Alcohol and Vulnerable Groups(The youth, women and the

community)

Pubudu Sumanasekara

Executive Director

Alcohol and Drug Information centre (ADIC)

Sri Lanka

16.07.2009-SDN,Thailand

Prevention activities

CAN LEAD TO REDUCED USE

CAN LEAD TO NO CHANGE

CAN INCREASE USE

EFFORTS TO REDUCE DRUG INJECTING ..

CAN LEAD TO REDUCED INJECTING

CAN LEAD TO NO CHANGE

CAN INCREASE INJECTING

EFFORTS TO REDUCE HIV TRANSMISSION

CAN LEAD TO REDUCED SPREAD

CAN LEAD TO NO CHANGE

CAN INCREASE SPREAD OF HIV

‘PARADOXICAL RESULTS’

EXAMPLES ARE AVAILABLE FROM OTHER AREAS TOO (e.g., some preventive actions for):

- SUICIDE

- REDUCING STIGMA FOR MENTAL ILLNESS

LET’S WORK OUT SOME THINGS

TRY AND FIGURE OUT FEATURES OF A ‘DRUG PREVENTION INTERVENTION’ THAT

a. Helps reduce use

b.Is ineffective

c. Makes things worse

A COMPARISONSchool A

1. Students know the law on drugs

2. There are strong punishments for drug use

3. Harm of drug use is part of the curriculum

4. Students believe drugs give great pleasure and joy

5. Students see drug users as tough or daring

School B

1. Students are not sure about the law

2. The school is rather relaxed about discipline

3. Drug use is not taught as part of the curriculum

4. Students do not think drugs cause great pleasure or joy

5. Students see drug users as weak or insecure

Which factors are likely to encourage or discourage use?

• Students know little or much about the law

• The school is strong on discipline or not

• Drug related harm is in the curriculum

• See drugs as highly pleasurable or not so

• See drug users as tough or weak

Reasons for the answer?

PREVENTING DRUG USE AMONG YOUTH

THINGS FOUND NOT TO BE EFFECTIVE

• One-off activities

• Didactic, or one-way lectures

• Providing factual information about danger

• ‘Drug user testimony’

• Teaching students to “Just say no” to drugs

Factors promoting drug use among youth (some examples)Direct promotion

Advertisements(print media, electronic media)

Sponsorships ( cultural activities, sports, musical shows, other events etc)

Indirect promotionsProduct placements

Films, soap operas

Motor Racing – Marlboro, Rothmans

Number of scenes promoting alcohol and tobacco in films continue to rise following advertising

restrictions.

Children believe what they see …!

• Only 40% parents are aware that their children imitate the heroes they see on TV.

PREVENTING DRUG USE AMONG YOUTH

Examples of required changes - 

• Attractiveness of image of drug use

• Expectations of drug effects

• Image of users and non-users

• Symbolic meanings attached to use

• Seen as the norm or expected behaviour in the group

• Privileges or penalties attached to use

Example: ‘Reducing the attractiveness’

How can drug use be made less and less attractive? • Help students understand how a positive image of

these is built up.• Help them see who contributes to this image and

why.• Teach them how to reverse or counteract these• Help them to measure the progress achieved

POSSIBLE STRATEGIES

FORMAL

Discussions /assignments on:

- How drug use is made to look attractive, special, pleasurable or ‘the norm’

- How the drug trade works

- Who are students most likely to start use

INFORMAL

All these findings need to be applied to ‘informal’ or everyday life

POSSIBLE STRATEGIES..

MOST DISCUSSION SO FAR WAS ABOUT ‘CONTENT’

WE SHOULD LOOK AT “METHODOLOGY ” TOO

How should required content be delivered?

(METHODOLOGY)  Our interventions must be able to engage

students Not boring compared to how promotion is

done Should become part of student culture and

not be a ‘academic topic’ Should be interesting or challenging

ACTIONS WE CAN START NOW

SEE WHAT WE CAN DO IN DAILY LIFE

(Be the change you want to see in this world)

- our own ideas about alcohol

- what we see media building up

SEE WHETHER WE CAN CHANGE A SELECTED SMALL GROUP

- a group of youth that you know

- ...............

COMMUNITY CHANGE

• GENERATING COMMUNITY ACTION THROUGH OUR OWN EXPERIENCES

• MEASURING THE PROGRESS WITH COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION

HOW CAN WE PROCEED?

CREATE POOL OF HIGHER LEVEL TECHNICAL EXPERTISE

GENERATE CORE OF ‘MASTER TRAINERS’

CONTINUE TO IMPROVE OUR OWN UNDERSTANDING

WHAT IS OUR PLAN OF ACTION?

• FOR NATIONAL RESPONSE

• FOR LOCAL EXPERIMENTATION

• FOR EACH OF US PERSONALLY

COMMON OBSTACLES

• ATTACHMENT TO THE FAMILIAR

• FEAR OF LEARNING NEW SKILLS

IMPROVING SKILLS

• MAIN SHORTCOMINGS TO BE FILLED

• TRAINING AND FEEDBACK

• CREATING USEFUL MATERIALS

THANK YOU

For more information: www.adicsrilanka.orgEmail:adicc@sltnet.lk