Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drug Prevention
Why School-based Prevention Matters
The latest findings from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health and the Youth Risk Behavior Survey published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention send a clear message: prevention must start early. National data shows a significant proportion of teens report current use of alcohol, marijuana, or nicotine vaping products, with vaping now more common than traditional cigarette smoking. The research also confirms that early substance use is strongly associated with increased risk for later substance use disorder and other long-term health consequences. Although overall overdose deaths declined slightly in 2023, they remain historically high and are driven largely by opioids, underscoring the importance of prevention long before adulthood.
Schools play a critical role in reducing youth substance misuse. Consistent, evidence-based instruction helps students recognize risks, strengthen protective factors, and build the decision-making and refusal skills needed to navigate peer pressure and real-world situations. When prevention education is developmentally sequenced and reinforced across grade levels, students are better equipped to make healthy choices that last.
A Trusted K–12 Prevention Solution
The Michigan Model for HealthTM is a trusted, research-based solution used by schools nationwide to deliver comprehensive alcohol, tobacco, and other drug prevention education from kindergarten through grade 12. The curriculum provides age-appropriate instruction that builds knowledge and skills over time, helping students make informed decisions, resist peer pressure, and support healthy, substance-free lifestyles. Skills are introduced early, reinforced consistently, and strengthened as students mature, creating a strong foundation for lifelong health.
2023 national data findings underscore the critical importance of comprehensive, developmentally sequenced prevention education in schools to reduce youth substance misuse and its harms.
Compelling Teen Substance Use Highlights (2023)
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Nearly 1 in 5 adolescents (ages 12-17) reported illicit drug use in the past year, with marijuana being the most commonly used substance.
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Nicotine vaping remains one of the most prevalent substance use behaviors among teens, surpassing traditional cigarette smoking.
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Alcohol continues to be widely used among adolescents, with a significant portion reporting past-month use despite legal age restrictions.
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Early substance use strongly correlates with later substance use disorder (SUD) prevention before high school remains critical.
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Although overall overdose deaths slightly declined in 2023, opioids continue to drive the majority of fatal overdoses, reinforcing the need for early prevention education before exposure risk increases.
Alcohol, Tobacco & Other Drugs
Grades K-2: Building Awareness and Safety
Young children learn the difference between medicines and harmful substances. Instruction helps students understand that alcohol, tobacco, nicotine, and other drugs are unsafe for kids and should only be handled by trusted adults. Students practice simple decision-making and refusal skills, focusing on recognizing unsafe situations and knowing how to seek help.
Key Skills Developed:
- Refusal skills
- Basic decision making
Key Topics:
- Safe versus unsafe substances
- Alcohol, tobacco, and nicotine awareness
Grades 3-5: Understanding Effects and Influences
Upper elementary students learn how alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, and vaping affect the body and brain. Lessons explore peer pressure and media influences on substance misuse. Students practice refusal skills in realistic situations and develop advocacy skills to promote healthy choices.
Key Skills Developed:
- Refusal skills
- Analyzing influences
- Advocacy
Key Topics:
- Effects of substances on health
- Peer and media influence
- Vaping prevention
Grades 6-8: Prevention, Brain Health, and Advocacy
Middle school instruction deepens students’ understanding of addiction, brain development, and increased risks of substance misuse during adolescence. Lessons address current priorities, including vaping, opioids, and prescription drug misuse. Students practice advocacy, support friends, and make informed social decisions.
Key Skills Developed:
- Refusal and resistance skills
- Analyzing social influences
- Peer advocacy
Key Topics:
- Addiction and brain development
- Opioid and prescription drug misuse
- Vaping and nicotine prevention
Grades 9-12: Informed Decision-Making and Peer Support
High school students examine the short- and long-term health, legal, and social impacts of substance misuse. Instruction includes opioids, vaping, marijuana, and other substance misuse, emphasizing real-world application. Students develop advanced skills in critical thinking, advocacy, and peer support to promote substance-free lifestyles and make responsible choices as they transition to adulthood.
Key Skills Developed:
- Critical thinking
- Refusal and advocacy
- Peer support
Support for Teachers and Families
Teachers are motivated and better able to teach any subject if they understand the issues related to the topic. The Michigan Model for Health™ offers training prior to implementation of the health curriculum and provides scripted lessons with Google slides, hands-on materials, worksheets, handouts, family resources, assessments and other resources.
Family resources provide parents and caregivers with information and guidance to help children make healthy and substance-free choices. These resources:
- Explain the effects of alcohol, tobacco, vaping, prescription drugs, and marijuana, offer strategies for prevention, and show how to recognize signs of substance misuse.
- Connect families to support services and provide activities to build skills such as decision-making, refusal, and coping which gives families practical tools to support prevention at home.