Criticizes a "Cosby Show" episode for airing mixed messages about teenage drinking. Instead of negotiating a logical consequence for their daughter's misbehavior, the TV parents (the Huxtables) projected the message that drunkenness is funny and a hangover is a fitting punishment. (MLH)

In many ways young people appear to be using and abusing alcohol as a ritual in their "rites of passage" to adulthood, perhaps as a symbolic means to demonstrate their "adultness." Anthropologists have documented the importance of rites of passage rituals for marking the successful passage from one position in a social…

Notes that most individuals who receive treatment for alcohol or other drug problems fail to maintain abstinence. Sees it as essential that school counselors be aware of relapse prevention strategies and use these strategies proactively when adolescents complete treatment. Discusses strategies, adapted from work using cognitive-behavioral…

Alcohol and drug use may be a significant part of the adolescent, high school experience. Programs should be based on an understanding of attitudes and patterns of use, and how change occurs. Elaboration Likelihood Model of Persuasion is a framework with which to examine attitude change and provide a base for building sound drug prevention…

Excessive drinking creates countless personal disasters, including job losses, bankruptcies, suicides, divorces, crimes, lost friendships, and ruined family life. Nearly 1 in 10 adults meets criteria for chronic alcohol abuse or alcohol addiction, and 1 in 4 Americans feels the pain caused by alcohol problems. How can a democratic society safely…

Discusses drug use in U.S. history. Argues that a "get-tough" approach did not work in the past and will not work in the future. Suggests that history can provide a scholarly assessment of drugs, foster understanding of drugs in contemporary society, and enable students to evaluate drug policies more objectively. (DK)

Considers the role of the district attorney as a catalyst for aggressive school-based educational programs to help young people avoid trouble with the legal system. The author argues that schools are the logical sites to provide services in alcohol- and drug-abuse prevention, and discusses ways of using education to deal with the root causes of…