Drugs+Abstinence+Skills


 * **Name of Activity:** **Drugs Abstinence Skills** ||

**Purpose of Activity:** 1) Students will state refusal skills to promote abstinence from tobacco, drugs, and alcohol; (2) Students will work in cooperative teams to complete a blindfolded race through an obstacle course by identifying refusal skills. **Suggested Grade Level:** 3-5  **Materials Needed:** (1) gymnasium, paved parking lot or playground surface; (2) 1 scooter for a group of 3 or 4 (3) set of playground cones, plastic 1/2-gallon milk jugs, or cardboard boxes; (4) signs or other illustrations of tobacco, drug, and alcohol products; (5) bicycle helmets; (6) scarves for blindfolds; (7) posterboard and markers or crayons.   **__Description of Idea__**  Prior to the class session, arrange a set of cones, jugs, or boxes in the gymnasium, or playground. Each cone, jug, or box should be posted with signs or other illustrations of tobacco, drug, and alcohol products, (e.g., pack of cigarettes, can of beer). Create a challenging obstacle course wide enough for the scooters to navigate. Place bicycle helmets, blindfolds, and scooters near the beginning of the obstacle course. At the beginning of class, ask students to generate a list of practical refusal skills that promote abstinence from tobacco, drugs, and alcohol. Sample refusal skills include: (a) Assertive communication, e.g., saying "No!" (b) Walking away from a tempting situation; (c) Telling a responsible adult; (d) Finding new friends; (e) Talking to a friend or relative who is practicing abstinence; (f) Finding something else to do, e.g., hobby, sports, or other physical activity. Divide students into small teams of 3-4 members. Students can select a team color or name, e.g., blue or Dream Team. Students will select a race driver who will be blindfolded and silent while negotiating the obstacle course. The other team members will act as a pit crew of peer supporters. The aim of the activity is to successfully complete the obstacle course without running into cones, jugs, or boxes. The pit crew may shout out directional cues to the race driver to avoid obstacles. During the race, members of the pit crew may each remove a cone, jug, or box once they recite aloud a refusal skill. This aids the race driver to avoid the obstacles of tobacco, drugs, and alcohol. At the conclusion of the race, discuss with students the most difficult parts of the activity. Review again the refusal skills selected by students.

**Assessment Ideas:** Students can design colorful posters to illustrate themselves and positive drug-free messages, e.g., "I say no to cigarettes because they stink!" "Alcohol pickles your liver!" "Drug Free Me, the Way I Want to Be!" Hang posters in school classrooms or hallways to promote abstinence from tobacco, drugs, and alcohol.