Reality Matters: Drug Danger and Deadly Highs 4th Grade Guidance

Student Objectives Examine the influence of families and peers. Understand the cycle of addiction to drugs and what can be done to prevent it. Student Objectives

What image comes to mind when you visualize a drug addict What image comes to mind when you visualize a drug addict? As you watch the program, think about the choices that led these students to drug addiction. Note why the students were drawn to drugs and consider the consequences of the students’ action. Essential Questions

VIDEO

Is it really possible to engage in casual drug use? Explain the meaning of this question: Do you control the high, or does the high control you? At what point does drug use become addiction? Discussion Questions

Define addiction drugs Definition: Physiological dependence on a certain drug Definition: Substances such as alcohol, marijuana, and cocaine that are unhealthy, illegal in some cases, and can lead to addiction Context: Alex thought that he could snort cocaine without developing an addiction, but he soon learned that he couldn’t control his cravings. Context: At some of the parties given during middle school, a few kids brought drugs for others to try. cycle of addiction peers Definition: A downward spiral of unhappiness, followed by drug use and temporary relief, that leads to physical and mental dependence Definition: A group of people of the same age, grade, and social standing Context: As young people move from childhood into adolescence, they become more involved with their peers. Context: By the time Jake’s mother realized that he had a drug problem, he was an addict, the final phase in the cycle of addiction. Define