D.A.R.E. Drug Abuse Resistance Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

D.A.R.E. Drug Abuse Resistance Education - Essay Example The most prevalent drug education program in existence is the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program, commonly referred to as D.A.R.E. This is a program currently taught in all 50 states as well as in foreign countries and is in the vast majority of all school systems. Despite its immense popularity, there has been great debate in whether or not the program is successfully maintaining its own goals of preventing the nations’ youth from engaging in substance use/abuse. In this paper, I will present arguments and studies both for and against the program and its effectiveness. This paper will also demonstrate that with all the research that has been examined in the debate over the effectiveness of the D.A.R.E. program, there may be crucial questions that have not yet been addressed that might further reveal D.A.R.E.’s influence on youth. Literature Review The following literature review attempts to demonstrate and support the hypothesis that the D.A.R.E. program is effect ive in combating drug use among the nations’ youth. Ennet et al., (1994) carried out a research to analyze the effectiveness of D.A.R.E program in meta-analysis. ... In two of their studies, there was reliable information on the long-term effects of the program. However, there was no indication D.A.R.E’s effectiveness deters individuals from using drugs even at their adult stage. In illuminating some light on Ennet et al., (1994), (Hansen, et al. 1988) conducted, a study to that aimed at preventing multiple substances among seventh grade students. In their research, two drug abuse prevention curricula tested aimed at determining their efficacy in preventing the onset of tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana use among adolescents. The first program focused on prevention through social pressure resistance training, while the second featured affective education approaches to prevention. A test on curricula was on seventh grade students. Subjects were pretested just prior to the program and post-tested at 12 and 24 months. Post-test analyses indicated that the social program delivered to seventh grade subjects was effective in delaying the onset of tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana use. There was no preventive effect of the affective education program was observed. By the final post-test, classrooms that had received the affective program had significantly more drug use than controls. A study conducted in 1991 suggested that two strategies for preventing the onset of alcohol abuse and marijuana and cigarette use were tested in junior high schools in Los Angeles and Orange Counties, California. The first strategy taught skills to refuse substance use offers. The second strategy corrected erroneous normative perceptions about prevalence and acceptability of use among peers and established conservative groups norms regarding use. Four experimental