Six Ways To Say "No"!
Make no mistake about it, saying "NO" to drugs will be THE most important decision you will make in your life!
If you say "no" when your friends ask you to try a drug or a drink, it might make them think twice about doing it themselves. Saying "no" means you have the strength and brains to choose for yourself. There are a few ways to do it.
- Say you have something better to do. Then do it!
- Point out that drugs interfere with your mental and physical skills and that you want to be at your best.
- If you don't want to explain, just say, "no, thanks." If that doesn't work, try a stronger "no way!" and leave.
- Skip parties where you know drugs and alcohol will be available. Ban them from your own parties.
- Hang out with friends who don't need drugs or alcohol to have fun. Make a commitment to be healthy and in control of your own future.
- Develop a contract between you and your parents that states you will do your best to learn about the effects of illegal substances and discuss peer pressure with your parents. In turn, your parents will agree to be available to discuss alcohol and other drugs and not to drive after drinking.
Don't Let Drugs Ruin Your Neighborhood
Get involved! Here's what some teens are doing:
- In Medford, Oregon, teens get "turned on" without drugs by writing, producing and televising a soap opera about teenagers and the problems and pressures they face.
- Teens in Gardena, California, spend time after school being buddies to children in an orphanage, painting run-down buildings, cleaning up litter, and helping the disabled. They organized town meetings to talk about the drug problem and then formed a community task force to do something about it.
- Young people in Poland, Ohio, landscape and plant trees in parks, give seminars on drug and alcohol abuse, and help elderly citizens maintain their homes.
Turn drug dealers are turned in to the police. You can do so anonymously. The police need your help to catch and stop crime in your community and stop ruining the lives of your friends.
For Residents of Madera County Only
Turn 'Em In & Remain Anonymous — Report Drug Dealers & Marijuana Growers to the Narcotics Enforcement Team Task Force 1-800-675-4net. Delate A Los Comerciantes De Drogas * Tel. 674-3403 Delatelos Y Su Reporte Quedara Confidencial Se Habla Español
Don't Lose A Friend To Drugs
Signs which may point to a drug or alcohol problem.
- Has a friend become moody, short-tempered and hostile?
- Does this person seem spaced-out and always short of cash?
- Is your friend failing courses and running around with kids you don't trust?
What You Can Do
You can help. Talk to your friend and be supportive. Many teenagers become more involved with alcohol and other drugs because friends, teachers and parents either pretended there wasn't a problem or didn't know what to do.
You can help. Talk to your friend and urge him or her to call the local drug abuse hotline. The people working the hotline can help without lecturing about the problem. With the help of friends, parents and counselor, people with a problem can start regaining control of their lives and give up alcohol and other drugs.
Here's How You Can Help Someone With A Drug Or Alcohol Problem
Get the facts. Learn the effects of drugs and share this with your friends. For example, tell them that smoking pot makes it difficult to concentrate and remember things. Tell them that heavy pot smokers can become psychologically dependent on the drug and develop respiratory problems. PCP and LSD can cause permanent brain damage. Sniffing glue can produce heart failure or suffocation. Cocaine is more deadly and addictive than people realize, and cocaine deaths have jumped dramatically in the last few years.
Get the names and phone numbers of local hotlines and drug abuse counseling services. These are usually listed in the telephone directory under crisis services, alcohol abuse information and treatment, or drug abuse information. Other sources are community and school bulletin boards, libraries or the local newspaper. Ask your school or hospital about special programs for teenagers.
Interest your friends in activities they can enjoy without using drugs or alcohol. For example, teenagers in a Chicago suburb took it upon themselves to organize creative, positive ways to spend time, such as trips, movies, discussion groups, aerobics, and community service projects. These activities not only discourage drug abuse but can build self-esteem.
Learn how to talk to your peers and younger kids about the dangers of abusing drugs and alcohol. Many communities have programs that teach teenagers how to counsel others about the problems that teens face, including substance abuse. In one rural Midwestern town, start high school athletes are trained to teach elementary and middle school students about drug and alcohol abuse.
Remind your friends that buying or possessing pot, cocaine, LSD, PCP, and most other drugs is against the law. Getting arrested and having a police record may not seem like a big deal now, but it could when applying for a job or college.
It takes courage to help a friend who has a drug problem. But a real friend will try.
