In honor of April's status as Alcohol Awareness Month, this week's crop of sites for kids, teens and the grownups that love them focus on the dangers of underage drinking and alcohol abuse.
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"Our goal is to help you stay above the influence. The more aware you are of the influences around you, the better prepared you will be to stand up to the pressures that keep you down." Created by the Office of National Drug Control Policy, this site has facts about all kinds of drugs, from alcohol to tobacco. Although alcohol gets only a single page, I've included it because the rest of the site is worth a visit (or two!) "Alcohol is a depressant that affects every part of your body. The damage it does now can impact the rest of your life."
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Using games and printable activity sheets, Ask, Listen, Learn "provides youth ages 9-14 and their parents with information about the dangers of underage drinking" and the benefits of making healthy choices. Grownups can download the Facilitators Guide, Parents' Fact Sheet, and a variety of printable brochures that will help teachers incorporate the site into lesson plans and guide parents on using the site to promote dialogue with their teens about the dangers of alcohol abuse.
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"A place for teens to check out where they are with drugs and alcohol." Check Yourself offers quizzes and decision games providing older teens a safe place to explore their lifestyle choices. "Most importantly, visitors will be able to get factual answers to questions about substance abuse, learn how to talk about their concerns with people who can help them, and get information about counseling and treatment facilities."
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Created for middle-school kids, The Cool Spot offers eleven to thirteen-year olds a realistic look at alcohol usage among their peers. "Teens tend to overestimate how much kids their age really drink. When they learn more accurate information, some of the pressure to drink can subside." Best clicks include the Reality Check quizzes (the answers might surprise you), Peer Pressure Bag of Tricks (learn to identify some common peer pressure tactics) and Know Your No's (learn which "no" is the most effective.)
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"Did you know that most young people aged 12 to 20 do not drink? You don't need alcohol to fit in, deal with stress, or have fun. Check out this site for more facts about alcohol use and reasons why you should be too smart to start." With separate portals for youth, teens and grownups, Too Smart to Start engages with quizzes, facts, videos, myth busting, printable resources and games. For more online inspiration, look for the web sites listed in each section under "Resources."
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By Barbara J. Feldman. Originally written on Apr 24, 2012.
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Buy Alcohol Awareness Printable for $2.00 or try a FREE trial of the Printables Club
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Honorable Mentions
The following links are either new discoveries or sites that didn't make it into my newspaper column because of space constraints. Enjoy!
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