Is DARE useful anymore?

[Dreamstalker]

Is the DARE program useful, or has it reached its end-of-life?

At least when the program was required in my school, the anti-drug strategy championed was essentially "say no" and variations (make excuses, tell the person drugs are bad, etc). That approach for that age group ("this is bad, but we're not telling why") would seem to make kids more likely to try whatever it's against. The misinformation spread when I was in the system was a bit astounding (I still do not know if that was because of true ignorance, or a perception that lack of information=protection).

[Sylvia727]

I know that at my sister's high school, her classmates showed up stoned and wearing their DARE shirts. They thought it was hilarious.

Having not been a graduate of the DARE program, I can't speak to that specifically, but all or most of my education on the topics of sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll was "Don't. We promise you'll get hurt." The students tried it once, found it great, and dived in head first with blissful ignorance. And of course, many of them got hurt. Teenagers and even younger are smart enough to know when adults are insulting their intelligence, and they tend to respond by ignoring the insulter. Why should they treat the teacher with respect when s/he doesn't treat them with respect?

[CancelMyService]

Honestly the only think I got out of DARE was getting to know what weed smelled like and getting to go to a Pirates game for free. My parents and I already had the (drugs are bad, mmkay) talk.

[Dreamstalker]

When my dad heard I was in DARE, he gave me the drug talk himself. My uncle who was in Customs at the time recounted a few drug busts they had handled; that combined was my education on that subject. As far as pot goes, my parents told me what they knew and experiences they had had, ending with "if you decide at some point you want to try this, that's your decision but we just want you to be safe".

I honestly can't recall anything useful coming out of the program itself; my drug education came from direct parental involvement (and none of that stemmed from the lame "talk to your kids about drugs" campaign) and independent reading. Come to think of it, that's where my education on most subjects came from.

Maybe that's why most kids here have zero respect for the local police; having your intelligence insulted by a cop when you're an adult is bad enough.

Have I done pot? Yup. According to DARE, I should have been a meth-head a few years later

[Giggle Goose]

This makes me recall one of the funniest conversations ever to occur in my household.

Mom (angry at discovering my brother's drug paraphanalia): Where did you learn to make a bong out of a soda can?

Bro (nonchalantly): DARE.

We also got to learn the street names for a bunch of drugs we had never heard of. "Fry daddy?"* Who SAYS that anymore????!

I think the most effective "education" was seeing and talking people who had their lives ruined by drugs; but all the DARE program gave me was some asshole cop who brought in samples of drugs and talked to us like we were ignorant twits. If all you hear about drugs, sex, etc. is "don't do it;" then guess what the kids are gonna do????!


*joint laced with PCP

[ThePhoneGoddess]

Oooh, my school loved the DARE program. They thought it was awesome precisely because it just told us to say no. Since they have have gone to so much trouble to teach us to obey authority unquestioningly, that should be enough, right? Right!

Same thing they thought about the sex ed classes in Idaho. If we don't tell them anything about it, they won't do it! And they wondered why we had such a bad problem with teen pregnancies there.

[DesignFox]

I guess I'm in the minority on this one. The DARE program at my school was excellent. We had a fantastic officer who all us kids absolutely loved and respected. He was the coolest guy, and he taught us a great deal.

I can't speak for all my classmates, but the program sure worked for me. I haven't even smoked a cigarette let alone touched any illegal substances. I think between the program and parental involvement, I got a good foundation and lots of good information.

We had to watch videos which showed us drug addicts and showed the direct effects the drugs had on people. I don't recall any sugar coating or glossing of facts. We watched some pretty graphic videos, learned about the different types of drugs and what they were called so we could avoid them, were shown pictures and given direct information on the long term effects on the human body.

*shrug* I'm surprised many of you didn't have the same experience...

[Giggle Goose]

. I haven't even smoked a cigarette let alone touched any illegal substances. I think between the program and parental involvement, I got a good foundation and lots of good information.

But they didn't teach you the dangers of being addicted to coffee, did they?

[Dreamstalker]

Mom (angry at discovering my brother's drug paraphanalia): Where did you learn to make a bong out of a soda can?

Bro (nonchalantly): DARE.

Oh, that is too funny My DARE program never did stuff like that, as far as what drugs look like we got grainy pictures (how is THAT supposed to help?).

[Boozy]

Having not been a graduate of the DARE program, I can't speak to that specifically, but all or most of my education on the topics of sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll was "Don't. We promise you'll get hurt." The students tried it once, found it great, and dived in head first with blissful ignorance. And of course, many of them got hurt.

Your experience is pretty common, I think. Schools and communities need to have an open and honest conversation with kids about drugs and sex, or they lose all credibility.

My school experience was much like yours, but my parents were brutally honest. They told me that I could get drunk, smoke pot, and have sex without destroying my life, but there are risks involved. And they told me what they were in great detail, and they told me what to do to lessen those risks. Abstinence was their preferred method for me, but they weren't so naive to believe that would be that.

[Dreamstalker]

They told me that I could get drunk, smoke pot, and have sex without destroying my life, but there are risks involved. And they told me what they were in great detail, and they told me what to do to lessen those risks.

Exactly what my parents did as well. I was unlikely to be terribly interested in that stuff anyway (I didn't try pot until I was 27, and don't drink or smoke), but they figured that it would ultimately be better to let me make my own informed decisions rather than wait until something bad happened due to ignorant curiosity.

[DesignFox]

But they didn't teach you the dangers of being addicted to coffee, did they?

Nope. I'm hopelessly addicted to hazelnut iced coffee...with skim milk...

[jedimaster91]

From what I remember of DARE, it wasn't all that helpful. My parents gave me the drug/alcohol/sex talk, and I was, quite frankly, not interested in any of the above for a long time because I knew what the consequences were. They scared me more than any cop could have, but more than that, I didn't want to lose their trust.

Although, I did win the DARE essay award in 5th grade. Go me!

[blas87]

I won the DARE speech contest, too. Got to go to Pizza Hut with all the other winners and announce my pledge to never do drugs.

Look at me now. I smoke like a chimney, spent most of my high school career as a proud pothead, lost my virginity at age 14, I have a drinking problem, and I've also experimented with mushrooms and cocaine.

For the record, I no longer smoke marijuana and I will never do any kind of recreational drugs again.

GO ME!!!!!

[powerboy]

I also won the DARE contest. Free pizza and a pledge to be drug free. Yet, I smoke cigs, drink, and all that Jazz.

I think that the DARE program would work still, if they don't sugar coat it. Just saying that you will get hurt is not going to work. You have to show them what will happen, if you do this and that. Back when I was in school, we had a kick ass cop that actually showed videos and what not.