User:ZakeryaWP/sandbox

D.A.R.E. is a trashy program. here is why.

= My D.A.R.E. Report =

= Introduction = D.A.R.E. in the past has shown to be ineffective. In 2009, D.A.R.E. changed its program to Keeping it Real, a program developed by The Drug Resistance Strategies Project. Instead of showing kids the bad effects of drugs, the newer program focuses on decisions of the kids. The dare.org website claims it is the most comprehensive drug resistance program in the world, but others are still skeptical.

= What D.A.R.E.’s new program focuses on = D.A.R.E. talks near to nothing about the effects of drugs, but when they do, they focus almost completely on tobacco and alcohol. Although these are very popular drugs that should definitely be mentioned in the program, there are many other drugs some people have seen increase in use of. One drug, marijuana, has gained use in the U.S. for a while now, and D.A.R.E. doesn’t really say a paragraph about that. As well as not talking much of recent trends, they don’t even describe the few things they have to much detail.

The most you get from the D.A.R.E. Book about alcohol are these stretched facts- “Alcohol slows down the brain and body. Effects may include loss of coordination, poor judgement, loss of self control, and slow reflexes. Alcohol weakens the heart muscle, reduces the amount of blood pumped to and from the heart. Too much alcohol can slow down the body and lead to coma and death. Alcohol goes directly into the bloodstream and can damage every organ of your body…” and  “Alcohol is illegal for anyone under 21. There are 75,000 alcohol related deaths each year in the U.S. Most teens don’t drink alcohol. Mixing alcohol with medicine is dangerous. Teen bodies are still growing, therefore, alcohol affects them more severely than adults.“

Many of these facts do not show the data, clearly to skew the thoughts of the reader in a more positive environment, just because the data wouldn’t work in the program. 1 in every 6 teens reported taking wine, liquor, or beer in a survey from 2016. So even if most teens don’t drink alcohol, it is a complete joke to add that as a fact, when it is still a HUGE problem.Illicit drug use has shown to be increasing, yet D.A.R.E. is still around. Overdoses of medications are just as common, if not more. Deaths from overdoses are the highest in the U.S., and D.A.R.E is not doing much to help or show any reason to trust it.

Will update when feeling disappointed at D.A.R.E.