Just a day ago, Surgeon General Murthy spoke about the need for providing evidence-based strategies to treat the overwhelming issue of substance use disorder that has a chokehold on the country. That would mean better education for children, with learning how to cope with stress and other factors that could bring on addiction.
However, if you were in elementary or middle school in the 1980’s and/or 90’s, you’re probably familiar with the DARE program, otherwise known as the Drug Abuse Resistance Education Program. In those programs, learning how to refuse drugs, focusing on personal goals, as well as boosting self-esteem, were some of the main precepts, and they were always taught by a police officer.
Rather than delivering a message that emphasized that stressors could bring on drug use or alcohol abuse, the DARE program really only spoke to self-esteem and practicing the rejection of drug use. It had little effect.
When asked to do a study on the actual efficacy of DARE, the Research Triangle Institute (RTI) reported, “We did not find any support for [a statistically significant] impact on drug use, and they show that DARE has no effect at all on marijuana use.” In 2001, the Surgeon General reported, “[D.A.R.E.’s] popularity persists despite numerous well-designed evaluations and meta-analyses that consistently show little or no deterrent effects on substance use.” By 2009, the DARE program had fallen into debt. Now, the DARE program has shifted to the “REAL” program, “centered on decision-making skills.” It’s proven to be a more successful endeavor than DARE, and students that have been in the program are more likely to employ multiple strategies to prevent drug use.
While in the DARE program, 80’s and 90’s kids weren’t really learning about one of the most important factors in preventing substance use disorder: managing stress.
Stress is a huge factor in triggering substance use disorder, but so are other disorders, like depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, other mental illnesses, and so on. This isn’t to say that children should be learning about depression and anxiety at a young age, but it is important to remember that there are positive ways of dealing with hard times. There’s always the chance that children are learning poor coping techniques at home. Teaching children how to employ positive coping methods in lieu of other distracting methods is a strategy that cannot only help to prevent children from using drugs or alcohol, but give them positive coping techniques to use for life.
