"Just Say No"

Part of what we learn in prevention is that every child grows up with a set of "risk factors" and "protective factors"--things that will make it more or less likely that they will use drugs. For example, having parents who use drugs is a risk factor; having parents who talk to their kids about the dangers of drug use is a protective factor. Our job is to minimize risk factors and beef up protective factors.

You know what's NOT a protective factor? The D.A.R.E. program and telling kids to "Just Say No."


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Here's a link to an article discussing why D.A.R.E. is ineffective, although still very popular.

But wait, there's hope! The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration provides a list of programs that are evidence-based (meaning the results were studied and a decrease in substance abuse can be directly correlated to the program).We are looking at implementing some of these programs in East Texas. Stay tuned!