Good Practices
Early use of substances (II)
If -- as mentioned in an earlier article -- early age of first use is just a symptom of childhood development problems (like poor self concept and poor relations with parents) and not an actual cause of later alcoholism, age of first consumption may not be as important as previously thought. However, early use may cause more developmental problems, and there are safety concerns surrounding the use of alcohol and other drugs at an early age, so it is still important to prevent or delay first use of alcohol, tobacco or other drugs. Here is an example of how information on age of first use could be used to develop drug education goals, using Canadian statistics as an example:
In Canada at younger ages (ages 6-9), there is little use of illegal substances, so there is little need to give attention to these substances. For this age group, goals need to focus on safety concerns and sensible use of medications (e.g., headache pills, pain relievers) and other potentially hazardous household products.
An exception to this is in communities where inhalant use occurs. In these communities, information on inhalant use needs to begin in the 6-9-year-old period, given the younger age of first use of inhalants. Because of the potential immediate and long-term harms involved, goals need to centre on preventing the use of inhalants through more intensive educational programming. Counselling may be justified for those students who are using inhalants or are at risk of using them.
For many youth aged 12-13, the first substances used are tobacco, alcohol and cannabis. Activities aiming to prevent or delay first use of these substances needs to begin at age 9 or 10. Children at this age are generally not using or considering using illegal substances, so specific attention to substances other than cannabis may not be needed until age 12 or 13.
Ages 12-13 are particularly important years for substance abuse prevention for a number of reasons. Students at this age are vulnerable due to developmental changes and changes in school, friends, academic pressures and their environment (e.g., greater accessibility to various substances). Intensive prevention efforts need to be focused during these grades, prior to the transition to secondary school.
Because use increases with age, later drug education programmes need to include messages aimed at minimizing the harms associated with heavy or risky substance use.
What do members think? What are the goals or main messages of school drug education in your countries?