Substance Risk Awareness

Second Class (Requirement 7): Fitness

Substance Risk Awareness

7.c Participate in a school, community, or troop program on the dangers of using drugs, alcohol, and tobacco, and other practices that could be harmful to your health. Discuss your participation in the program with your family, and explain the dangers of substance addictions. Report to your Scoutmaster or other adult leader in your troop about which parts of the Scout Oath and Law relate to what you learned.

Study Resources

Boy Scout Handbook, pages 94-98

Youtube Videos

Drug Abuse Education - It's Your Choice! (developed by Cormack Abbott)

Teen Health: Substance Use and Abuse (Penn State PRO Wellness)

Alcoholism and Drug Abuse in Teenagers (TEDx Talk: Megan Hanley@BarringtonHighSchool)

Wasted: Exposing the Family Effect of Addiction (TEDx Talk: Sam Fowler@FurmanU)

Websites

Get Smart About Drugs (Government Website)

Early Warning Signs of Teen Substance Use (Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation)

*Note: This is a widely used world-wide program indirectly affiliated with the Church of Scientology

Some questions

What are the short term and long term impacts of different substances?

What are governments and others doing to promote prevention and safety?

What can you do to stay healthy?

Which parts of the Scout Oath and Law relate to living a substance free life?

Reasons people give for starting to smoke, drink alcohol, or use drugs

All my friends are doing it. (peer pressure)

I want to get away from my problems

There is nothing else to do

I want to feel grown up

Scout OATH: On my honor I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law; to help other people at all times; to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight.

Scout LAW: A Scout is trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent.