Drugs Just Say No to Abstinence-Only Education
posted by on September 10 at 15:19 PM
Last week I was chided in comments for suggesting that drug education, like sex education, shouldn’t use the abstinence-only formula. Sarah Palin and her baby-making-baby machine is sufficient proof that it’s a failure. But, folks said, I was equating two completely separate issues; because drugs aren’t sex. Today Marsha Rosenbaum, PhD, author of Safety First: A Reality-Based Approach to Teens, Drugs and Drug Education, writes on Alternet.
Look at abstinence-only drug education and you get the same disappointing results as with sex education.Over two decades ago, as part of the escalating war on drugs and Nancy Reagan’s “just say no” campaign, Congress implemented the 1986 Safe and Drug Free Schools and Communities Act. Federally-funded drug prevention education for teens was mandated to adhere to a strict abstinence-only message….
These strategies have proven just as unsuccessful as abstinence-only sexuality education. Studies of Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.), still the most popular school-based prevention program in the United States, have consistently shown that there is no difference in terms of drug use between students who had D.A.R.E. and those who did not. … As for the drug czar’s billion-dollar anti-drug media campaign — several researchers, as well as the Government Accountability Office, have shown that the ads are ineffective and sometimes actually counterproductive in convincing teens to abstain.
The difference between drugs and sex, of course, is that almost everybody tries sex—and folks keep up that nasty habit, if they can—but only about half of people try drugs. Then most of ‘em stop. But some people, no matter whatcha do or say, are going to get high. But pretending that we craft some silver-bullet prevention ad for television and 100 percent of will the population will resist the temptation is shamefully naïve. If nothing more, telling kids to “just say no” makes the forbidden fruit all the more appealing.
I went to Seattle Schools in the late-mid 90s and 2000s when I had to take health courses, and I was told exactly why and how things could fuck me up (physical vs. psychological addiction, etc) which I would say contributed significantly to my attitude towards drugs. There isn't anything out there that I went "wut's dat lol," I knew what was just a shitty idea outright (ecstasy, coke) and probably isn't a big deal but not my bag personally (pot). I was told what constitutes a drink of alcohol, but I wasn't told how high I could get off of illegal drugs safely. If that's abstinence-only, I don't get what the big deal is.
Don't say that Palin's daughter's pregnancy is "sufficient proof" that abstinence-only sex education doesn't work. Scientific studies provide evidence that abstinence-only sex ed doesn't work. Palin's daughter being knocked up proves nothing. Throwing around nonsense like that doesn't help anything. For all we know, her condom broke. I would guess that despite her mother's idiocy, she knew how babies are made.
we told our kids "cops are assholes, so just don't drive after you've started partying". so far - UW dean's list, no one is pregnant, moderate pot smoking, and the psychedelics & binge drinking are far in the past - sophomore year of HS, we come to find.
honesty is the key.
@ 2. Agreed, mostly. I'd say Palin's baby-makin'-baby machine is further proof that abstinence-only education doesn't work.
My mom was a drug counsellor in the 70's. She flipped the fuck out when I brought home the little paper saying we were going to have D.A.R.E. She called the school and asked if it was propaganda, if it was fact-based, etc, and they assured her it was. Yeah, that was super until I flipped out on my father for his bi-yearly cigar.
D.A.R.E. videos were ridiculous, even for sixth graders. They showed a marijuana user so wacked out he couldn't form complete sentences. My mom had to keep "correcting" my D.A.R.E. workbook and calling the school. Meanwhile, when I got into college, everyone was doing it AND passing their classes.
@3: My parents had a similar attitude. My mother told me that she would rather have us (me, my brother, and I'll assume my sister as well, although she's not really the type) smoking pot in the basement than drinking, because then she'd know where we were and that we wouldn't be going anywhere and getting into accidents.
And I think we turned out probably about the same as your kids- no one is/has made someone else pregnant, moderate and responsible use of drug and drink, honors students with jobs (my brother graduates next year, I graduated last year). Honesty is definitely the key.
My mom was a drug counsellor in the 70's. She flipped the fuck out when I brought home the little paper saying we were going to have D.A.R.E. She called the school and asked if it was propaganda, if it was fact-based, etc, and they assured her it was. Yeah, that was super until I flipped out on my father for his bi-yearly cigar.
D.A.R.E. videos were ridiculous, even for sixth graders. They showed a marijuana user so wacked out he couldn't form complete sentences. My mom had to keep "correcting" my D.A.R.E. workbook and calling the school. Meanwhile, when I got into college, everyone was doing it AND passing their classes.
I think "encouraging abstinence" with regards to drugs AND sex is in practice more of a "fair warning" approach -- not so much directed towards altering teen's behavior (since it's plain to anybody who can read a graph that these programs don't work) as towards making sure they can't claim ignorance later when they go ahead and do it anyway. Then everybody can feel better about the draconian punishments meted out to young people who make mistakes, because after all they brought it upon themselves.
In one case, punishment means jail, and in the other it means having to raise their unplanned children with exactly zero help. Compassionate Conservatism is all about passing judgement, and then using that judgement as a pretext for not lifting a finger to help.
My mom was a drug counsellor in the 70's. She flipped the fuck out when I brought home the little paper saying we were going to have D.A.R.E. She called the school and asked if it was propaganda, if it was fact-based, etc, and they assured her it was. Yeah, that was super until I flipped out on my father for his bi-yearly cigar.
D.A.R.E. videos were ridiculous, even for sixth graders. They showed a marijuana user so wacked out he couldn't form complete sentences. My mom had to keep "correcting" my D.A.R.E. workbook and calling the school. Meanwhile, when I got into college, everyone was doing it AND passing their classes.
Sorry about the triple. My computer is lame.
KAT STOP POSTING!
After my little bro ended up in rehab for a nasty coke addiction, I took his school district to task for their "abstinence-only" sex-and-drug curriculum... I've been working on the same topic (honesty and education vs. abstinence) for a thesis...
@5,7,9: Yep, and when kids find out that their educators were lying about pot, it's too easy to assume they're lying about the stuff that really does fuck you up.
As a D.A.R.E. Role Model in high school (mid 90's), we used to get high on the ride to elementary schools (with the cop liaison) and go tell tiny kids that it's bad to do drugs.
Just sayin'.
Oh, I see. You are talking about abstinence based prevention programs like DARE. I was actually thinking about 12 Step programs that treat addicts and alcoholics. These have really nothing to do with each other.
I subscribe to the Budget Surplus Canadian version.
As opposed to the Massive Budget Deficit Jail Filling American version.
Any questions?
Results.
Not words.
I have the solution for the whole drug thing! Just tell all the kids that they must take drugs, because their parents want them to! "Jimmy, you better snort some Coke or else!" lol jk.
Um, no.
Last week you were chided for attacking Martin Sheen for opposing Proposition 5, which would allow felons to avoid jail time by going into rehab programs that wouldn't force them to stop taking drugs.
And you based your attack on the ineffectiveness of abstinence-only sex education. It didn't make any sense.
Arguments about the lack of effectiveness of abstinence-only drug education also have no bearing on how best to get drug-addicted criminals clean and how to lower recidivism rates.
Are you an idiot or a liar?
As a DARE grad (6th and 8th grades!) and former DARE role model (in high school), I would say that DARE did nothing but make me more curious about drugs. What kept me off the white stuff was that Sweet Valley High book where the deaf girl has a heart attack and dies the first time she tried coke.
Sweet Valley High should be required reading for all tweens.
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