By:
Jessica Renee Holmes
Alyssa St. Amour
Krissy Gitzen
Jessica Renee Holmes
Alyssa St. Amour
Krissy Gitzen
A = ALCOHOL
Alcohol is a big problem in the world today. It’s okay to have a drink or two, but if you become an alcoholic then it
becomes really bad. Alcohol slows down your brain and your body. Some examples of this would be loss of self-
control, slurred speech, memory lapse, and poor judgment. Alcohol goes directly into you blood stream and can
increase your risk for a variety of diseases. Alcohol can also damage every organ in your body. Because it is still
growing, a teen’s body can be severely more affected than an adult’s body by drinking alcohol. Some people drink
alcohol when they have to take medicine, but that can be extremely dangerous. One serving of beer, wine, and liquor
all contain about the same amount of alcohol. Alcohol is illegal, to drink or buy, for anyone under the age of 21.
B = BEST
Using alcohol and drugs can only help you to do one thing - avoid being your best self. To be the best that you can be,
you must make healthy choices. The #1 best thing that you can do to live a long, healthy life is to stay away from
cigarettes, drugs, and alcohol. They are a sure way to shorten your life. And life is worth living, right?! We want to
go to college one day, spend many years with our family and friends, and dream of get married one day and starting
our own families. That would all be impossible if we didn't do our best to stay healthy!
C = CHOICES
It is important to make the right choices. Not making a right choice could cost you your life! Never make a choice that
you don’t feel comfortable doing just to be cool, because it’s not worth it. To make a good choice you should do what
you think is right, not what anyone else thinks is right. If you need help, you should go to a responsible adult that will
give you the honest truth of what he/she thinks. The D.A.R.E decision making model helps you make healthy choices.
D= Define
Describe the problem, challenge, or opportunity.
A= Assess
What are your choices?
R= Respond
Make a choice. Use the facts and information you have gathered.
E = Evaluate
Review your decision. Did you make a good choice?
If you follow those steps when put in a tough situation and don’t know what to do, these steps will guide you through
and teach you to make healthy choices.
D = D.A.R.E. DECISION-MAKING MODEL
The D.A.R.E. Decision-Making Model is very important to always remember. There are four steps to being successful
when you use the model. The four steps that you should use are: DEFINE- when you are describing you problem or
situation that you are faced with. It may be a problem that you need to fix, a challenging event, or an opportunity that
you may not want to pass up. ASSESS- the time when you need to focus on what you choices are for this particular
situation. Think about what the outcomes would be (good or bad). Think about how your choice for this would affect
you life. RESPOND- Make your choice. Use facts and information that you have gathered and make the Right choice.
Be very confident while in this process. This is the most important step in the process, because once you respond,
you can’t take it back after you have already done something. EVALUATE- the step when you are reviewing you
decision. Think about whether or not you made a good one, or could it have been better? Will you regret this, or will
you be happy you made such a wonderful decision? So, basically, just always try to remember this Decision-Making
Model. It can really help you in life - Will you make a smart choice? It is all up to you, because now you know what you
should do when life throws a “punch” at you!
E = EXTRA CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
You may not think that Extra Curricular Activities have to a lot to do with saying no to drugs, but if you have so many
after school programs, you will be fit and you won’t have enough time to smoke, drink, or do any other drugs. Drugs
aren’t the only things you should stay away from. Making smart choices about eating right and exercising is a HUGE
part of being healthy. Focusing more on the activities though, such as baseball, basketball, soccer, volleyball,
swimming, track, and so many more sports are fun, and a good way to get you on your feet. If you only just think
about not smoking, you may not be too fit. So if you don’t play sports, you might want to think about getting involved
with at least one. You don’t have to play them in school, either. As long as they keep you motivated, you are on the
right track to being a healthy kid, and if you make smart choices now, you have a very good chance of making them
for the rest of your life.
F - FAILING
If you are going to think that drugs will either make you smarter or won’t affect your grades, then you don’t know
what drugs do to you! Drugs and alcohol make you lose your short-term memory. So, if you just learned something
and you go home and smoke marijuana, you won’t remember what you learned the day before. Then you will have a
test and fail. You also will have no care in the world when you are high, so you could just fall asleep in class without
realizing it! But when you wake up and you’re back to normal, you will care and you will have a really bad grade in that
class. Take note that you won’t care if you’re failing when you smoke, but that doesn’t solve your problem. You can’t
be high forever. And this whole time, your parents or guardians will be caring. Soon, someone in charge of you will
see what you have been doing. You could be a "straight A" student and then start smoking behind their backs. They
will be suspicious when your grades start slipping, and they'll find out that you have been smoking or drinking. You
will be in even bigger trouble then!
G = GROWING
Drugs will stop you from growing up healthy, because drugs and alcohol effect your normal growth. This can really
effect your life growing up if you start drinking or doing drugs at a young age! You may not be able to reproduce later
in life. Also, it could affect you if you have a tumor. It will make your tumor grow a lot. Also, when you drink beer, you
are putting all of that alcohol directly into your bloodstream. This could cause serious brain damage to many
teenagers. So, at young ages, you should not get hooked on these types of things. It will only lead you to a bad
experience in the future. Even though many people do thing with out thinking, you could be the one that does think
and remembers what terrible things drugs and alcohol can do to your growth. Just don’t do anything like this in your
life. Your body will thank you later!
H = HEALTH
Your health is very important. You can keep yourself healthy by not smoking tobacco or marijuana, or by not drinking
alcohol. These things can ruin your health! Tobacco can cause you to have breathing problems. It also causes you to
have more upper respiratory colds. It can give you heart problems and other diseases. Marijuana is also bad for your
health, too. It can cause breathing problems. There are more than 400 known chemicals in marijuana. A single joint
contains four times as much cancer-causing tar as a filtered cigarette! It especially affects your brain and your body.
It affects the nerve cells in your brain where memories are formed. Marijuana can seriously affect your sense of time
and your coordination, too! In order to keep your body healthy, and to keep your body functioning right, don’t do drugs,
drink alcohol, or smoke cigarettes!!! The D.A.R.E. Decision-Making Model can help you make and decide healthy
choice for your mind and your body.
I = INHALANTS
Anything inhaled, like cigarettes and marijuana, can be called an inhalant. But there is another horrible one- Some
kids think it's cool to inhale chemical aerosol sprays from underneath their kitchen sink. Like all other drugs, this is a
poison to the body. From inhalants, you can get very dangerous chemicals inside your body. It can cause your brain
to not function properly! To protect yourself and little kids at home, keep locks on special cabinets to avoid children
getting into them. Kids think “huffing” is not as dangerous as smoking, and its easier for them to get a hold of these
chemicals because they are right in their own kitchen, so it makes it easier for them to do it behind there parents’
backs. But what they don’t realize is inhalants can be worse then smoking because of the instant poisons that enter
your system!
J = JUDGE
Many people judge you whenever you are different! I’m not talking about the judge that is in a courtroom - I’m talking
about just ordinary people that you see everyday. So many people (even your friends) judge you about things from
what you wear to how you look. And it can be very hard to hear people making comments about you like this
everyday. Well, it’s the same when you are smoking or drinking a lot. They are saying you are dumb to smoke
because everyone should know about the effects of smoking. Or they say that you are ugly or your teeth are messed
up. Whatever the case is, people are saying it about those people that are doing drugs. So why would you want them
judging you anymore than they already do? I mean, you are never going to get away from people that are judging
others, but you can somewhat take yourself out of their way. So, be smart and don’t do drugs or drink a lot. You will
do yourself a favor and leave the others to talk about something other than you and what you do or look like!
K = KILLER
Cigarettes can kill you! Over 400,000 Americans die from simply using these products every year. Some kids under
the age of 18 do it anyways, even though it is illegal. Sometimes you don’t even have to use the product in order to get
sick or die from them. Approximately 3,000 non-smokers die of lung cancer each year from breathing other peoples’
smoke! This is called second-hand smoking. You may suffer from many different kinds of cancer. Such as: mouth,
throat, bladder, and kidney cancer!!! So do yourself a favor and keep away from the bad things, and cigarettes are
one of them!
L = LUNGS
Your lungs are one of the most important organs in your body. If you can’t inhale or exhale, then you won’t be able to
live. Without lungs, oxygen can’t get to your cells. And cells need a few things for cellular respiration; oxygen and
food. Your lungs take in oxygen; the blood cells pick it up, go to your heart, and bring that oxygen to every cell in your
body so your cells can perform cellular respiration. The problem is, if you smoke, you don’t only breathe in air, you
breathe in smoke. Your blood cells have no choice but to pick up what is there. So what is happening is your cells are
bringing in smoke to every cell contained in your body. Your cells have a hard time performing cellular respiration
when they don’t have what they need. Blood cells also would rather carry smoke and other toxins than oxygen
because it’s easier to carry. So when you are putting a cigarette in your mouth, your lungs can’t respirate. This is
because they can’t just use any gas you give them. They need oxygen and nothing else. So, this affects your lungs
because when the smoke enters them, they are also getting the same amount of smoke. The bottom line is - if you
smoke, you are ruining your lungs and your whole body, because the gas that enters your lungs enters the rest of
your body.
M = MARIJUANA
Smoking marijuana can increase your risk of getting cancer. You could also call marijuana pot, weed, or grass but
they are all the same thing. Marijuana also gives you more colds and upper respiratory problems. There is also a
large concentration of tar in marijuana, which is very bad for you to be taking into your body. Marijuana can also
affect you brain and other organs in your body. You could also have short-term memory loss, find it difficult to
concentrate on things, and have blood shot eyes. Marijuana is an example of something you could get addicted to.
Though this drug is illegal in United States, people still grow and/or smoke it. Marijuana is something that you should
not be smoking! But if you suspect someone is smoking it, they would normally look as if they were smoking a
cigarette, and it is also almost always being smoked with another type of drug, called crack cocaine. This is how you
might know if someone has been smoking marijuana - they would seem dizzy, and they would having trouble walking.
If they are just being silly and laughing for no apparent reason, or they have very bloodshot eyes and are having a
hard time remembering things, this is another clue. When the early effects fade, over a few hours, the person can
become very sleepy. So in the long run, just don’t smoke marijuana now that you know how terrible it is and what bad
things it can do to your body!
N = NICOTINE
Do you know the very addicting product that cigarettes contain? That would be nicotine. Nicotine is the drug in
tobacco leaves. Whether someone smokes, chews, or sniffs tobacco, he or she is delivering nicotine to the brain.
Each cigarette contains about 10 milligrams of nicotine. Nicotine is what keeps people smoking despite its harmful
effects. Because the smoker inhales only some of the smoke from a cigarette and not all of each puff is absorbed in
the lungs, a smoker gets about 1 to 2 milligrams of the drug from each cigarette! A single drop of nicotine could
simply kill a person. In fact, farmers use nicotine as a pesticide on crops! So staying away from all tobacco products
will save your life!
O = OBSTACLES
There is no doubt that you will face many obstacles in your life. But, if you really want to limit your number of them,
doing drugs is the first thing you should scratch off your list. Drinking underage or getting to drunk and doing
something crazy could force you to go to jail. That is a huge obstacle! Doing illegal drugs is also a big one. You could
go to jail for that too, and you might never be trusted again. Getting any kind of cancer is major. You could be in the
hospital for the rest of your life, and most likely you would die from cancer. This is why not doing things like this is an
enormous part of not running into obstacles. Inhalants, any kind of tobacco, marijuana (also known as weed, pot, and
other names) are just a few things that could get you off track of a healthy, successful future. Realizing this could
really make you think of how many negative things drugs can do to your body, and you just won’t be able to think of
one positive thing about it. So if you want your life as easy going as life can possibly get, don’t count on doing any
drugs or drinking too much alcohol any time soon!
P = PEER PRESSURE
Peer pressure is one thing you will see when someone is trying to get you to do something you do not want to. There
are five different types of peer pressure. There is positive peer pressure, when someone is telling you to do
something that is good for you. Such as, “Let’s practice one more time!” There is friendly peer pressure, from your
friend who is trying to get you to do something you may or may not want to do. It would sound like, “But, we will have
so much fun together!” Another type of peer pressure is Indirect or Tempting. This is when someone is trying to
persuade or convince you to do something you do not want to do. It would sound like, “If we go, I know the party will
have some beer!” The last two types of peer pressure are Teasing and Heavy peer pressure/ Bullying. Teasing is
when you make fun of someone to try to get him or her to do it. This would sound like, “Are you chicken?” Lastly
Bullying is when someone threatens you, physically or verbally, in attempt to get you to do something you don’t want
to do. It sounds like, “If you don’t, you’ll be sorry! I won’t be your friend anymore.” You should always know your 5
peer pressure types so you know when they are happening to you or someone else.
Q = QUANTITY
The quantity of the tobacco products you buy gets worse and worse depending on how hooked you are on that
product. Not only can the cigarettes kill you as the quantity increases, but it gets expensive after a while! One pack of
cigarettes can cost $5.00, depending on the brand chosen. Usually, smokers smoke about 2 packs a day. If you
multiply 2 by $5.00, then multiplied it by how many days there are in a year (365), that means that you would pay
about $3,650.00 a year for 2 packs of cigarettes a day! If you don’t smoke tobacco products, you’re not only saving
your life and the life of everyone around you, you're saving yourself money! Can't you think of a better way to spend
$3,650.00 each year?!
R = RESPECT
Are you ever tired of not getting any respect? Well, if you think doing drugs or getting drunk will solve that problem,
you are way off! All those things do is get it off your mind and everything else in your life (including the good things),
too! Then, you come back to the real world and you are just ten times worse then before. No one will even think about
respecting you if you do any drugs or drink for fun. Even overdosing on medicine can be terrible for you and no one
around you will trust you. This is because they don’t want you forcing them to take it, and hanging around them might
put their lives in danger. If you drove them or made a bad choice by leaving them alone in a bad place, they could die
and it would be your fault. Even though you might not do these things if you were not high or drunk, you will get
blamed for smoking or drinking. No one will like you after that, or even before it. And if people are smart, they won’t
trust you in the first place if you are doing something as bad as this. So, maybe if you want total respect, thinking
about not doing drugs or drinking might not be such a bad idea.
S = SMOKING
Smoking is one of the worst things kids or adults can do to their bodies. Yet, every single day, nearly 4,400 kids
between the ages 12 and 17 start smoking. "Why?"...That is the question everyone wants to know. There's more
than just one simple answer. Some kids may start smoking just because they're curious and want to see what
smoking is like. Others may like the idea of doing something dangerous and something grown-ups don't want them
to do. Still, other children might have grown up around lots of people who smoke, and they might think it's the way to
act like an adult. You've probably heard that smoking can cause cancer and heart disease. That's true, but
sometimes kids can't really think that far into the future to worry about an illness they might not get for 20 years, so
they just smoke anyway - without thinking. Some problems that might effect a kid are: bad breath, yellow teeth, really
smelly clothes, more colds and coughs, difficulty keeping up with friends when playing sports, and the list goes on
and on. For adults, most of the same things can happen to them. But also, an empty wallet! Cigarettes are very
expensive! So the million dollar question is - Why do people smoke? It's different for every person. But everyone
should know that smoking is a terrible thing to do, and it is a drug that gets you hooked right away. It is a very hard
thing to quit, though many people try! So just don’t smoke in the first place! It's what’s best for you and the people
around you.
T = TOBACCO
Tobacco is very bad for you. It causes you to have more colds and upper respiratory problems. It can also cause
heart diseases. Smoking tobacco is the leading cause of cancer of the mouth, throat, bladder, and kidneys.
Smokeless tobacco can cause mouth cancer, tooth-loss, and other health problems. That is important because at
this age, our bodies are still growing and changing. Cigarettes contain nicotine, which is a powerful addictive
substance. There are 200 known poisons in cigarette smoke. Smoking tobacco can cause yellow teeth and smelly
breath. It can have an even bigger effect on athletes, because if you play sports and smoke, you could suffer from
shortness of breath and dizziness. More then 400,000 Americans die from tobacco related causes each year. Most
of them began using tobacco before the age of 18, even though it is illegal to smoke tobacco under the age of 18!
U = UNIQUE
Some people think that if they do drugs or something very un-smart like that, then they will stand out or be unique.
They are wrong. If there is a group of people and they are all getting high and they join you and you say no, that would
make YOU unique and better. And also, if you want to go to college, then you might want to put on your application
that you have never done drugs. That would make you stand out and most likely leave you to a good start in a career
or education. Your appearance can also be different from all the others that do drugs. They could be droopy-eyed, not
put effort into getting ready, and you could be the one that looks good and gets all of the attention! Adding all of the
excess junk from tobacco or alcohol into your body could make you gain weight, and no one wants that. So, you
could go to a party where everyone is hanging out doing drugs, and you could be the only fit person there and get,
once again, all of the attention! So if you want to stand out, just stay away from all of those drugs and alcoholic drinks.
V = VITAL ORGANS
Your organs! They are so important to your body! They are what keep you running. So why would you want to make
them suffer for your mistakes? Well you shouldn’t, but many people do! In fact, with almost every single drug that
people consume into their bodies, it can damage the most important organs. Take marijuana, for example. It can go
right to your lungs, and BOOM...there is lung cancer. And most likely you will die from lung cancer. There has not
been a cure for it yet. Other cancers are very hard to get rid of, too. Also, your respiratory system can be severely
effected by smoking. You may just stop breathing. So, drugs and alcohol have the affects of killing a person from the
first time they put this stuff into their body. You may not be thinking about it when you start using a drug, but in the
long run, you will end up asking yourself what could've done this damage to your body. The truth is, what you put into
your body as a child or teenager could cause damage later in life. So just don’t do drugs - your body will appreciate it!
W = WINE
Wine is a type of alcohol. Wine tends to usually be given at weddings, parties, baby showers, etc. It is not good for
adults, especially during pregnancy. It is obviously not healthy for children, either. It might seem fun on New Year's
Eve to have fun and drink wine, but it’s very dangerous for your nervous system. It makes you react to things slowly,
makes you dizzy, and also leads to memory loss, since the nervous cells are effected when wine enters the body. It
can also cause you to have slurred speech, poor judgement, loss of coordination, slower reflexes, and loss of self-
control. Some people at this age don’t think that wine would be that bad, but its still an alcohol, and it can be really
dangerous to anyone!
X = EXERCISE
Exercise is a huge part of staying healthy. If you exercise, you won’t have any time to do drugs, and you will be so
much more fit then anyone doing drugs. It’s pretty fun to have all of the attention and everyone wishing they were as
fit as you, too! If you did drink or do drugs before, and you are mad at yourself for making a big mistake, you aren’t
trapped - You can exercise and gain back your strength. So you’re not stuck forever if you know that you did drugs in
the past, and are never going to do them again. Over all, you should really consider exercising to be a huge part of
your daily life. You will be healthier, and you will never have time to even think about trying drugs.
Y = YOURSELF
Many people try to fit in with other kids by changing everything about themselves to be in the "cool" group. It’s not a
smart thing to do. You may join or try to be like a group of kids that are really “popular”, but what if they smoke? They
may tell you that the only way you can be a part of their group is to smoke. You could be dumb and smoke or do
whatever they want you to do, or you could just be YOURSELF! It’s the most important thing in your life, because you
can do whatever you want to. So, if you wanted to get a tattoo or smoke pot, you could. Your body wouldn’t stop you.
You have the power to do whatever you want to your body. So if that means you are going to abuse it, then you are
going to abuse it. You may try so hard to be in a group that you smoke and drink. Then you will end up probably not in
the group and, well, really “messed up!” So don’t just do something to fit in, or because you think you want to be
different than everyone else. Just always be YOURSELF - that’s always the smart choice.
Z = ZERO
A “Zero” is another word for “loser”! Anyone who chooses - after learning all of the negative effects - alcohol,
tobacco, marijuana, and inhalants, is a loser, and not a friend. They’re a loser because they lose out on life! Any
professional sports players who would even think of using these products would get kicked off the team! Any
teachers who would try to use these products would lose their reputations. Finally, any students who were caught
using these products would get kicked out of school, and probably arrested for using them under the age of 18 or
even for these being illegal! If you want to ruin your life by trying any of these things, that’s right – you’re a big ZERO!
Alcohol is a big problem in the world today. It’s okay to have a drink or two, but if you become an alcoholic then it
becomes really bad. Alcohol slows down your brain and your body. Some examples of this would be loss of self-
control, slurred speech, memory lapse, and poor judgment. Alcohol goes directly into you blood stream and can
increase your risk for a variety of diseases. Alcohol can also damage every organ in your body. Because it is still
growing, a teen’s body can be severely more affected than an adult’s body by drinking alcohol. Some people drink
alcohol when they have to take medicine, but that can be extremely dangerous. One serving of beer, wine, and liquor
all contain about the same amount of alcohol. Alcohol is illegal, to drink or buy, for anyone under the age of 21.
B = BEST
Using alcohol and drugs can only help you to do one thing - avoid being your best self. To be the best that you can be,
you must make healthy choices. The #1 best thing that you can do to live a long, healthy life is to stay away from
cigarettes, drugs, and alcohol. They are a sure way to shorten your life. And life is worth living, right?! We want to
go to college one day, spend many years with our family and friends, and dream of get married one day and starting
our own families. That would all be impossible if we didn't do our best to stay healthy!
C = CHOICES
It is important to make the right choices. Not making a right choice could cost you your life! Never make a choice that
you don’t feel comfortable doing just to be cool, because it’s not worth it. To make a good choice you should do what
you think is right, not what anyone else thinks is right. If you need help, you should go to a responsible adult that will
give you the honest truth of what he/she thinks. The D.A.R.E decision making model helps you make healthy choices.
D= Define
Describe the problem, challenge, or opportunity.
A= Assess
What are your choices?
R= Respond
Make a choice. Use the facts and information you have gathered.
E = Evaluate
Review your decision. Did you make a good choice?
If you follow those steps when put in a tough situation and don’t know what to do, these steps will guide you through
and teach you to make healthy choices.
D = D.A.R.E. DECISION-MAKING MODEL
The D.A.R.E. Decision-Making Model is very important to always remember. There are four steps to being successful
when you use the model. The four steps that you should use are: DEFINE- when you are describing you problem or
situation that you are faced with. It may be a problem that you need to fix, a challenging event, or an opportunity that
you may not want to pass up. ASSESS- the time when you need to focus on what you choices are for this particular
situation. Think about what the outcomes would be (good or bad). Think about how your choice for this would affect
you life. RESPOND- Make your choice. Use facts and information that you have gathered and make the Right choice.
Be very confident while in this process. This is the most important step in the process, because once you respond,
you can’t take it back after you have already done something. EVALUATE- the step when you are reviewing you
decision. Think about whether or not you made a good one, or could it have been better? Will you regret this, or will
you be happy you made such a wonderful decision? So, basically, just always try to remember this Decision-Making
Model. It can really help you in life - Will you make a smart choice? It is all up to you, because now you know what you
should do when life throws a “punch” at you!
E = EXTRA CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
You may not think that Extra Curricular Activities have to a lot to do with saying no to drugs, but if you have so many
after school programs, you will be fit and you won’t have enough time to smoke, drink, or do any other drugs. Drugs
aren’t the only things you should stay away from. Making smart choices about eating right and exercising is a HUGE
part of being healthy. Focusing more on the activities though, such as baseball, basketball, soccer, volleyball,
swimming, track, and so many more sports are fun, and a good way to get you on your feet. If you only just think
about not smoking, you may not be too fit. So if you don’t play sports, you might want to think about getting involved
with at least one. You don’t have to play them in school, either. As long as they keep you motivated, you are on the
right track to being a healthy kid, and if you make smart choices now, you have a very good chance of making them
for the rest of your life.
F - FAILING
If you are going to think that drugs will either make you smarter or won’t affect your grades, then you don’t know
what drugs do to you! Drugs and alcohol make you lose your short-term memory. So, if you just learned something
and you go home and smoke marijuana, you won’t remember what you learned the day before. Then you will have a
test and fail. You also will have no care in the world when you are high, so you could just fall asleep in class without
realizing it! But when you wake up and you’re back to normal, you will care and you will have a really bad grade in that
class. Take note that you won’t care if you’re failing when you smoke, but that doesn’t solve your problem. You can’t
be high forever. And this whole time, your parents or guardians will be caring. Soon, someone in charge of you will
see what you have been doing. You could be a "straight A" student and then start smoking behind their backs. They
will be suspicious when your grades start slipping, and they'll find out that you have been smoking or drinking. You
will be in even bigger trouble then!
G = GROWING
Drugs will stop you from growing up healthy, because drugs and alcohol effect your normal growth. This can really
effect your life growing up if you start drinking or doing drugs at a young age! You may not be able to reproduce later
in life. Also, it could affect you if you have a tumor. It will make your tumor grow a lot. Also, when you drink beer, you
are putting all of that alcohol directly into your bloodstream. This could cause serious brain damage to many
teenagers. So, at young ages, you should not get hooked on these types of things. It will only lead you to a bad
experience in the future. Even though many people do thing with out thinking, you could be the one that does think
and remembers what terrible things drugs and alcohol can do to your growth. Just don’t do anything like this in your
life. Your body will thank you later!
H = HEALTH
Your health is very important. You can keep yourself healthy by not smoking tobacco or marijuana, or by not drinking
alcohol. These things can ruin your health! Tobacco can cause you to have breathing problems. It also causes you to
have more upper respiratory colds. It can give you heart problems and other diseases. Marijuana is also bad for your
health, too. It can cause breathing problems. There are more than 400 known chemicals in marijuana. A single joint
contains four times as much cancer-causing tar as a filtered cigarette! It especially affects your brain and your body.
It affects the nerve cells in your brain where memories are formed. Marijuana can seriously affect your sense of time
and your coordination, too! In order to keep your body healthy, and to keep your body functioning right, don’t do drugs,
drink alcohol, or smoke cigarettes!!! The D.A.R.E. Decision-Making Model can help you make and decide healthy
choice for your mind and your body.
I = INHALANTS
Anything inhaled, like cigarettes and marijuana, can be called an inhalant. But there is another horrible one- Some
kids think it's cool to inhale chemical aerosol sprays from underneath their kitchen sink. Like all other drugs, this is a
poison to the body. From inhalants, you can get very dangerous chemicals inside your body. It can cause your brain
to not function properly! To protect yourself and little kids at home, keep locks on special cabinets to avoid children
getting into them. Kids think “huffing” is not as dangerous as smoking, and its easier for them to get a hold of these
chemicals because they are right in their own kitchen, so it makes it easier for them to do it behind there parents’
backs. But what they don’t realize is inhalants can be worse then smoking because of the instant poisons that enter
your system!
J = JUDGE
Many people judge you whenever you are different! I’m not talking about the judge that is in a courtroom - I’m talking
about just ordinary people that you see everyday. So many people (even your friends) judge you about things from
what you wear to how you look. And it can be very hard to hear people making comments about you like this
everyday. Well, it’s the same when you are smoking or drinking a lot. They are saying you are dumb to smoke
because everyone should know about the effects of smoking. Or they say that you are ugly or your teeth are messed
up. Whatever the case is, people are saying it about those people that are doing drugs. So why would you want them
judging you anymore than they already do? I mean, you are never going to get away from people that are judging
others, but you can somewhat take yourself out of their way. So, be smart and don’t do drugs or drink a lot. You will
do yourself a favor and leave the others to talk about something other than you and what you do or look like!
K = KILLER
Cigarettes can kill you! Over 400,000 Americans die from simply using these products every year. Some kids under
the age of 18 do it anyways, even though it is illegal. Sometimes you don’t even have to use the product in order to get
sick or die from them. Approximately 3,000 non-smokers die of lung cancer each year from breathing other peoples’
smoke! This is called second-hand smoking. You may suffer from many different kinds of cancer. Such as: mouth,
throat, bladder, and kidney cancer!!! So do yourself a favor and keep away from the bad things, and cigarettes are
one of them!
L = LUNGS
Your lungs are one of the most important organs in your body. If you can’t inhale or exhale, then you won’t be able to
live. Without lungs, oxygen can’t get to your cells. And cells need a few things for cellular respiration; oxygen and
food. Your lungs take in oxygen; the blood cells pick it up, go to your heart, and bring that oxygen to every cell in your
body so your cells can perform cellular respiration. The problem is, if you smoke, you don’t only breathe in air, you
breathe in smoke. Your blood cells have no choice but to pick up what is there. So what is happening is your cells are
bringing in smoke to every cell contained in your body. Your cells have a hard time performing cellular respiration
when they don’t have what they need. Blood cells also would rather carry smoke and other toxins than oxygen
because it’s easier to carry. So when you are putting a cigarette in your mouth, your lungs can’t respirate. This is
because they can’t just use any gas you give them. They need oxygen and nothing else. So, this affects your lungs
because when the smoke enters them, they are also getting the same amount of smoke. The bottom line is - if you
smoke, you are ruining your lungs and your whole body, because the gas that enters your lungs enters the rest of
your body.
M = MARIJUANA
Smoking marijuana can increase your risk of getting cancer. You could also call marijuana pot, weed, or grass but
they are all the same thing. Marijuana also gives you more colds and upper respiratory problems. There is also a
large concentration of tar in marijuana, which is very bad for you to be taking into your body. Marijuana can also
affect you brain and other organs in your body. You could also have short-term memory loss, find it difficult to
concentrate on things, and have blood shot eyes. Marijuana is an example of something you could get addicted to.
Though this drug is illegal in United States, people still grow and/or smoke it. Marijuana is something that you should
not be smoking! But if you suspect someone is smoking it, they would normally look as if they were smoking a
cigarette, and it is also almost always being smoked with another type of drug, called crack cocaine. This is how you
might know if someone has been smoking marijuana - they would seem dizzy, and they would having trouble walking.
If they are just being silly and laughing for no apparent reason, or they have very bloodshot eyes and are having a
hard time remembering things, this is another clue. When the early effects fade, over a few hours, the person can
become very sleepy. So in the long run, just don’t smoke marijuana now that you know how terrible it is and what bad
things it can do to your body!
N = NICOTINE
Do you know the very addicting product that cigarettes contain? That would be nicotine. Nicotine is the drug in
tobacco leaves. Whether someone smokes, chews, or sniffs tobacco, he or she is delivering nicotine to the brain.
Each cigarette contains about 10 milligrams of nicotine. Nicotine is what keeps people smoking despite its harmful
effects. Because the smoker inhales only some of the smoke from a cigarette and not all of each puff is absorbed in
the lungs, a smoker gets about 1 to 2 milligrams of the drug from each cigarette! A single drop of nicotine could
simply kill a person. In fact, farmers use nicotine as a pesticide on crops! So staying away from all tobacco products
will save your life!
O = OBSTACLES
There is no doubt that you will face many obstacles in your life. But, if you really want to limit your number of them,
doing drugs is the first thing you should scratch off your list. Drinking underage or getting to drunk and doing
something crazy could force you to go to jail. That is a huge obstacle! Doing illegal drugs is also a big one. You could
go to jail for that too, and you might never be trusted again. Getting any kind of cancer is major. You could be in the
hospital for the rest of your life, and most likely you would die from cancer. This is why not doing things like this is an
enormous part of not running into obstacles. Inhalants, any kind of tobacco, marijuana (also known as weed, pot, and
other names) are just a few things that could get you off track of a healthy, successful future. Realizing this could
really make you think of how many negative things drugs can do to your body, and you just won’t be able to think of
one positive thing about it. So if you want your life as easy going as life can possibly get, don’t count on doing any
drugs or drinking too much alcohol any time soon!
P = PEER PRESSURE
Peer pressure is one thing you will see when someone is trying to get you to do something you do not want to. There
are five different types of peer pressure. There is positive peer pressure, when someone is telling you to do
something that is good for you. Such as, “Let’s practice one more time!” There is friendly peer pressure, from your
friend who is trying to get you to do something you may or may not want to do. It would sound like, “But, we will have
so much fun together!” Another type of peer pressure is Indirect or Tempting. This is when someone is trying to
persuade or convince you to do something you do not want to do. It would sound like, “If we go, I know the party will
have some beer!” The last two types of peer pressure are Teasing and Heavy peer pressure/ Bullying. Teasing is
when you make fun of someone to try to get him or her to do it. This would sound like, “Are you chicken?” Lastly
Bullying is when someone threatens you, physically or verbally, in attempt to get you to do something you don’t want
to do. It sounds like, “If you don’t, you’ll be sorry! I won’t be your friend anymore.” You should always know your 5
peer pressure types so you know when they are happening to you or someone else.
Q = QUANTITY
The quantity of the tobacco products you buy gets worse and worse depending on how hooked you are on that
product. Not only can the cigarettes kill you as the quantity increases, but it gets expensive after a while! One pack of
cigarettes can cost $5.00, depending on the brand chosen. Usually, smokers smoke about 2 packs a day. If you
multiply 2 by $5.00, then multiplied it by how many days there are in a year (365), that means that you would pay
about $3,650.00 a year for 2 packs of cigarettes a day! If you don’t smoke tobacco products, you’re not only saving
your life and the life of everyone around you, you're saving yourself money! Can't you think of a better way to spend
$3,650.00 each year?!
R = RESPECT
Are you ever tired of not getting any respect? Well, if you think doing drugs or getting drunk will solve that problem,
you are way off! All those things do is get it off your mind and everything else in your life (including the good things),
too! Then, you come back to the real world and you are just ten times worse then before. No one will even think about
respecting you if you do any drugs or drink for fun. Even overdosing on medicine can be terrible for you and no one
around you will trust you. This is because they don’t want you forcing them to take it, and hanging around them might
put their lives in danger. If you drove them or made a bad choice by leaving them alone in a bad place, they could die
and it would be your fault. Even though you might not do these things if you were not high or drunk, you will get
blamed for smoking or drinking. No one will like you after that, or even before it. And if people are smart, they won’t
trust you in the first place if you are doing something as bad as this. So, maybe if you want total respect, thinking
about not doing drugs or drinking might not be such a bad idea.
S = SMOKING
Smoking is one of the worst things kids or adults can do to their bodies. Yet, every single day, nearly 4,400 kids
between the ages 12 and 17 start smoking. "Why?"...That is the question everyone wants to know. There's more
than just one simple answer. Some kids may start smoking just because they're curious and want to see what
smoking is like. Others may like the idea of doing something dangerous and something grown-ups don't want them
to do. Still, other children might have grown up around lots of people who smoke, and they might think it's the way to
act like an adult. You've probably heard that smoking can cause cancer and heart disease. That's true, but
sometimes kids can't really think that far into the future to worry about an illness they might not get for 20 years, so
they just smoke anyway - without thinking. Some problems that might effect a kid are: bad breath, yellow teeth, really
smelly clothes, more colds and coughs, difficulty keeping up with friends when playing sports, and the list goes on
and on. For adults, most of the same things can happen to them. But also, an empty wallet! Cigarettes are very
expensive! So the million dollar question is - Why do people smoke? It's different for every person. But everyone
should know that smoking is a terrible thing to do, and it is a drug that gets you hooked right away. It is a very hard
thing to quit, though many people try! So just don’t smoke in the first place! It's what’s best for you and the people
around you.
T = TOBACCO
Tobacco is very bad for you. It causes you to have more colds and upper respiratory problems. It can also cause
heart diseases. Smoking tobacco is the leading cause of cancer of the mouth, throat, bladder, and kidneys.
Smokeless tobacco can cause mouth cancer, tooth-loss, and other health problems. That is important because at
this age, our bodies are still growing and changing. Cigarettes contain nicotine, which is a powerful addictive
substance. There are 200 known poisons in cigarette smoke. Smoking tobacco can cause yellow teeth and smelly
breath. It can have an even bigger effect on athletes, because if you play sports and smoke, you could suffer from
shortness of breath and dizziness. More then 400,000 Americans die from tobacco related causes each year. Most
of them began using tobacco before the age of 18, even though it is illegal to smoke tobacco under the age of 18!
U = UNIQUE
Some people think that if they do drugs or something very un-smart like that, then they will stand out or be unique.
They are wrong. If there is a group of people and they are all getting high and they join you and you say no, that would
make YOU unique and better. And also, if you want to go to college, then you might want to put on your application
that you have never done drugs. That would make you stand out and most likely leave you to a good start in a career
or education. Your appearance can also be different from all the others that do drugs. They could be droopy-eyed, not
put effort into getting ready, and you could be the one that looks good and gets all of the attention! Adding all of the
excess junk from tobacco or alcohol into your body could make you gain weight, and no one wants that. So, you
could go to a party where everyone is hanging out doing drugs, and you could be the only fit person there and get,
once again, all of the attention! So if you want to stand out, just stay away from all of those drugs and alcoholic drinks.
V = VITAL ORGANS
Your organs! They are so important to your body! They are what keep you running. So why would you want to make
them suffer for your mistakes? Well you shouldn’t, but many people do! In fact, with almost every single drug that
people consume into their bodies, it can damage the most important organs. Take marijuana, for example. It can go
right to your lungs, and BOOM...there is lung cancer. And most likely you will die from lung cancer. There has not
been a cure for it yet. Other cancers are very hard to get rid of, too. Also, your respiratory system can be severely
effected by smoking. You may just stop breathing. So, drugs and alcohol have the affects of killing a person from the
first time they put this stuff into their body. You may not be thinking about it when you start using a drug, but in the
long run, you will end up asking yourself what could've done this damage to your body. The truth is, what you put into
your body as a child or teenager could cause damage later in life. So just don’t do drugs - your body will appreciate it!
W = WINE
Wine is a type of alcohol. Wine tends to usually be given at weddings, parties, baby showers, etc. It is not good for
adults, especially during pregnancy. It is obviously not healthy for children, either. It might seem fun on New Year's
Eve to have fun and drink wine, but it’s very dangerous for your nervous system. It makes you react to things slowly,
makes you dizzy, and also leads to memory loss, since the nervous cells are effected when wine enters the body. It
can also cause you to have slurred speech, poor judgement, loss of coordination, slower reflexes, and loss of self-
control. Some people at this age don’t think that wine would be that bad, but its still an alcohol, and it can be really
dangerous to anyone!
X = EXERCISE
Exercise is a huge part of staying healthy. If you exercise, you won’t have any time to do drugs, and you will be so
much more fit then anyone doing drugs. It’s pretty fun to have all of the attention and everyone wishing they were as
fit as you, too! If you did drink or do drugs before, and you are mad at yourself for making a big mistake, you aren’t
trapped - You can exercise and gain back your strength. So you’re not stuck forever if you know that you did drugs in
the past, and are never going to do them again. Over all, you should really consider exercising to be a huge part of
your daily life. You will be healthier, and you will never have time to even think about trying drugs.
Y = YOURSELF
Many people try to fit in with other kids by changing everything about themselves to be in the "cool" group. It’s not a
smart thing to do. You may join or try to be like a group of kids that are really “popular”, but what if they smoke? They
may tell you that the only way you can be a part of their group is to smoke. You could be dumb and smoke or do
whatever they want you to do, or you could just be YOURSELF! It’s the most important thing in your life, because you
can do whatever you want to. So, if you wanted to get a tattoo or smoke pot, you could. Your body wouldn’t stop you.
You have the power to do whatever you want to your body. So if that means you are going to abuse it, then you are
going to abuse it. You may try so hard to be in a group that you smoke and drink. Then you will end up probably not in
the group and, well, really “messed up!” So don’t just do something to fit in, or because you think you want to be
different than everyone else. Just always be YOURSELF - that’s always the smart choice.
Z = ZERO
A “Zero” is another word for “loser”! Anyone who chooses - after learning all of the negative effects - alcohol,
tobacco, marijuana, and inhalants, is a loser, and not a friend. They’re a loser because they lose out on life! Any
professional sports players who would even think of using these products would get kicked off the team! Any
teachers who would try to use these products would lose their reputations. Finally, any students who were caught
using these products would get kicked out of school, and probably arrested for using them under the age of 18 or
even for these being illegal! If you want to ruin your life by trying any of these things, that’s right – you’re a big ZERO!
Officer Anton's Class
Jess, Alyssa, and Krissy are Drug-Free, From A - Z!!!!
| DID YOU KNOW.... • Tobacco companies need to recruit 1,200 new smokers every day to replace those who have died. • Smoking accounts for one- third of all heart disease deaths. • The two most damaging chemicals found in cigarettes are tar and nicotine? The major cancer-causing chemical in tobacco smoke is tar, and nicotine is as addictive as heroin or cocaine! • The risk of developing cancer is 10 times greater for smokers than for nonsmokers. That's what you call a bad risk! • Smoking causes 85 percent of all lung cancer deaths, and lung cancer is the No. 1 killer in women. • People who smoke one pack of cigarettes a day decrease their life expectancy by about six years. • Tobacco companies spend over $3 billion every year on advertisements that glamorize smoking. • Smoking hurts your lungs and can cause respiratory conditions such as emphysema, bronchitis, chronic coughs, and a sore throat. Smoking makes it hard for a person to breathe. |