by Michael E. Holstein, William E. Cohen, et al. (CNS Publications, Inc., 1995)

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Summary:

A Matter of Balance is a comprehensive workbook that could be completed as a stand-alone course or used to pull exercises and facts for handouts.  It offers practical applications, skill-building exercises, challenges to think critically about issues, and specific activities to practice and apply to the students’ own situations.  It covers abstention and limited use by focusing on self-assessment, stress reduction, natural highs, refusal skills, self-esteem and models for change.  It also leads students through strategies for harm reduction and self-protection when the goal is controlling use.  It suggests a series of first steps for intervention and treatment.  The material is presented in three in-depth sections:

• Heredity, Environment, Psychoactive Drugs, Getting High Naturally, Making Personal Changes
• Environmental Pressures to Use, the Media, Resiliency, Relationships, STD’s, Anger, Changing the Current Environment
• Halting the Progression, Recognizing Signs and Symptoms of Substance Abuse, Practical and Ethical Dilemmas of Enabling, Eating Disorders, Mentors and Role Models, the Costs of Use, Where do I Go From Here

Why does FASTEN recommend this resource?

This workbook is written for young adults in their late teens and intended for courses in substance abuse, health and wellness and counseling, as well as for programs in athletics and peer advising.  It could also be included in “surviving college” courses, in a DUI program, as prevention for at-risk teens, or in a probationary program.  It is written from a secular viewpoint but provides excellent information and worksheets that could be used as supplementary material in a faith-based program.

Storytelling Power Book

by Annabelle Nelson (The WHEEL Council, Inc., 1997)

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Summary:

Originally developed as a youth empowerment program for middle school students, this dynamic and multicultural substance abuse prevention book focuses on personal responsibility and realizing the power you have to “create your life.”  The activities help build protective factors such as a healthy self-concept, problem-solving skills and hope for the future.  There are six sections emphasizing different types of power available to teens:

• Knowledge Power: includes information about alcohol, drugs, and their effects
• Skill Power: teaches techniques to help students refuse drugs when offered
• Personal Power: uses stories to highlight attitudes helpful for becoming healthy and successful
• Character Power: uses stories to highlight character traits helpful for becoming healthy and successful
• Culture Power: examines cultural constructs, subcultures, and cultural symbols
• Future Power: addresses plans for the future and the power of role models

The content is very creative and keeps youth engaged.  Some of the folktales include spiritual elements that are not mainstream (shamanism, spirit helpers, and demons) and possibly not appropriate in a traditional faith setting.  A Storytelling Power Book Facilitator’s Guide is also available for purchase.

Why does FASTEN recommend this resource?

The Storytelling Power Book’s focus on visual art is different than most prevention resource and therefore provides interesting supplementary materials and activities for any middle school prevention program.  Art work and group sharing is very important to each section and there are suggestions for integrating the young peoples’ own culture with community storytellers, dance groups, cooking, and crafts.