“In the school settings, teenagers draw conclusions about alcohol and drug abuse from what they see and hear from their friends, classmates, and teachers. When schools establish drug and alcohol policies that clearly state expectations and penalties regarding use by students, they help reinforce the fact that underage drug use is not an acceptable form of behavior.” (from Phillip [2006])

I chose this passage as my MVP not because I think it is valuable or a fresh take on the subject of underage drug and alcohol abuse; I chose it for the opposite reason. This is, in my view, an extremely simplistic and trite view of substance use prevention in young people. BUT, it is overwhelmingly the most common and practiced method/school of taught among parents and educators! This passage is, in the text, part of a conclusion and stated as one of the major takeaways of the chapter. To me, it represents a very broken system that is actually a driving force in the problem of underage drug abuse!

What the passage expresses is a nice ideal, of course, but much like teaching abstinence only as far as sex-ed in schools, it is simply unrealistic and dangerous to focus only on completely stopping substance use in teens. I advocate more a more harm reduction type approach; to be honest, I feel that some degree of experimentation with alcohol and certain drugs (marijuana) is completely normal in the high school years. As uncomfortable as it is to admit it, perhaps under the right circumstances teens can navigate these choices in a way that is responsible and does not have detrimental effects on their life long term life. The key to this, however, is not being moralistic; instead laying out the natural consequences clearly and then (most importantly) telling which and how substances can be used (relatively safely). Just saying no might be the solution in a perfect world, but this is not a perfect world. If our goal is to keep kids safe, a new and progressive kind of drug and alcohol education is needed, and with it new policies in schools so that rather tham fearing getting in trouble, kids can ask questions and get help when they need it. As a former teen and now as an adult (ish), I feel strongly that laying out zero tolerance policies and talking only about how absolutely horrible underage drinking and drug use are, contrary to this passage, does not work well at all! Unfortunately, this is the prevailing mindset of educators, at least up until now. As a new, young and progressive generation of teachers, it is our job to change this. And in doing so hopefully help kids stay safer and prepare them for a more fulfilling life ahead!