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In the 21st century, the prevalence of various addictions is an alarming tendency on a global scale. There are different components to the formation of such factors, and some of them are directly related to the childhood period. This stage of life is essential to both physical and psychological development of a person. The foundation for the behavioral patterns and key personality traits is laid during childhood. Accordingly, being exposed to addiction-associated factors at this stage is highly alarming. It is not limited to the immediate environment of a child, as long-term addictions are formed that persist into adulthood. Thus, the elimination of such factors is a key part of the global agenda today.
As it is generally accepted, prevention is always better and more feasible than the cure. In their pilot study, Copeland et al. (2010) introduce a school-based alcohol, tobacco, and drug prevention program titled The Wise Mind. This framework effectively embeds “psychoeducational, social influence, and social competence components” (Copeland et al., 2010, p. 522). The purpose of it was to eliminate the age-related rise in positive drug, alcohol, and tobacco expectancies among the participating children. The implementation of the method relied on the use of advanced questionnaire that provided the researchers with sufficient data to reflect and address the children’s inclination toward any form of addiction. The study saw an active participation of the educator staff who promoted healthier attitudes among their students. As a result, the authors of the project report an observable decrease in addiction-forming expectancies among the participants.
The core of The Wise Mind study can be expanded and utilized for the implementation of a full-scale prevention program. As can be inferred from its examination, most measures currently undertaking to address the problem are related to the informational support at school. Furthermore, middle school appears to be the crucial stage that largely determines addiction expectancies in the long-term. In order to address the problem in its entirety, the proposed program should not be limited to the school environment exclusively. On the contrary, it should encompass a child’s activities in their entirety, including the domestic and extracurricular activities. One of the key actions to take is to provide them with healthy alternatives that are incompatible with addiction. As such, policy-makers can introduce new, affordable athletic opportunities for young people. This doesn’t have to be any form of professional sports, as even light exercise will stimulate healthier behavior.
Nevertheless, school occupies a position of pivotal importance in a young person’s life. While today’s institutions make efforts to the prevent the development of addiction among their students, the issue persists. This implies that the measures require a quality expansion to become a full-scale element of the education process. Schools can organize specialized boards for the prevention of alcohol, tobacco, and drug use, comprising medical workers and psychology experts, which can be done in collaboration with local public health institutions. The work of the board will include regular lessons on the risks of addiction, promoting healthy behavior. More importantly, early adolescents seek more profound peer integration, imitating their own role models. At this age, children become more distant from their parents, and this is when addiction-forming factors are encountered (Knight, 2017). Thus, the participation of older students who can serve as the ultimate role models in a mentor-mentee relationship is a highly beneficial novelty of the proposal.
Evidently, the role of the parents is not to be underestimated, as well. In spite of the age-conditioned alienation, children always continue to rely on their families. Thus, the educational element of the program should not be limited to the classroom. Instead, the Board and its partners can actively engage in community outreach, teaching parents from an adult perspective. This way, family bond and influence as one of the most important cultural elements are engaged. This multi-level approach will facilitate the prevention of addition-forming behavior among children by placing them in a healthy environment with the prevailing role of positive values.
References
Copeland, A. L., Williamson, D. A., Kendzor, D. E., Businelle, M. S., Rash, C. J., Kulesza, M., & Patterson, S. M. (2010). A school-based alcohol, tobacco, and drug prevention program for children: The Wise Mind study. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 34(6), 522-532. Web.
Knight, Z. G. (2010). A proposed model of psychodynamic psychotherapy linked to Erik Erikson’s eight stages of psychosocial development. Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy, 24(5), 1047-1058. Web.
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