Inhalants and Drug Abuse.
Drug use/abuse is a serious topic that needs to be discussed with students. I still remember sitting in my high school health class learning about drugs and peer pressure. I told my teacher that peer pressure isn't as big of a factor as he thinks because if you just say no most people respect that. I now understand that idea came from who I chose to surround myself with. I did unfortunately understand the effects of drug use firsthand. like many in my high school, I can recall at least three drug-related student deaths while I was in attendance. It has been extremely evident to me that drugs need to be spoken about to students. The National Institute of Drug Abuse shares my concern for education and has curated lesson plan guides for different age groups and different types of drugs. In this blog, I will review their lesson plan for discussing inhalants with 5-9th graders.
Here is a link to the lesson plan: https://nida.nih.gov/research-topics/parents-educators/lesson-plans/mind-matters/inhalants
This lesson plan gave a great base for helping young adolescents to understand what inhalants are. Some of this lesson plan's strengths include breaking down what inhalants are, how they are used, and what different forms they can come in. This makes it easier for young students to identify when someone else is using an inhalant. It is more difficult to identify than a specific drug like cocaine or heroin because inhalants are typically household items and can go unnoticed. I also appreciated that the lesson plan noted that anyone could become addicted to inhalants. It brings the perspective that addiction doesn't discriminate.
The weaknesses of the lesson plan are the way they explain addiction to this drug and the informational videos. The videos included in the lesson plan are boring and monotonous. I would find replacement videos so that the information can still be shared but in a more interesting or interactive way. As for information on addiction, I find that this would be an appropriate time to break down mental addiction vs. physical addiction. They note that many people don’t get addicted to inhalants which could potentially strike students to minimize its effects or severity. Though inhalants may not have a physically addictive quality, the mental addiction to the high, and taking deep controlled breaths can be addicting the way potato chips or biting your nails can be addicting. I would also want to discuss the long and short-term effects more in detail. One of my biggest concerns when teaching kids about inhalants is downplaying the severity that could come from using household items to get high.
Though the lesson plan may need some improvements before I would make it part of my classroom, it is still important for children to learn about inhalant drug abuse. Knowledge is power. I want students to understand the risk of drug use before it is introduced to them with less information and no warning labels.
References:
Lesson Plan and Activity Finder. (n.d.). National Institute on Drug Abuse. https://teens.drugabuse.gov/teachers/lessonplans?sort=created%3Adesc&language=en
Hello Taylor,
ReplyDeleteAwesome blog post this week. I really resonated with your personal experiences on the matter of inhalants and drug usage. I am very sorry to hear that your school endured such tragic losses throughout your time in high school. One can only hope that the parents, friends, and peers can carry on their legacies. In reference to discussions about this critical topic, I think it is extremely important to promote kindness and acceptance. More specifically, when talking about peer pressure. People and their opinions can leave an impressionable stain on those around them-- good or bad, so it is key to recognize the weight that peer pressure carries. In regards to your lesson, I found that it cultivated awareness and knowledge. What exact is an inhalant? Some of our youth may not know and can be blinded to the effects of them. Knowledge is power when making decisions whether or not to try these products. Often enough, teens feel invincible which enable them to try new and potentially dangerous things. This lesson is definitely important to introduce to the students, however you highlight a very crucial aspect when critiquing it: the lesson should be engaging. I agree that finding better videos that still get the point across will enhance the lesson and allow for students to actually retain the information being presented. Overall, great blog and I look forward to reading more again next week!
-Kelly
Hi Taylor,
ReplyDeleteI loved reading your take on this lesson plan surrounding drug abuse and inhalants. I wrote my blog post about K2/ Spice and bath salts. Similarly to inhalants many students may not recognize the severe dangers of using these drugs because they are not talked about as much as heroin, cocaine, or marijuana. I agree with you about the confusion surrounding peer pressure. In middle and high school I never understood teachers discussing peer pressure because most of the time I saw people respect others saying no to something. However, after graduating high school I realized peer pressure can be just about who you surround yourself with. I think you made an excellent point about discussing physical and mental addiction. It may be hard for students to understand just because a drug like inhalants are technically not physically addictive doesn't mean there isn't a mental component. I agreed with your strengths and weaknesses of the lesson plan. I think a great way to have students understand the severity of drug abuse is by having interactive activities rather than monotone videos. For example, I still recall in health class putting on the 'drunk goggles' that mimicked drunk driving and having to walk on a line and ride a scooter. This lesson stuck with me and helped me understand the danger and severity of drunk driving. Overall, great blog post discussing inhalants and assessing the lesson plan.