Drugs

[scheherazade_79]

Tomorrow morning I have to give a presentation on drugs and alcohol to a group of 12 year olds.

The resources I've been given are totally lame, so I'm planning something that's going to hit a little harder.

The question is, how hard do I hit them. I have great before and after pictures of heroin addicts, and shots of people who've OD'd on various drugs. I also have pictures of the drugs, and of people taking them.

Rather than just saying that drugs are 100% evil, my plan is to list the 'good' effects of them, then offset these with all the risky and unglamorous aspects. For example, with the alcohol part I'm fully prepared to recite the story of a flatmate of mine who was an alcoholic and used to shit the bed on a regular basis.

My only concern is this - that by the time I'm done, those kids are going to have nightmares, and then I'll have parents complaining about me and I'll get into shit.

But to put things in context, I live in an area where heroin use is soaring at the moment.

What does everyone think?

 

[Roxanne Appleby]

Tomorrow morning I have to give a presentation on drugs and alcohol to a group of 12 year olds.

The resources I've been given are totally lame, so I'm planning something that's going to hit a little harder.

The question is, how hard do I hit them. I have great before and after pictures of heroin addicts, and shots of people who've OD'd on various drugs. I also have pictures of the drugs, and of people taking them.

Rather than just saying that drugs are 100% evil, my plan is to list the 'good' effects of them, then offset these with all the risky and unglamorous aspects. For example, with the alcohol part I'm fully prepared to recite the story of a flatmate of mine who was an alcoholic and used to shit the bed on a regular basis.

My only concern is this - that by the time I'm done, those kids are going to have nightmares, and then I'll have parents complaining about me and I'll get into shit.

But to put things in context, I live in an area where heroin use is soaring at the moment.

What does everyone think?

If you are prudent you will stick to the lame government-devised program and not put any of your own personality or creativity into this. If you are worried that this would not be true to yourself, remind yourself that a world true to itself would never dump onto a government school a task that is properly the duty and choice of parents. Plus, drugs would be legal in the first place. In other words, the very fact that you are giving any kind of presentation is a violation of who you really are, so it doesn't matter if you do their program or "your" program. Neither is a program that should be given, so play is safe and go with the "official" one.

You stand into dangerous waters here, and should chart the most cautious course possible.

 

[TxRad]

My first question is, is this for a school group, a youth group, or even a church group and secondly, has anyone from the organization putting on this presentation seen any of what you are going to present....

Might be a place to start in finding out just how hard you can hit the group.... 12 year olds vary greatly according to setting and how sheltered they've been....

Also if you were given material, they may be expecting you to talk from just that material and nothing else....

I fell into that a few years ago at a local school.... Not a pretty sight.... no problem for the kids but I scared ther shit out of the parants and teachers.....

 

[scheherazade_79]

If you are prudent you will stick to the lame government-devised program and not put any of your own personality or creativity into this. If you are worried that this would not be true to yourself, remind yourself that a world true to itself would never dump onto a government school a task that is properly the duty and choice of parents. Plus, drugs would be legal in the first place. In other words, the very fact that you are giving any kind of presentation is a violation of who you really are, so it doesn't matter if you do their program or "your" program. Neither is a program that should be given, so play is safe and go with the "official" one.

You stand into dangerous waters here, and should chart the most cautious course possible.

At the moment, the only resource I have is a small booklet full of writing, which I read aloud to the kids.

What I've created is a photographic representation of that.

Kids that age learn better from pictures than from words. If you think back to your school days when you were learning biology, what was it from the biology textbooks that stuck in your mind the most? The pictures or the words?

I hear what you're saying, Roxanne... I dunnow. I'll think about it. I do think it's better that a kid knows what an ecstasy pill actually looks like, though.

What does caution mean, anyway?

 

[scheherazade_79]

My first question is, is this for a school group, a youth group, or even a church group and secondly, has anyone from the organization putting on this presentation seen any of what you are going to present....

Might be a place to start in finding out just how hard you can hit the group.... 12 year olds vary greatly according to setting and how sheltered they've been....

Also if you were given material, they may be expecting you to talk from just that material and nothing else....

I fell into that a few years ago at a local school.... Not a pretty sight.... no problem for the kids but I scared ther shit out of the parants and teachers.....

This is the thing... Scary as it might sound to all of you who know me, I'm my own boss in this part of the course. There's no one I can really consult. If anyone teaching the course has questions, they come to me.

It's quite a nice power trip, but I suppose it's left me a bit jittery at the same time.

 

[Roxanne Appleby]

At the moment, the only resource I have is a small booklet full of writing, which I read aloud to the kids.

What I've created is a photographic representation of that.

Kids that age learn better from pictures than from words. If you think back to your school days when you were learning biology, what was it from the biology textbooks that stuck in your mind the most? The pictures or the words?

I hear what you're saying, Roxanne... I dunnow. I'll think about it. I do think it's better that a kid knows what an ecstasy pill actually looks like, though.

What does caution mean, anyway?

Caution means that if some little punk misinterpets what you say and reports it, or maliciously misreports what you say, your ass is grass, not just in this school, but in all future schools. What you should do is go in, read the boring worthless crap verbatim, and tell them if they have any questions to ask their parents. If some kid thinks that your verbatim recitation is insincere, that's too bad. This is about protecting Zade from bad laws, period.

 

[angela146]

I have to echo TXRAD on this one. It really depends on who is sponsoring the whole thing.

If it is being done by a public school on school property, that means that you are acting on behalf of the government so you need to tread very carefully.

If it is part of a church program, then things are a little different. If you screw up there you just get excommunicated and burn in Hell for all eternity. (That was a joke).

If you are talking to 7th graders, they are already being exposed to drugs and have been for a couple of years. At age 12, they have been going through puberty for a number of years so they are prime targets for substances that will give them a boost to the emotional rollercoaster that they are already experiencing.

Talk to some teachers who teach that age. I can't help too much from my end since my husband teaches high school and that is a very different age group.

 

[BosozokuX]

tell them to visit this website when the get home: http://www.drugfree.org/Portal/DrugIssue/MethResources/faces/index.html

 

[Weird Harold]

Rather than just saying that drugs are 100% evil, my plan is to list the 'good' effects of them, then offset these with all the risky and unglamorous aspects. For example, with the alcohol part I'm fully prepared to recite the story of a flatmate of mine who was an alcoholic and used to shit the bed on a regular basis.

I think the example of your flatmate is probably not a good choice -- 12-year-olds, and especially the boys, tend to be into potty-humor and would see that as a joke.

I don't have any particular objection to graphic visual-aids, but I think your expectations of causing nightmares means you're going too far. For that age group, playng to there fear is going to be less effective than playing to their sense of pity -- I've never met a 12-year-old who was really afraid of dying but I've met a ot of them that are afraid of being pitied and/or ridiculed.

End the end, you've got to come up with a presentation that's effective, and doesn't insult their intelligence -- that age group is smarter and more rational than most people think they are -- and most importantly, an approach and presentation that you're willing to defend to your employers and possibly in a civil court; hopefully something youbelieve you can defend successfully

 

[3113]

Tomorrow morning I have to give a presentation on drugs and alcohol to a group of 12 year olds.

I know you're serious, but the first thing that popped to mind was: "Cool! Party time for the kids. Can I come?"

 

[TheEarl]

Depends on your bravery. IMHO, the right thing to do would be to give the 'honest' talk that you laid out here, telling them the truth about things. It'll help them a lot more than the official line. However, it depends how invested you are in this job, as it could cause you a world of trouble.

I'd like to think I'd do the honest talk. But I'm not 100% sure how brave I am.

The Earl

 

[Dr_Strabismus]

I've given many presentations on drugs and alcohol. It made them go quicker.

 

[Roxanne Appleby]

Depends on your bravery. IMHO, the right thing to do would be to give the 'honest' talk that you laid out here, telling them the truth about things. It'll help them a lot more than the official line. However, it depends how invested you are in this job, as it could cause you a world of trouble.

I'd like to think I'd do the honest talk. But I'm not 100% sure how brave I am.

The Earl

Don't be brave now be a smarty
Give the script just per the Nazi Party.

What you need to remember is that if this went bad it would end not just your employment jat this school, but your employment as a teacher at any school.

 

[TE999]

Heroin use is increasing in the area?!

Hit 'em hard between their 12 year old eyes.

I'll bet some of 'em have seen a lot worse already.

If the parents don't like it, fuck 'em.

Sounds like they've already abrogated their responsibilities for child rearing to the state, otherwise you'd be reading to them from a history book.

If you can save one child, your job is done.

Peace.

 

[EmeraldKitten]

I personally wouldn't have anything 'good' to say about any drug, including alcohol.
I would hit them hard enough that they know drugs are bad.
You don't want to make them sound too interesting, because the little mongrels will probably go experiment, lol.

(Hi by the way! I miss you! lol. )

I'm trying to remember how our drug prevention course went. And I don't have a clue.
However, my sister went through the same program a few years ago.
At the time, our dad was a great big Heroin addict, (well, he still is, but that's irrelevant) and what my sister didn't know about Heroin, she sure as hell did after the course. I think she ended up telling me and my stepmom things we didnt know, lol.
Of course, my sister knew our dad was a druggie, and she knew first hand how it affects your life.
And she knows theres nothing fun about it.

I don't know if you're planning on explaining what the drugs do or what you have in mind, but I'd at least throw in there that drugs ruin lives. And more than just the life of the user.


I'd say you'll probably be safe unless you use a mannequin and show them how to shoot up.


You're a smart lady Miss _79, and I'm sure whatever you decide will be just fine.
I have faith in you.

 

[kendo1]

It may be worth getting in touch with the local police. There is normally a department for dealing with drug issues in the region that they can get in touch with, and they should be able to give you advice on how far to go in your presentation. It's in their own best interests.

 

[McKenna]

It seems to me that adding the personal tidbits like you spoke of above would be a tad risky. How badly do you want to be asked back again to teach the same course?

Personally, I approve of the straight talk. I was watching a CSI: Miami episode where they took kids and young adults who were part of a DUI program to the morgue to view accident victim's bodies who died because of drunk driving. It was meant to deter them from their habits. What you are proposing sounds similar, but unless the parents/teachers are a bit prepared for what you're offering, they might not approve.

If you plan on using something a bit stronger than the resources you were given, could you send waivers home with the children to be signed by their parents that they approve and still want their children to attend?

 

[Dr_Strabismus]

Sche, Your life is not being made easier by a hypocritcal and confused government. Good luck.

I'm pretty clear about the problem, as I'm sure you are, but convincing children not to take drugs is going to be tackling the effect, not the cause. Sure, it's basically the effect, (i.e. the drug use) which leads to crime and disease, but it's at best a remedial approach to try to shock children out of it.

But as I said, good luck, and I hope your talk leads to less crime in your area.

 

[angelicminx]

Tomorrow morning I have to give a presentation on drugs and alcohol to a group of 12 year olds.

The resources I've been given are totally lame, so I'm planning something that's going to hit a little harder.

The question is, how hard do I hit them. I have great before and after pictures of heroin addicts, and shots of people who've OD'd on various drugs. I also have pictures of the drugs, and of people taking them.

Rather than just saying that drugs are 100% evil, my plan is to list the 'good' effects of them, then offset these with all the risky and unglamorous aspects. For example, with the alcohol part I'm fully prepared to recite the story of a flatmate of mine who was an alcoholic and used to shit the bed on a regular basis.

My only concern is this - that by the time I'm done, those kids are going to have nightmares, and then I'll have parents complaining about me and I'll get into shit.

But to put things in context, I live in an area where heroin use is soaring at the moment.

What does everyone think?

Nightmares, in this instance, are good. I recall being 12. I began smoking; tried pot, cocaine, hashish, 'shrooms, acid, uppers, downers, alcohol... and I was a GOOD kid, a little rebellious, but still good.

My daughter is 11 and every day I fear she'll find that group of kids that not only know all about this stuff, but do it daily. When the parents begin to call, and they will no matter what your ultimate approach is, calmly ask them if they would rather have their child afraid of the consequences or experimenting.

Good luck to you.

 

[angelicminx]

I hear what you're saying, Roxanne... I dunnow. I'll think about it. I do think it's better that a kid knows what an ecstasy pill actually looks like, though.

What does caution mean, anyway?

I'd like to see that myself... along with all the other 'new' drugs that weren't around (that I knew of) during my teenage years.

 

[arienette]

When I was in middle school (grades 6-8 so I suppose that would be about the same age group) every year there was a school-wide presentation on drugs and alcohol. Seeing as children learn more through visuals than words, they took a nice approach to it and made what would normally be a boring run of the mill presentation saying "Oh yeah, don't do drugs because they're bad for you", they turned it into something that was actually looked forward to every year by people in all three grades.

What they did was they used images of people taking drugs, close ups of cancerous lungs and infected lips from chewing tobacco, of people dying from drug use and overdoses, and many more disturbing images and then they added music that all of the children were in to. They showed this on three big screens put together and it was blasting; good times.

So perhaps what you have planned will have the exact opposite effect on the children that you're worried about. In any case, good luck.

 

[oggbashan]

You could mention that sniffing drugs may cause users to lose their septum - and how unsexy is it to have a single-holed nose?

Og

 

[angelicminx]

I've finished reading all of the posts now and I had just a bit more to add.

My cousin is a drug addict-- crack, meth, pills, etc. She's spent months in jail for various crimes she committed to support her habit. She has three children who are being cared for by other people. The last time she was arrested, her 6 year old and her 2 year old were there to see it. Now when the two year old sees a police car parked anywhere, he runs up to it looking for his mama. She has spent less than 5 days with her children over the course of the last 4 months. She has sold her own body for drugs, she has sold other people's bodies for drugs. She's 25.

Roxanne is right to implore you to be cautious, it's a very sticky area that could have very serious legal consequences.

I spoke for myself and what I would do. I'm battling the system now, on an unrelated matter, and would do so again if it would keep just one child from experimenting with drugs. But, I haven't much to lose at this point.

 

[SeaCat]

I can't help you here. I have never really dealt with something like this in the United States.

I did however get to see a presentation put on by one of my cousins in Germany. He is a Police Officer there, and usually works undercover dealing with drugs. He had been ivited to a school to give a talk about drugs and their effects.

Here was this hu-fucking-mongouse guy up at the front of the auditoreum with his long hair, beard, tattooes and leathers. He stood up there and introduced himself as Erik. He then started showing a slideshow on the screen behind him of the drugs, their paraphenelia and their effects on the human body as he talked.

He also mentioned that some drugs, if taken in moderation, while illegal were not as bad as others. Some drugs, he said, caused people to get stupid and think they could do anything they wanted. (At this point he started showing quite graphic pictures of the victims of violence.) He ended his talk with the comment that doing drugs and getting stupid would cause you to meet him and his friends. As he said this the lights came up and even I was impressed, for there on the stage at the front of the room was Erik and about a dozen other German Police Officers in full battle armor as well as half a dozen Police Dogs straining at their leashes.

All in all I would have to say it made an impression on those kids.

Cat

 

[dr_mabeuse]

The problem is, all anti-drug programs I've seen are pretty much bullshit, and the kids know they're being lied to, so they don't believe any of it.

They tell them marijuana's going to ruin their lives and crap like that, but the kids have already tried pot and they know it's not true, so why should they believe what you tell them about crack or heroin? They just figure you're lying about them too.

Until we start telling kids the truth - that some drugs are relatively harmless and some are seriously dangerous - they're just not going to buy it, and the fact that pot - the most common illegal drug of abuse - is pretty harmless is something the government will never admit or let you even suggest in school.

They cancelled the DARE program here after like 20 years when they finally looked at the statistics and found that it had absolutely no effect on kids' future drug use.