Anti-Substance Abuse Program Works ASAP!
Seeing is believing! ASAP -- an anti-drug program in which middle-school students see the effects of alcohol, tobacco, and drugs on real body organs -- is opening students'
eyes to, and opening up discussions about, the real dangers substance abuse poses for the human body. Thursday, November 19, is the American Cancer Society's 22nd Great American Smokeout!
"Usually when people come to tell us about drug abuse, it
is the same. Not even pictures. And so we thought this was going to
be the same old, same old. But man, was I wrong! The minute I saw
those jars and plates I knew this was going to be different!"
"You taught me a lot about the human organs and the
effects of drugs. Seeing the disgusting organs will make me think
twice about smoking. Also, it was more fun having 25-year-old students
with life in them, instead of having old doctors. The day was lots
of fun!"
Those comments were made by two sixth-grade students at Ellen
Glasgow Middle School in Alexandria, Virginia. The students had just
participated in the Adolescent Substance Abuse Prevention, ASAP, an
anti-substance abuse program used nationwide in grades 5 to 7. ASAP's
goal is to educate students about the dangers of drug abuse, alcohol
abuse, and cigarette smoking.
But ASAP differs from most abuse prevention programs in big ways!
The program, developed by medical students at the University of
Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, aims to prevent drug use by
focusing on the relationship among organ physiology, healthy body
systems, and drug use. The distinctive feature of the ASAP program is
an interactive session in which students compare and contrast normal
and diseased organ specimens in small group discussions under the
leadership of medical students.
The kids comprehend the short-term and long-term
effects of drug use by seeing how cirrhosis, cancer, and
other pathological conditions affect real human organs
such as the liver, lungs, and brain.
After the organ demonstration, students are engaged in developing
drug-resistance skills in role-play activities focusing on peer
pressure and self-esteem.
"The idea behind the program isn't totally original," says Charles
Samenow, a Pritzker medical student and co-project director of ASAP
with Eric Berkson, another Pritzker student. "Organs had been used in
other programs to educate kids. But what is different is that we use
the organs as a tool for learning in a rational, small-group
discussion -- we don't use the organs as a scare tactic."
Having medical students teach the ASAP material also defines the
program as unique. "The med students teaching in the program are
experts portraying important scientific material about substance abuse
in a fun, interesting, manner," explains Samenow. "Because the med
students are relatively young, students can relate to them as role
models. They are convincing when they talk about resisting peer
pressure."
A WELL-THOUGHT-OUT PROGRAM WITH A PURPOSE
The ASAP program is built around three 45-50 minute sessions, each
about one week apart.
- The initial class focuses on how internal organs function
normally and the bad effects of commonly abused substances. Posters
and other visual means are used to drive home how substance abuse can
damage the major organs in the human body.
- In the second session, medical students bring actual organs into
the classroom. Healthy and pathological organ specimens are used to
demonstrate graphically the damage caused by drug use and the
importance of abstinence in nurturing a healthy body.
- The third session is a role-playing exercise that develops and
reinforces strategies to help adolescents resist social pressures to
abuse drugs.
SAMPLE FROM A SESSION
The carefully scripted activities of the ASAP program are contained
in a carefully constructed 106-page guide that medical students follow.
The introduction to the second session -- "The Effects of Drugs on the
Body - 'Gross!' Anatomy" -- explains to the medical students in
charge the best approach to the session in which students will
actually view human organs:
"Begin this session by emphasizing the following points:
- We are bringing these organs into the classroom with the
assumption that the class is mature enough to handle them. This is a
very special privilege. We expect the students to act in a mature
manner.
- Explain that the organs are from human beings who have been kind
enough to, before their death, donate their organs for the students
to learn from. We expect respect for both the person and the organ.
- The organs do not smell. (They are in water).
- Only medical students may touch the organs. Students may not
touch organs! No fingers, pencil tips, gloves, etc. ...Remind students
that these organs are very fragile."
"When the organs are presented, the students may react
inappropriately," the session guide continues. "Remind them about
maturity and, perhaps, give them three seconds to 'shake' their
anxiety out of their systems. Use humor. Be creative."
TEACHERS SEE A DIFFERENCE!
"The sincerity of the medical students came across clearly to our
students," says Jim Benson, a sixth-grade science teacher at the
University of Chicago Lab School, "and the lessons were invaluable
as the kids listen better to the medical students than to us."
Benson continues, "An assessment we did with seventh-graders who
had undergone the Adolescent Substance Abuse Prevention program in
sixth grade showed substance abuse down as compared with other
seventh graders. What impressed kids the most were the 'yucky organs'
that they had viewed and discussed."
Lisa Rocca, a health teacher at Deer Path Junior High School in
Lake Forest, Illinois, says, "By far, the use of human organs made
the lesson more real to students. They could visualize what drugs
will do to them and, after the sessions, they said they were less
likely to use drugs."
HOW EFFECTIVE IS ASAP?
"It's almost impossible to measure our effectiveness because we're
not the only source of drug information for kids," says Charles
Samenow.
"But we have done preliminary studies that show kids get more
information from our program," adds Samenow. "We constantly follow-up
by talking with school students and administrators, and they
consistently rate the ASAP program as exceptional."
The ASAP program folks receive their evaluations in the form of
direct feedback as well as evaluation forms that call for rating the
program, says Samenow, adding, students often write thank you notes
to express how much they have learned from the ASAP program.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Funded primarily by a grant from Irving B. Harris and the Harris
Foundation, ASAP was recently adopted by the American Medical
Student Association (AMSA) as the national model drug abuse
prevention program for medical schools across the country. The AMSA
is currently working with more than 15 medical schools from around
the nation to establish ASAP programs.
To obtain more information on the Adolescent Substance Abuse
Prevention program, contact the program at:
The Adolescent Substance Abuse Prevention (ASAP) Program
c/o Department of Psychiatry
University of Chicago Hospitals
5841 South Maryland Avenue MC3077
Chicago, IL 60637
email: asap@uchicago.edu
Internet: http://http.bsd.uchicago.edu/~asap-staff
National Voice Mail: (703) 620-6600, ext. 463
Article by Sharon Cromwell
Education World®
Copyright © 1998 Education World
11/16/1998
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