prevention, Abuse Rehabilitation, and Knowledge (SPARK). Since its beginning in 1971, SPARK has addressed issues such as drug use, teenage pregnancy, HIV/AIDS, sexual abuse and other forms of violence. The Peer Helper Program was designed to train students in the skills required to assist peers…

DARE is a preventive drug education program intended to combat drug use by students before it commences. The elementary school program is the core curriculum of DARE. It is designed to help those enrolled to develop skills that will allow them to resist the pressures to use substances such as illegal drugs, alcohol and tobacco. Students are taught…

This guide presents and describes six effective teaching strategies for use with children affected by substance abuse before birth. This introduction provides information on the scope of the problem and the educational implications. It is noted that even without intervention when the child is still very young, teachers can improve the educational…

This essay with photographs describes the experiences of two runaways, examining why they left home and how they found help. Although runaways have a reputation for being irresponsible, they usually have good reasons for leaving home. The nun who ran Noah's Ark, where both the runaways featured found shelter and help, estimated that only about two…

An anonymous survey of health and sexual behavior statistics from adolescents in North Dakota is presented in this document. Seventeen thousand students from North Dakota schools in grades 9-12 participated in the survey. Survey questions were taken from the following categories: (1) safety; (2) suicide; (3) tobacco, alcohol and other drugs; (4)…

Intended to aid administrators, school principals, and other program coordinators, this guide was written to improve the effectiveness of family involvement strategies that are necessary for comprehensive school alcohol, tobacco, and other drug (ATOD) use prevention programs. Themes discussed are: (1) reasons for creating many forms of family…

A 1989 National Youth Sports Coaches Association survey of about 1,200 youth aged 10-14 indicated that young athletes identify somewhat with their drug-using athlete models. Forty-three percent of respondents felt that steroids are not harmful if properly used, and 45% felt that steroids were likely to increase their athletic performance. Steroids…

Law enforcement officials know the devastation that drinking can cause among the immature and the inexperienced. This guide is intended to be used by law enforcement agencies in cooperation with other segments of the community. It provides an overview of the problem of youth access to alcohol, a discussion of the legal and policy issues relating…

Although the facts about underage drinking are widely known, the issues that surround this problem vary from one community to the next. Such issues include where and how underage drinking shows itself, how it is viewed by the community, and what residents think is a reasonable way to address underage drinking in their community. This guide is…

There is a great deal of rhetoric concerning the prevention of violence and related problems faced by youth. A conference speech, this document advocates that rhetoric must be replaced by an examination of available data and experience with school-based prevention programs. This is especially important in light of a growing emphasis on "Safe…

Implementing welfare reform will require difficult decisions from states about how to treat welfare clients who have problems with alcohol or other drugs (AOD). The processes by which states may respond to welfare reform are detailed in this guidebook. It is suggested that states begin with values clarification regarding welfare clients who abuse…

Drug use and delinquency share many common antecedents: early antisocial behavior, difficulties in school, impaired family relationships, delinquent or drug-using peers, and rebelliousness. But these common factors could underlie a cluster of problem behaviors or lead to distinctly different behavioral manifestations. Using data from 1,363 West…

Many adolescent health problems are linked with educational performance, family relationships, poverty, and the general lifestyles that adolescents experience in their communities. Although serious, chronic medical and psychiatric disorders affect about 6 percent of the adolescent population, many more adolescents are at risk for death and for…

This booklet sets forth a common framework within which providers of substance abuse services approved by the Maine Division of Driver Education Evaluation Programs (DEEP) can evaluate, treat, and certify the completion of treatment of persons convicted of operating under the influence. It presents criteria for classifying individuals according to…