FCD (Freedom from Chemical Dependency) Four-Day Course

Class 1: Addiction

Build a shared vocabulary by defining common terms

Educate students on the physical components of addiction

Remove the stigma of guilt and shame surrounding addiction

Clarify what it means to be in recovery

Offer hope on how others can get help

Identify the risk factors for addiction

Emphasize the dangers of experimentation

Encourage and support the non-use of alcohol and other drugs during adolescence

Class 2: Alcohol, Tobacco, and Marijuana

Educate on the potency of beer, wine and "hard" liquor

Illustrate the physical impact that alcohol has on the brain and body

Challenge the notion that alcohol is safer than other drugs

Address frequently asked questions

Discuss reasons for delaying alcohol use

Educate on tobacco, tar, carbon monoxide

Explain how nicotine works

Present the physical effects of smoking

Explain the effects of spit tobacco

Discuss perceptions and consequences of tobacco use

List the common terms for marijuana

Explain what marijuana is and what it looks like

Educate students on the long- and short-term consequences of marijuana use

Address the risks of one-time use

Clarify questions about marijuana's potency

Discuss myths surrounding marijuana use

Class 3: Facts About Other Drugs

Ask students which drugs they are most likely to encounter

Answer questions about specific drugs

Explore the risks of one-time experimentation

Educate on the addictive aspects of specific drugs

Brainstorm some of the common terms for specific drugs

Clarify misinformation that students may have

Share personal anecdotes

Discuss the long-/short-term consequences of becoming drug-involved

Class 4: Solutions and Alternatives

Help students identify protective factors already in their lives

Encourage new ways of developing protective factors

Support the non-user

Explore age-appropriate refusal skills

Validate our natural desire to get high

Offer a sampling of natural high techniques

Brainstorm other ways to get high

Discuss natural highs vs. getting high with substances

Educate on stress management

Identify warning signs of a problem

Define enabling and denial

Find an adult to trust

Encourage students to take care of themselves