That’s the number of 5th through 8th graders who voluntarily participated in the Twenty-second Annual Rite Aid Drug Quiz Show. These wonderful students (all winners in our eyes), representing over 200 schools throughout New York State, studied the materials provided and became engrossed in the exciting “game show” format. As a result, they were able to answer questions such as:
1. What drug is involved in 1/3 of all suicides, 1/2 of all murders, and 1/2 of all fatal car accidents?
2. Name 2 characteristics of inhalants that make them particularly attractive to 10- to 15- year-olds.
3. What is the difference between “blacking out” and “passing out?”
4. Would it be an overstatement to say that cigarette smoking is now as important a cause of death as the great epidemics of typhoid, cholera, and tuberculosis in the past?
5. What is leukoplakia? *
Students became conversant with the legalities, benefits, and risks of substances as diverse as prescription pills, steroids, chewing tobacco, and crack. They learned the health benefits of laughter and techniques for handling stress positively. They became familiar with important life skills (decision-making, ways of reducing personal risk factors, saying no, etc.). In a word, through the program they learned to make decisions based upon fact vs. myth, on sound thinking vs. emotion.
Perhaps that’s why the community has been so supportive. Each of our sponsors knows that substance abuse is our nation’s #1 health problem. Moreover, they recognize the power and potential this prevention strategy has to provide more than mere information (i.e., to make available specific tools as well as confidence in dealing with peer pressure) to thousands of public, private, and parochial school students at precisely the time research indicates they typically are faced with having to make their first real-life decisions about alcohol and other drug use.
According to John Learish, Senior Vice President of Marketing for Rite Aid, “Rite Aid is a proud sponsor of the Rite Aid Drug Quiz Show, a program that empowers young people to educate both themselves and their peers about the risks of substance abuse. Education is an invaluable first step in understanding and dealing with the problem. Together, Rite Aid and participants in the Rite Aid Drug Quiz Show are helping people live happier, healthier lives.”
The Rite Aid Drug Quiz Show is essentially a volunteer run, cost-effective project with a proven track record of replicability. It has won numerous awards including the New York State Education Week Competition and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ highest honor: the Secretary’s Award for Excellence in Community Health Promotions. With pride in our progress and even greater hope for the future, we look forward to the day when all students will have this opportunity to positively influence their own growth and development!
*1. Alcohol.
2. Accessibility and low cost.
3. During a “blackout” a drinker remains awake but suffers temporary memory loss; the next day he/she can’t remember what happened while drinking. In contrast, people who “pass out,” actually become unconscious
4. No, not according to the British Royal College of Physicians
5. White, leathery, potentially pre-cancerous patches that can appear in the mouth, for example, as a result of a person’s using chewing tobacco.
-Link to story
