The problem of drug use is one of the most relevant in the modern world. She did not bypass Russia. The non-medical use of psychotropic substances is constantly growing in the country , and especially in the youth and teenage environment.
The situation is so acute that it requires active and decisive action. And the initial stage in the fight against this problem is the prevention of drug addiction in the educational environment.
Cause of the problem
Teenage drug abuse has spread as a result of the multifaceted crisis of public life that has swept our country. The cause of this problem was also:
- unstable social and economic living conditions of the population, which created uncertainty about the future, destroyed the generally accepted and traditional ideals;
- increased crime;
- war
- depreciation of human life.
Prevention of addiction and school
The main character traits of a person are formed in early childhood. This is preschool and primary school age. In this period, it is important to have the right effect on the child. He will carry all the rules and norms studied by a small man through his life. One of the parts of the educational process should be the prevention of drug addiction in the educational environment. Unfortunately, the addiction associated with the abuse of psychotropic substances is currently epidemic-wide. Moreover, there is a constant further spread of this phenomenon.
In this regard, the prevention of drug addiction in the educational environment is of great importance. It provides a whole range of measures aimed at preventing the occurrence of this phenomenon.
Drug addiction is a special condition when a person constantly thinks about the dose and seeks to get it to eliminate mental discomfort. For the sake of euphoria, such people go to great lengths. They easily cross the boundaries of moral standards, destroy their families, commit any crime, including murder. All the interests of the addict are reduced only to the extraction and subsequent use of psychotropic substances. That is why, as a rule, only antisocial personalities are in the circle of his communication. Society seeks to return such people to a full life and reduce the growth of drug addiction.
An important role for solving this problem is assigned to the school. Prevention of drug addiction and substance abuse among adolescents is of great importance. And this is not surprising. It is adolescents who most often become victims of harmful addictions. Prevention of drug addiction in the educational environment is designed to influence the formation of the child’s own opinion. A teenager should have a clear idea of psychotropic substances, their effect on the body, as well as what consequences their use carries.
The fight against drug addiction in school is the primary preventive measure. It aims to work with children who do not have experience in taking psychoactive substances. The task of teachers is to create adolescents' personal immunity aimed at resisting the first dose.
In today's world, people spend all their time earning livelihoods. Parents have no time to monitor changes in the behavior of children and the appearance of danger signals. Teachers take on this task, because the child spends most of his active time in school.
Fundamentals of pedagogical prevention
The fight against drug addiction within the walls of an educational institution sets itself the task of forming the following for adolescents and youth:
- universal values;
- skills and knowledge of psychological defense against involvement in antisocial activities;
- healthy lifestyle.
Primary prevention of drug addiction in educational institutions focuses not on the problem itself and its consequences, but on the disclosure and development of the resources of the individual and the psyche, as well as assisting the young man in the self-realization of his personality. The school is designed to educate students so that they can independently cope with their life problems and psychological difficulties without taking drugs. And only a mentally healthy and developed personality is capable of this.
Modern anti-drug education
Previously, pedagogical prevention was the education in a child of certain patterns and standards of behavior. This is not enough today. Current anti-drug education is designed to create attitudes that children must form on their own. However, drug prevention work should eliminate the inverse effect of increased interest. In other words, the information that is communicated to the students should be selected in such a way as not to provoke a child’s search activity and not arouse his desire to verify the accuracy of the information on his own experience. The data on the effect of certain drugs on the human body should not indicate the likelihood of death. Otherwise, this can provoke the child to the real actions of suicide.
The purpose of preventive measures is to create personal immunity to taking the first dose, not only at the level of understanding, but also at the level of emotions and sensations coming from the subconscious. How to achieve such a result? To do this, you need to introduce elements of unobtrusive influence on students into the daily process of pedagogical work.
Basic skills training
Prevention of drug addiction in school should form the student:
- self-preservation skills (do not accidentally drink an unknown medicine, do not become a passive smoker, avoid contact with drug addicts);
- emotional rejection of the so-called narcotic patterns of behavior (people who use psychotropic drugs are miserable and sick, and it’s not prestigious to be like them);
- the realization that the transition to a state of dependence is quick and imperceptible (for some people it is enough to use a dose once);
- own life position, which will allow you to outline your circle of interests and build positive relationships with others without the help of a glass or cigarette;
- ability to defend one’s point of view in any situation.
Conducting conversations
A lecture is the main event for drug prevention in an educational institution. Her goal is humane. Children listen to the story of drugs and their dangers. However, often the teacher tries to describe the condition that a person who uses drugs seeks to experience. It happens that some students concentrate on this. Hearing about the positive effects of drugs, they have a desire to experience such a condition. That is why, when considering the topic "Prevention of drug addiction", experts suggest discussing the problem in a discussion form.
Classroom Hours
Prevention of drug addiction and substance abuse in schools should be carried out through the efforts of teachers. One of the means that a teacher must take into his arsenal is a classroom hour. “Addiction and its harmful effects on humans” is a topic that should be considered during its implementation. It is advisable to invite police officers and doctors to this event. They will give mini-lectures for children on how harmful drugs are. This will allow you to get the maximum positive effect from the event.
A teacher of any profile can well spend such a class hour on his own. Addiction should be the main topic of the conversation. In this case, it is desirable to have visual aids. Addiction posters can be prepared in advance by the guys themselves. For a better understanding of the severity of the problem, it is advisable to show a documentary or slides.
Theme Day
It will not be superfluous to carry out activities for the prevention of drug addiction in a school-wide framework. To do this, organize a thematic day dedicated to the problem. Students must also participate in the event. They can be entrusted with the task of preparing drawings on this urgent topic. The result of children's creativity does not hurt to ask a school psychologist. The specialist will be able to fully assess the students' education on this issue and identify existing knowledge gaps.
Work with parents
The greatest interest in the results of the upbringing and development of the child should be shown by the family. However, most parents view drug addiction as an individual problem that exists in individuals. Often, fathers and mothers are mistakenly convinced that the troubles that psychotropic drugs bring to mankind will not affect their child. Sometimes the adult population lacks elementary skills and knowledge on this topic. It also does not allow the child to have the desired educational impact.
There are also parents who seek to hide the fact of drug use by their child. They take their offspring to specialists in private practice, but this further exacerbates the problem.
From the foregoing, we can conclude that part of the prevention of child drug abuse is to conduct outreach with parents. The main areas of such activities are as follows:
- the formation of an active family attitude to the anesthesia of their child;
- taking precautionary measures to prevent the emergence of addiction;
- organizing a healthy environment in which there is intolerance to drugs.
The main task of the work of school teachers with the parents of students is to familiarize dads and mothers with the psychological characteristics that a child has, as well as explain the correct ways of behavior during family conflicts that determine the behavior of a teenager.
The task of the teacher is also to help parents realize the social and environmental resources available in the family. This will help loved ones overcome the problems associated with relationships. Using the knowledge gained, parents themselves determine the strategy and direction of their actions.
The organization of preventive anti-drug work with students' parents is handled by the deputy director for educational work, as well as a school psychologist, class teachers, social teachers and attracted specialist lecturers. At the same time, each of the employees performs his task in this process. So, representatives of the administration of an educational institution monitor and coordinate all preventive work. At the same time, teachers who have closer contact with schoolchildren and their parents organize extra-curricular activities and highlight the problem of drug addiction in the classroom.
The school doctor does not stand aside. It is an important part of preventive anti-drug work, being an advisory point for parents, teachers and children. Active support for the educational process provides a school psychologist. This specialist provides all possible psychological assistance to students and their parents.
The bodies of student self-government also take part in the organization of drug prevention. They conduct sociological research, create volunteer movements and actively participate in all anti-drug activities.
International drug day
Psychotropic drugs bring many troubles to mankind. How to stop the epidemic of the century? There are special services for this. In tribute to all those who have not bowed their head before a disaster and are trying to prevent its inevitability, International Day against Drug Abuse is celebrated in all countries of the world. It is held on June 26. This day was approved by the UN General Assembly back in 1987. This decision was made in order to prove that world society strives for life without dependence on psychotropic substances.
Humanity has been fighting the fight against drugs for a long time. Representatives of 13 countries were looking for ways to limit the import of these substances from Asian countries back in 1909, when they gathered at a meeting of the Shanghai Opium Commission. Unfortunately, the problem does not go away over the years, but is becoming more acute. Opium was replaced by heavier drugs that were used intravenously. Another concern is that, with its spread, the disease is becoming younger. According to statistics from the Ministry of Health, today in Russia there are 400 thousand drug addicts. However, experts believe that this figure is much larger.
Almost all students of large universities in the country know who sells drugs, and where you can take the next dose, and 25% of Moscow schoolchildren said during a survey that they had already tried psychotropic substances before the age of 15.
World experience convincingly shows that prohibitive measures do not help stop this evil. That is why the slogans put forward by the International Day against Drug Addiction every year are not prohibitive. For example, in 1999 the event was covered by the words “Music against drugs,” and in 2001, “Sports against drugs.” During this International Day, the UN pays special attention to the fact that teachers, families and children should recognize the existence of the problem and take all possible preventive measures to prevent its spread.