| Introduce topic by describing, activity name, content standard, and objectives. Start the session by asking the following questions: -What are some of the situations that give us the most stress in life? -What do we do to cope with those stressful situations? -What are some of the coping strategies that are healthy? -What coping strategies are not very healthy? -Why is it that many people consume alcohol as a coping strategy? What are the benefits of consuming alcohol? What are the drawbacks of using alcohol? Inform the participants that we will try to answer some of those questions by reading an excerpt from the book "Risk and protective factors for alcohol and other drug problems in adolescence and early adulthood: Implications for substance abuse prevention." The book explains that the use of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs are associated with specific characteristics in the community, school, and family and individual atmosphere. These features are known as risk and protective factors. Give each participant a copy of the chart "Risk and Protective Factors". Organize five groups, and assign each group an environment or area. Allow enough time for the participants to read individually and then some extra time for them to discuss content together. Make sure that they identify a volunteer within their group so that person can report back to the larger group the discussion they had within their smaller groups. After sharing their thoughts with the others, ask if they recognize these aspects as risk and protective factors as characteristics associated with use of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs, and why. As a final activity, ask participants to assist you identify at least 3 healthy coping strategies for dealing with stress. |