Purpose: To make students aware of drug offers and to teach them how to say no to drug offers from friends or acquaintances.

Objective: Students will be able to recognize and say no to drug offers from friends or acquaintances.

Procedure:

1. Drugs that are not medicines are harmful because:

• They change the way the mind and body work

• They cause people to have accidents

• They are habit-forming

• It's against the law for students to use them

2. Ask students "If these drugs are harmful, why do some people use them?" and "Why do you think these people try to get other people to use these drugs?" to get a discussion started.

3. Tell students that today they are going to learn two ways to say no to offers of tobacco and alcohol from friends and acquaintances. Discuss why it is important to learn how to say no in a friendly way.

4. Call on selected students to come to the front of the room to demonstrate each of the two ways. 

 Say no thanks and walk away

"Would you like a beer?"
"No thanks." Walk away.

Say no thanks, give a reason or excuse, and walk away.

"Would you like to try smoking this?"
"No thanks, I don't like the smell." Walk away.

5. Call on pairs of students to come to the front of the room to practice using the ways to say no. Have one student make the offer and the other the refusal. Then reverse roles so that both students have an opportunity to practice how to say no. 

6. Summarize the lesson by telling students that the more times they use the ways to say no, the easier it gets. Also emphasize that this technique can be used to refuse other drug offers.

This lesson used with permission from DARE Officer Ed Barragan