PowerofYouth Student Leader Toolkit

PowerofYouth Student Leader Toolkit

Student Leader Toolkit Working together to create a world where underage drinking and drug use ends, and lives don't.

Introduction

Ending Impaired Driving Begins with Underage Substance Prevention

At MADD, we know that our hopes for a safer future are riding on you. Did you know that underage drinking contributes to more than 4,300 deaths among people below the age of 21 in the U.S. each year*? By getting today’s youth off to a good start, we are taking a giant step toward fulfilling our vision of a future with No More Victims®. That's where you come in! We want to say THANK YOU! Thank you for taking a stand, setting the example and making the commitment not to drink alcohol or use marijuana until the age of 21 and to never ride with an impaired driver.

MADD is excited to provide you this toolkit in order to help prevent underage drinking and marijuana use and the many lives lost as a result each year. The activities and information within this toolkit is great to use around Red Ribbon Week, Homecoming, sports games, fall festivals, parties, and holiday breaks.

4,300 Underage alcohol use kills about

minors per year.

*Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

&

STATS

FACTS

17 x Young drivers (ages 16-20) are 17 times more likely to die in a crash where alcohol is involved. [2] Car crashes are the leading cause of death among young people aged 16-19 years. [1] High school students who use alcohol or other drugs are five times more likely to drop out of school or believe good grades aren't important. [3]

7 x Kids who start drinking young are seven times more likely to be in an alcohol-related crash. [6] Marijuana negatively affects a number of skills required for safe driving, such as reaction time, coordination, and concentration. [5] The brain is not fully developed until the mid-20s; alcohol can cause long-term damage to a growing brain. [4]

About 1 in 10 marijuana users will become addicted. For people who begin using marijuana before the age of 18, that number rises to 1 in 6. [7]

1 CDC. Teen Dr i ve r s : Ge t t he Fac t s . ( 2015 ) . cdc . gov /mo t o r veh i c l esa f e t y / t een_d r i ve r s / t eend r i ve r s_ f ac t shee t . h tml . 2 . CDC V i t a l S i gns . Teen Dr i nk i ng and Dr i v i ng . ( 2012 ) . h t t ps : / /www. cdc . gov / v i t a l s i gns / t eend r i nk i ngandd r i v i ng / i ndex . h tml 3 . Na t i ona l I ns t i t u t e on Dr ug Abuse . “Vo l ume 1 : Seconda r y Schoo l S t uden t s ” , Na t i ona l Su r vey Resu l t s on Dr ug Use f r om The Mon i t o r i ng t he Fu t u r e S t udy , 1975 - 1997 . Rockv i l l e , MD: Depa r tmen t o f Hea l t h and Human Se r v i ces , 1998 . 4 . Br own SA , Tape r t SF , Gr anho lm E , De l i s DC ( 2000 ) . "Neu r ocogn i t i ve f unc t i on i ng o f ado l escen t s : E f f ec t s o f p r o t r ac t ed a l coho l use . " A l coho l i sm: C l i n i ca l and Expe r imen t a l Resea r ch . 24 ( 2 ) : 164 - 171 . 12 Na t i ona l H i ghway T r a f f i c Sa f e t y Admi n i s t r a t i on . “ L i ves Saved i n 2008 by Res t r a i n t Use And Mi n imum Dr i nk i ng Age Laws . ” DOT HS 811 153 . 5 . Lenné MG, D i e t ze PM, T r i ggs TJ , Wa lms l ey S , Mu r phy B , Redman JR . The e f f ec t s o f cannab i s and a l coho l on s imu l a t ed a r t e r i a l d r i v i ng : I n f l uences o f d r i v i ng expe r i ence and t ask demand . Acc i d Ana l P r ev . 2010 ; 42 ( 3 ) : 859 - 866 . do i : 10 . 1016 / j . aap . 2009 . 04 . 021 . 6 . H i ngson , Ra l ph , e t a l . “Age o f Dr i nk i ng Onse t , Dr i v i ng A f t e r Dr i nk i ng , and I nvo l vemen t i n A l coho l -Re l a t ed Mo t o r Veh i c l e Cr ashes . ” DOT HS 809 188 . Wash i ng t on , DC: Na t i ona l H i ghway T r a f f i c Sa f e t y Admi n i s t r a t i on , Janua r y 2001 . 7 . Lopez -Qu i n t e r o , C, e t a l . ( 2011 ) . P r obab i l i t y and p r ed i c t o r s o f t r ans i t i on f r om f i r s t use t o dependence on n i co t i ne , a l coho l , cannab i s , and coca i ne : r esu l t s o f t he na t i ona l Ep i demi o l og i c Su r vey on A l coho l and Re l a t ed Cond i t i ons ( NESARC ) . Dr ug A l coho l Depend . 115 ( 1 - 2 ) : p . 120 - 30 .

# ProtectUrSelfie Create positive ways to deal with stress that are alcohol-free and drug-free.

Take care of yourself. Exercise regularly, eat healthy, and get enough sleep. When stressed or anxious, take deep breaths. Science shows that repeating deep, slow breaths can help reduce anxiety and make you feel calmer. 3

1

Focus on what you can control.

Think through the situation. What do you feel you have control over and what do you feel is out of your control? What are other approaches to the problem that you can control? What potential opportunities could this situation create?

4

Find your support system.

2

Set your goals.

Be honest with your friends. Let them know you aren’t interested in drinking alcohol or using marijuana. Talk about how you are feeling with friends and family. Talking can help shine a light on a solution you hadn’t considered. Spend time with positive people, doing positive things. If a friend makes you anxious or feel bad about yourself, find

You have big dreams, but the trick to achieving them is to narrow those dreams into actionable steps. Create a vision board to help you visualize your goals. Try using the SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Timely) goal writing approach.

friends who have similar values or goals as you.

Make a pact. You don’t have to go it alone. Try making a pact with your closest friends to not use marijuana and to wait until you are 21 to drink alcohol. 1 # ProtectUrFriends Pay attention. Pay attention to those around you. Look out for your friends and peers, especially if you think they may be using alcohol or marijuana. 3

2

4

Have a plan.

Be an example.

Have a plan for when you are in a situation where there is alcohol or other drugs. It can be easier to say no when you’re not the only one refusing to use.

Use social media to show your friends and peers how you are taking a stand! Post a photo of you and your friends that shows how you’ve committed to each other to not drink alcohol or use marijuana under 21 and to NEVER ride with an impaired driver.

# TakeAStand

Spread awareness of the dangers of alcohol and marijuana with your peers, become a MADD Teen Leader, read the Teen Booklet, and promote at your school. Learn more at powerofyouth.com Power of You(th)®

Because it is illegal and dangerous, I pledge not to drink alcohol before age 21 or use other drugs. Because I am precious cargo, I pledge never to ride with someone who has been drinking or using drugs. If I find myself in a situation where I feel unsafe or uncomfortable, I pledge to call a trusted adult for a safe ride home.

# BetheExample Show your friends how you are coping with all this stress and pressure in a positive, alcohol-free and drug-free way. Stress will always be there, but you have a choice on how you handle it.

Share your strategies on social media and use #ProtectUrSelfie, #ProtectUrFuture, #BetheExample,

#TakeAStand, and #PowerofYouth. Be sure to tag @madd.powerofyouth.

MADD National President Alex Otte's Story

"In my life, I have been greatly affected by other people’s decisions regarding alcohol. When I was 13 years old, I was run over by a drunk boater. I lost my leg and broke a lot of the bones in my body, including my neck, and also sustained a severe brain injury. My life was changed forever, to no fault of my own, but still I am thankful. Since then, I have received massive amounts of support from my friends, family, and MADD. For many years, I thought that the event that would forever have the greatest impact on my life was the result of another person’s choice. Only years later did I learn that my greatest strength came from the choices that I made for myself, not the ones that someone else made for me. Protect your future, you have the power to take a stand."

Founded in 1980 by a mother whose daughter was killed by a drunk driver, Mothers Against Drunk Driving® (MADD®) is the nation’s largest nonprofit working to end drunk driving, help fight drugged driving, support the victims of these violent crimes, and prevent underage drinking. Visit madd.org or call 1-877-ASK-MADD.

MADD’s program focuses on reducing underage drinking and drug use. At MADD, we know that our hopes for a safer future are riding on tomorrow’s drivers. By getting today’s youth off to a good start, we are taking a giant step toward fulfilling our vision of a nation without drunk driving. Thats’ why we’re focused on Power of You(th)® tackling underage drinking, a problem that threatens the safety of our kids and endangers entire communities, now and down the road. Visit powerofyouth.com to learn more.

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© 2021 Mothers Against Drunk Driving ®