Drug and Alcohol Attention Grabbers™ - Rotten To The Core

Over the next few weeks, NIMCO will be sharing some "Attention Grabber™" ideas that you can use in class to help teach about the dangers of drugs and alcohol. The “Attention Grabbers™” are designed to assist with teaching and speaking about the adverse effects alcohol and drugs cause to all who are exposed to these addictive drugs. We live in a visual society, making visual aids a needed resource to assist with speaking or teaching thus enabling you to reach your entire audience. The suggestions are designed to assist your alcohol and drug education programs. You may expound upon each scenario as your presentation or speaking time allows. Each “Attention Grabber™” is very cost effective to present with the suggested visual aids to reiterate the information given during your presentation. These "Attention Grabber™" ideas are also great for Red Ribbon Week!

Supplies:

• 3 Bananas (one green, one ripe and one really ripe even black)

Directions:

Take the ripe banana and bump it several times on a table edge about one hour prior to the demonstration. Have a display area that is in plan view of the entire audience. Place the three bananas on the table so they can easily be seen by the group.

Hold the green banana up and explain to the group that the banana is green and needs to mature to be a desirable fruit to eat. Use this analogy to explain to the group that in some ways they are like this banana still maturing with many decisions and choices to make. 

If you choose to use drugs or alcohol, maybe for a while, you can fool your family and friends because you show no visible signs. It won’t be long until you start changing. Put down the green banana and pick up the ripe banana. Hold the banana up and say you may start changing in attitude and appearance but the scary thing is what is going on inside your body. Examine the banana, say it has a few imperfections on the outside, and point those out to the group. Expand on the point that many times you fool yourself into thinking no one knows you are abusing drugs and alcohol because you think you can hide the effects. 

Peel the banana (the one earlier bumped on the side of the table) point out the bruises that were not visible on the outside. Tell the assembled group that this is so scary because alcohol and illegal drugs destroy your body from the inside out. Pick up the very ripe banana that is black in appearance and hold it up in front of the group. Explain that if you continue to use drugs or alcohol you will be just like this banana bruised and abused on the outside and inside. Peel the banana, examine the inside, and point out the undesirable condition of the inside of the banana. Parallel the inside of the banana with the inside of your body if you abuse it with drugs and alcohol.

Every one of you are just like the first green banana (hold it up) growing daily with the choice to make positive decisions concerning your life. You have the personal power to say no to drugs and alcohol. Don’t end up like this (hold up the overripe banana) make the decision to be drug and alcohol free.

* Practice this demonstration prior to the presentation and extend the information on each stage of deterioration as you feel is necessary.

Suggested supplemental materials may be purchased at www.nimcoinc.com

Drug and Alcohol Attention Grabbers™ - Do You See What I See?

Over the next few weeks, NIMCO will be sharing some "Attention Grabber™" ideas that you can use in class to help teach about the dangers of drugs and alcohol. The “Attention Grabbers™” are designed to assist with teaching and speaking about the adverse effects alcohol and drugs cause to all who are exposed to these addictive drugs. We live in a visual society, making visual aids a needed resource to assist with speaking or teaching thus enabling you to reach your entire audience. The suggestions are designed to assist your alcohol and drug education programs. You may expound upon each scenario as your presentation or speaking time allows. Each “Attention Grabber™” is very cost effective to present with the suggested visual aids to reiterate the information given during your presentation. These "Attention Grabber™" ideas are also great for Red Ribbon Week!

Supplies:

• Blindfold

• Masking Tape (Blue found in most paint sections at stores)

Directions:

Put down two straight lines of tape about eight feet long. Allow about 2 feet between the lines. Tell the assembled group that you want to talk with them about the negative effects of drugs and alcohol on your body. Explain to the group that one person is killed every 22 minutes daily in the U.S. in a drunken driving accident. Drinking and driving is the number one killer of Americans between the ages of 17-24. We all think this could never happen to me but I am sure everyone in this room is aware of someone who has been injured or killed in an accident that involved alcohol.

When I heard these facts, not only was I amazed, but I started thinking; “how could this be”. I decided to do some research on my own and you will be amazed at what I discovered. I will need two volunteers to assist me with the demonstration. Have the volunteers join you in front of the group and proceed as follows.

Stand each volunteer at the beginning of one of the lines. Blind fold one volunteer and not the other one. Start talking and as you explain start slowing turning the blind folded individual around and around in place.  

Explain to the group that both of these young adults are at a party. Point to the volunteer that IS NOT blindfolded and explain that all night long he has resisted the offer of alcohol. Facts have proven that 1 out of every 3 Americans do not drink. Point to the volunteer that is not blind folded and tell him that he has just left the party and the only thing that he has drank is soft drinks. Ask him to walk the line from beginning to end. When he completes the task, ask him if it was difficult. The reply should be no. (This entire time continue slowly turning the blind folded volunteer) Ask the first volunteer to stand in the middle of their line. Now explain to the group that this individual has been drinking at the party and has had quite a bit to drink. Now take the blind fold off and ask the volunteer to walk the straight line. The individual will find it difficult and will probably bump into the first volunteer standing on their line. Have a chair available for the dizzy individual to sit in and do not make them finish walking the line if it is to difficult, be ready to assist the youth to avoid a fall.

This is an excellent example of how your judgment and motor skills are affected when you drink alcohol. Many illegal drugs have similar effects. Point out to the group that the drunk volunteer bumped into the volunteer that had not been drinking. Reiterate this is what happens many times to an innocent individual. They are injured or killed because of a drunk driver.

*For an added, bonus you may use “Fatal Vision Goggles” listed below for the entire group to visualize just how alcohol can affect their visual judgment.

Suggested supplemental materials may be purchased at www.nimcoinc.com

Fatal Vision Goggles (Starter Kit with Case) (Click Here to Purchase)