The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Fifth-graders at Ruth Betts Community School are better equipped to make positive choices after completing a renowned drug and alcohol awareness program. Earlier this month they graduated from DARE (Drug Awareness Resistance Education), offered by the Flin Flon RCMP. â??I see the students asking good questions about the risks of doing drugs and smoking, and drinking underage, and this shows that they are interested and responsive to the program,â?ù says teacher Samantha Moore. â??It also gives them a chance to form a positive and trusting relationship with a police officer in town.â?ù A focus of DARE is providing students with ways to overcome peer pressure and decline offers of cigarettes, drugs and alcohol. This might include changing the subject or simply walking away from the situation. Essay Students also wrote essays, with Maddy McIntyreâ??s chosen as the top entry. Her essay is as follows: DARE stands for Drug Abuse Resistance Education. Those are some of the things you will learn about in DARE class, which is an awesome learning environment for everyone. One of the many things we learned about in DARE was alcohol. Another thing (we learned) about is marijuana. Smoking and tobacco is another thing our class learned about in the DARE program. A very important part about DARE is decision-making and how to handle peer pressure. One of the many things we learned about in DARE was alcohol. Some of the effects of alcohol are loss of coordination, slow reflexes, loss of self-control, poor judgment, memory lapses, and slurred speech. It can also do even worse things to you, like slow down your body, which could lead to a coma or death. Also, it could damage every organ in your body. So when you are drinking, remember to drink responsibly and to not abuse it. It is also illegal to sell alcohol to anyone under 18 years of age in Canada. In the USA you have to be 21 years of age to drink alcohol legally. Another thing (we learned) about is marijuana. Marijuana is a very harmful drug to your body that can be addictive. If you use marijuana, some of the effects that it causes to your body are short-term memory loss, no ability to concentrate, slowed reflexes and coordination, ability to judge distances and speed. It also contains over 400 chemicals, including some of the cancer causing substances found in tobacco. But some people try drugs because of peer pressure. In some countries marijuana is allowed to be used for medical purposes. However, marijuana is illegal in Canada. Smoking and tobacco is another thing our class learned about in the DARE program. Some of the effects of smoking are you have more chances to catch a cold, it dries out your skin and causes wrinkles, it yellows your teeth and finger nails, gives you bad breath, and makes your hair and clothing smell. Smoking also causes shortness of breath and dizziness. Chewing tobacco causes dehydration, which makes it hard to play sports. Itâ??s also illegal to sell cigarettes to anyone under the age of 18. Not only is smoking unhealthy for you, but it is addictive. Sometimes people get peer pressured into trying tobacco or smoking, especially younger people. This addiction is why smokers have such a hard time trying to quit smoking, so you should never start. A very important part about DARE is decision making and how to handle peer pressure. One of the things that our class learned to use was the DARE Decision Making Model. It has four steps: â??Dâ?ù stands for define, â??Aâ?ù was to assess what are your choices; â??Râ?ù was to respond, to make a choice and use the facts and information you have gathered; and â??Eâ?ù was for evaluate, to review the decision you made, and was it the right choice. Peer pressure is usually a very difficult situation. Itâ??s hard to say no to your friends. Some of the things (we learned) to do was change the subject by making a joke of it, keep walking and pretend you didnâ??t hear it, make an excuse that you have to leave, just say no, blame it on your parents by saying theyâ??ll smell the smoke on you, repeating your refusal, or using humour. But just remember to make the right decision. In DARE class I enjoyed learning about not smoking, not doing drugs or drinking alcohol, and what these things can do to you... I also plan never to smoke, abuse alcohol, or to do drugs.
