Start Taking Alcohol Risks Seriously (STARS) for Families is a school-based health promotion program that aims to prevent or reduce alcohol use among middle school youth ages 11 to 14 years. STARS for Families has three components. Youth receive individual consultations about alcohol use, parents and guardians receive information at home on how to talk to their children about alcohol, and families complete take-home lessons together designed to enhance communication. The overall goal is abstinence from or delayed initiation of the use of alcohol.
Protecting You/Protecting Me
Protecting You/Protecting Me (PY/PM) is a 5-year classroom-based alcohol use prevention and vehicle safety program for elementary school students in grades 1-5 (ages 6-11) and high school students in grades 11 and 12. PY/PM consists of a series of 40 science- and health-based lessons, with 8 lessons per year for grades 1-5. Lessons focus on brain development, vehicle safety, and life skills. Parent take-home activities are offered for all 40 lessons. High school students can train to deliver the curriculum to elementary school students, and learn specific content about how alcohol use impacts adolescents. The overall goals are to reduce alcohol-related injuries and death among children and youth due to underage alcohol use and riding in vehicles with drivers who are not alcohol free.
Project Venture
Project Venture is an outdoor experiential prevention program designed primarily for 5th- to 8th-grade American Indian youth. The program is designed to foster the development of positive self-concept, effective social interaction skills, a community service ethic, an internal locus of control, and improved decision-making and problem-solving skills. Students participate in classroom-based activities, experiential activities such as camping and hiking, adventure camps and wilderness treks, and community service learning. The overall goal is to develop the social and emotional competence that facilitates youths’ resistance to alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use.
PRIME For Life
PRIME for Life (PFL) is a motivational intervention for adults, and has been used primarily among court-referred impaired driving offenders. Trained instructors use multimedia, guided instruction, and motivational interviewing techniques to increase participant motivation to change their perceptions of the risks of drug and alcohol use. The overall goals are to reduce risk of alcoholism or addiction, reduce intention to use substances, and reduce substance use-related crimes or delinquency.
PALS: Prevention through Alternative Learning Styles
Prevention through Alternative Learning Styles (PALS) is a school-based prevention program for middle school students. Teachers or PALS staff members lead students through five units, presented in ten lessons, which cover the following topics: learning styles and differences, effects of alcohol, tobacco, and drugs on the brain and body, peer pressure, and healthy choices. A supplemental website provides additional lessons and a peer mentoring program with interaction games and presentations. The overall goals are (1) reducing intentions to use substances, (2) increasing students’ use of refusal skills, and (3) enhancing students’ knowledge of the effects of ATOD, peer pressure and healthy decision-making, and different learning styles.
Family Support Network
Family Support Network (FSN) is an outpatient, multi-provider, substance abuse treatment program targeting youth ages 10-18 years. FSN includes 12 sessions of cognitive behavioral therapy for the adolescent, six family education meetings addressing recovery and family management issues, four home visits to reinforce the family’s commitment to treatment for the adolescent, and case management to address barriers to treatment. The overall goal is abstinence from substance use.
