CHAPTER 1
DRUGS AND BEHAVIOR TODAY
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS AND ASSIGNMENTS
1. Assign students to view a broadcast of a sports event (appropriate for the
... [Show More] season) on commercial TV.
They should pay particular attention to any commercial related to the sale of beer. Which brands were
advertised, and how many minutes during the entire game were devoted to such commercials? What
message about the consumption of beer was conveyed? What associations were made with beer
drinking in the commercial? A discussion can be held on the students’ reaction to the segment. How
would a younger person—say, fourteen to sixteen years old—react to it? (It may be easier to have the
segments recorded and played on a DVD recorder in class or to simply have students use previewed
clips from YouTube.)
2. Assign students to keep a diary (with no personal identification) of their own consumption patterns of
licit psychoactive drugs over a fourteen-day period (beginning on a Monday): specifically, their intake of
caffeinated beverages, alcohol, and tobacco products. Were there any patterns of weekday versus
weekend consumption, daytime versus nighttime, work time versus relaxation time? On an anonymous
basis, have them record the circumstances under which these drugs were consumed. Were there any
relationships between the consumption of these drugs and levels of fatigue, opportunities for
socializing, or perceived stress? Have the respondents specify their age range (under eighteen,
between eighteen and twenty-one, over twenty-one) and examine this information in light of reports of
underage alcohol and tobacco purchases/intake.
3. Have students discuss or write their remembrances of their high-school days with regard to drug-taking
behavior. Was it cool or not cool to do drugs? Which drugs were cool and which ones were not? Was
there a certain type of person who was known (or expected) to do drugs? Did the perception of drug
taking behavior change as students progressed from the sixth grade to the ninth grade and finally to
their senior year? Has the pattern of drug-taking behavior changed since they have been in college for
their younger siblings or acquaintances?
4. Assign students to find an article in a newspaper or magazine relating to some form of licit or illicit drug
taking behavior. They can discuss it in class, write their reactions to the article, or make a presentation
centered on the impact the article might have in their lives. Some examples include reports of
recreational drugs that are ordinarily used on a medicinal basis (Ritalin, Adderall, OxyContin), steroids
and other performance-enhancing drugs in sports, and economic issues related to prescription drugs
among the elderly.
NOTE: Continual updating of statistical information related to prevalence rates in drug use in the
United States can be accomplished by accessing the following web sites:
The University of Michigan Monitoring the Future Study
http://monitoringthefuture.org
Results of an annual survey of adolescent drug use appear in mid-December of each year.
The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) [Show Less]