It’s Time to Revamp the DARE Program

1540 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Effects of peer pressure in educational institutions

Last year one of my classmates died of a heroin overdose. What went wrong? We all participated in the popular program DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education). DARE told us to "Just say no to drugs" and focused mainly on ways to avoid peer pressure, but is it always peer pressure that causes kids to do drugs? In my friend's case the answer was "no." His drug abuse stemmed from a horrific family life and a past family history that was doused in drug addiction. I imagine it was slightly harder for my fallen friend to just say no when the person asking him to do the drugs wasn't some peer, rather it was, in a way, himself.

Although the DARE program argues that peer pressure is a major cause of teen drug use, my friend was not pressured by his peers to try heroin. Therefore, the DARE program pushes the message that students should resist peer pressure to try drugs, but according to Sarah Glazer, a staff writer for the CQ Researcher, this tactic "may have little impact in a society where drug experimentation is a normal but not necessarily fatal part of adolescence" (Glazer).

It is true that peer pressure is a major force that leads to teen drug use. The DARE program tries to teach kids to resist peer pressure through such catchy phrases as "Just Say No." Kids are taught how to walk away from certain awkward social situations by "Just saying no." Does this work? In theory yes, but one must consider a few things when analyzing this combative technique to peer pressure.

Young people have an extremely hard time with self control. Self control is a key element when considering the current tactics taught by DARE educators; most teens simply do not have the will to just walk away from a conflicting situation such as a peer offering...

... middle of paper ...

...he schools in the United States. It is so popular because its main focus is to keep kids off of drugs; a problem most Americans will agree on that should be addressed. The program should be continued and money should be available to support the program so long as a conscious effort is made at reconstructing the program to make it a more effective combatant to drug abuse and drug violence.

Works Cited:

Cohn, Jason. “The LAPD Guts DARE.” Rolling Stone, 7/4/2002 Issue 899/900, p57, 1p.

Glazer, Sarah. “Preventing Teen Drug Use.” CQ Researcher, 28 July, 1995

Masci, David. “Preventing Teen Drug Use.” CQ Researcher, 15 March, 2002, Volume 12, No. 10. Accessed October 1, 2003,

Thompson, Michael K. and Zagumny, Matthew J. “Does DARE Work? An evaluation in Rural Tennessee.” Journal of Alcohol & Drug Education; Winter97, Vol. 42 Issue 2, p32, 10p, 2 charts.

Show More
Related

  • D.A.R.E Program

    915 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...esh our minds on how to just say NO! Drugs shouldn’t ruin youth’s life. On an average day in 2006, 3,600 adolescents smoked marijuana for their first time. EXPLAIN If you help cut, that number by at least a quarter it will be a success. So, here I am to persuade you, to really take some time to think about how D.A.R.E can help kids deal with drugs.

    Read More

  • Homosexuality and Misogyny in Frankenstein

    2537 Words  | 6 Pages

    Victor's creation allows him to split his sexuality into independent components.  There are three fundamental purposes to sexuality presented in Mary Shelley's narrative:  the psychological benefits of companionship, the unique physical pleasures of sexuality, and the desire to pass on one's genes and behaviors through procreation.  In social animals, the process of choosing partners for sexual intercourse and companionship is founded on reproductive goals.  Victor's ability to create life independently eliminates the importance of reproduction in choosing companions and sexual partners.  Each of the three elements of Victor's sexuality become separated, and then associated with his principal contemporaries, the people closest to him:  Henry Clerval as companionship, Elizabeth Lavenza as reproduction, and the monster as sexual pleasure.

    Read More

  • Power Of Persuasion In Plato's Allegory Of The Cave

    701 Words  | 2 Pages

    People in this Era won’t go as far as killing, although few will. Instead they shame you until you follow what they follow, adults call it Peer Pressure. From drugs to alcohol we have seen what temptation and peer pressure has caused. Teenagers feel that doing drugs makes them unique, but how many teenagers don’t

    Read More

  • Drug Education: The D.A.R.E Program Analysis

    889 Words  | 2 Pages

    There is a commonly held assumption that any program that aims to keep children away from drugs is a program full of merit, unfortunately, this is not the case with D.A.R.E. West and O’Neal’s 2004 meta-data analysis of the effectiveness of D.A.R.E. program, which was spurred by an increase of reported drug and alcohol abuse amongst high school students, concluded that the D.A.R.E. program made little to no impact of abuse levels. Any positive reported impact was miniscule and solved for by the error margin of the study. Specifically, of the 11 studies included in West and O’Neal’s analysis, one found the program to have a negative effect, four found it to be completely void of effect, and the other six found an almost indistinguishable positive effect (West and O’Neal 04). An analysis by the Surgeon General found that there was no difference in drug use between those students who had participated i...

    Read More

  • Addiction In Gabor Mate's 'Embraced By The Needle'

    1135 Words  | 3 Pages

    Everyone who has been peer pressured to do something knows that it is quite difficult to say no because you risk losing a friend or maybe you 're friends might not see you as “cool” anymore. An article about peer pressure and drugs states that when making a decision, teens think about both the risks and rewards of their actions and behaviours. The teen’s decision might be influenced by who is around and if they think others will be impressed (Teens.drugabuse.gov) Being peer pressured to do drugs is like being little and having your parents tell you to try a food you thought was disgusting, but once you try it you automatically fall in love with it, one may or may not like what they are pressured to do. Maté doesn 't mention anything about peer pressure but he does mention people who were forced to have undesirable actions towards them, including a 36 year old native who had dishwashing liquid poured down his throat at age 5 for using foul language, these are the unhappy moments that can cause people to try drugs with hopes of easing the pain. As I said before, drugs give the user a very pleasing and satisfying experience but most people unfortunately forget about the negative outcomes that can result from doing drugs. Peer pressure leads to experimentation

    Read More

  • Themes of Shelley's Frankenstein

    1434 Words  | 3 Pages

    Shelley raises in her text an issue that is on the forefront of discussion in the modern world, that of man taking the place of God and the role of woman in the creation of life. The modern world is currently grappling over the concerns of cloning, genetics and stem cell research, questioning the ethics and morality of man playing God. Shelley’s novel challenges readers to consider the consequences of this through the horrific outcomes resulting from such actions. Victors consuming passion and motivation to create life is “A new species would bless me as its creator and source; many happy and excellent natures would owe their being to me. No father could claim the gratitude of his child so completely as I should deserve theirs.” Pg47 Here Shelley challenges those seeking to pursue such actions to consider their motivations as the later discussion shows the terrible result of such pursuits. Shelley’s suggestion that Victor has attempted to usurp the role of woman as the bearer of life are also suggested as Victor likens his descriptions of creating the creature as to that of a woman’s pregnancy. “After so much time spent in painful labor” “winter, spring and summer passed away during my labors” This allusion to the seasons representing the duration of a woman’s pregnancy. One is lead to consider the contrast between Frankenstein’s description of his own childhood “My mother’s tender caresses and my father’s smile of benevolent pleasure while regarding me are my first recollections” , that of God and his creation Adam “He had come forth from the hands of God a perfect creature.” Pg. 135 and in contrast that of Frankenstein’s creature “I beheld the wretch- the miserable monster whom I had created.” Through presenting Frankenstein’s creation and the tragic outcome and comparing it with that perfect and beautiful creation of Adam and Frankenstein, Shelley challenges modern so...

    Read More

  • Women In Frankenstein

    1310 Words  | 3 Pages

    Veeder put it most succinctly by stating that “the male protagonist attempts to usurp woman’s place and produce offspring parthenogenetically” (Veeder 43). All six critics made reference to this objective in one form or another. It seemed as though the only disagreement among them was whether or not the act was consciously malicious in Victor’s mind. Again, Veeder best represent the critics who answer “yes” to this question when he states that sexual conflict highlights the entire scope of the novel: “Man and woman disagree in the very first sentence of Frankenstein: ‘With your leave, my sister, I will put some trust in the preceding navigators’” (Veeder 40).

    Read More

  • binge drinking

    1004 Words  | 3 Pages

    One article that covers the results of a national survey states that ¡§Adolescents¡¦ levels of alcohol and drug use have been found to be strongly associated with peers¡¦ use. However, other studies have shown that a student¡¦s drinking was more strongly influenced by how much he or she thought close friends drank than by perceptions of the extent of use by students in general¡¨(Results 2). This is a statement that I can agree with because growing up I have watched many young people become greatly influenced by their friends. Now a days the phrase ¡§peer pressure¡¨ concentrates on pressure from a direct group of friends rather than a students peers as a whole. Another reason the article gives for the cause of Binge Drinking is that ¡§Students who perceive that more drinking occurs than actually does provide themselves with an excuse for drinking more because ¡¥everyone is doing it¡¦¡¨ (Results 2). Everyone knows that most youngsters want what every other kid has, this idea relates in the...

    Read More

  • Editorial On Drinking

    776 Words  | 2 Pages

    In D.A.R.E., the drug education program children are taught up until they enter high school, they always tell you to “Just Say No”, but I bet they have no clue what goes through the mind of naive teenagers who see all of their peers having a “great time” while they try to be the good kid and refuse.

    Read More

  • Ideal Childcare Settings

    1164 Words  | 3 Pages

    The history of child care is a universal practice that has been around for centuries that was only at first usually practiced among relatives. However, over the past decades with the increase in women employment, single parent homes, and the economy mothers and families have begun enrolling their children in child care centers regularly. Consequently, childcares became the norm in society and by the 1990’s 6 million infant and toddlers were in regular non parental child care (Phillips & Adams, 2001). Now that a high demand for child care was needed parents were faced with the issue of seeking suitable care facilities that conformed to certain standards, their budget, values, and other factors that were preferred and fit their needs. Since there are so many different child care types, principles, programs, and etc. that parents can choose from it can be difficult to know what to look for and decide what the best fit is for your child. This paper will briefly go over the cost, variety of child care arrangements, childcare regulations, and personnel qualifications among other factors to consider when choosing proper care for your children and their development.

    Read More

  • Daycare Vs Home Parenting

    606 Words  | 2 Pages

    Parents are able to witness first hand developmental milestones that are being reached. Examples of these milestones would be rolling over, crawling, and walking, along with many more. Similarly, in a daycare, fundamentals like tummy time are incorporated into an infant’s every day routine to help development. Staff at a daycare is also required to have an early education certification; the staff could be better equipped to help a child learn. This of course depends on the type of teaching style the parent of that child has. Daycare also provides a positive environment that encourages social relationships between little ones, their peers, and people of authority. Although the benefit of staying at home allows secure attachment between an infant and a parent, a youngster will not get the same amount of time to socialize with his or her

    Read More

  • How To Participate In DARE

    732 Words  | 2 Pages

    Are you aware that in the town of Northampton we are a DARE community? In fifth grade this year we have teamed up with officer Konetsky to participate in DARE. DARE stands for drug abuse resistance education.Officer Konetsky has giving us very useful knowledge to use in our daily lives,some information we cannot use till were a little older. One of them being how to respond to peer pressure. Peer pressure is when you are pressured to do something you know is bad but you're a very pressured. Another being how to make safe and responsible decisions. When you make safe and responsible decisions you are making a good decision under peer pressure. Peer pressure and making safe and responsible decisions go hand and hand.We have learned facts and also ways to avoid drugs,alcohol,cigarettes,tobacco,and violence. Another thing we learned was bullying. Bullying usually occurs if you either had a dark past with that person or they are jealous. We learned to report and how to notice when bullying is happening. Some ways to report bullying is to use anonymous note,ask the bully to stop,or maybe even tell an adult.

    Read More

  • Against Daycare At Home

    550 Words  | 2 Pages

    One common question most working parents must face when returning to work is where they are going to place their children for the day. Parents have a choice between organized daycare, which is a structured building with staff trained to take care of children and often involves little ones sharing an age-specific room with their peers. In-home care on the other hand is simply dropping the child off at someone’s house, whether they are a relative or someone the parent knows of. But which choice is the better option, one may ask? According to research, the benefits of daycare far outweigh those of in-home care for reasons including health, intelligence and even the well being of the parent.

    Read More

  • Teenagers and Drug Abuse

    1622 Words  | 4 Pages

    After interviewing my teenage cousin whom has been in several altercations at home and school, enlightened me on the ways that teenagers in her age group gets involved in drug use. Kids start as young as ten years of age using, selling, and experimenting with drugs. My teenage cousin was expelled from public schools when she started experimenting with drugs. She was surrounded by many challenges when she enrolled in the alternative behavioral school. Many students, whom attend the alternative behavioral school use drugs, sell drugs, are on probation, have been arrested, engage in sexual activity and drink alcohol.

    Read More

  • Peer Pressure Essay

    531 Words  | 2 Pages

    Peer pressure allows people to build their character by knowing if the decisions someone pressure them to do is the right one. Peers may suggest to do certain things that a person may not be interested in or ready for. The person being pressured should be one step ahead and do what they think is right and ignore what their peers may pressure them on. That is not always the case and someone may think they are obligated to do something they don’t want to do. For instance, if a teen boy is still a virgin he may feel pressured t...

    Read More

More about It’s Time to Revamp the DARE Program

Open Document