NCJ Number
114819
Date Published
1987
Length
224 pages
Annotation
This text provides an overview of juvenile drug abuse with focus on the role of schools in prevention and treatment.
Abstract
Commonly abused drugs and their pharmacological actions and physical and mental/emotional effects are described; and distinctions among drug use, abuse, and dependence are made. Street terms for common recreational drugs are provided. Factors contributing to juvenile drug use are examined, including, pleasure-seeking, life stress and pain, peer pressure, low self-esteem, poor attitudes, family influences, rebelliousness, school factors, and cultural/social influences. The roles of students, parents, schools, Government and community agencies, and business in addressing the drug problem are identified; and coalition-building is discussed. Symptoms and signs of drug abuse and the assessment of risk factors also are addressed. School-based interventions are examined in terms of the role of the principal and teachers, training needs, program implementation, team work, and disciplinary rules and policies. Following a review of the principles of prevention, school-wide prevention activities are outlined, and prevention materials and activities focused on the classroom, parents, students, and the wider community are described. These include drug abuse curricula, social skills training, posters, dramas, peer counseling, information and referral centers, Students Against Drunk Driving, and the National Parent-Teacher Association Drug Abuse Prevention project. Finally, professional and self-help drug treatment approaches are examined and the school's role in student reentry and aftercare is delineated. Appendixes provide a listing of State drug abuse prevention agencies and other organizations, statistics on high school drug use for 1975-1985, and a sample school policy statement. Annotated chapter resources; an annotated bibliography of professional and student resources (print and film by grade level), and 63 footnotes and references.