This supplement is based
largely on the Social Influences Model—the drug
education approach that has been shown to be most effective
for junior high school students by research over the past
25 years. This model sees adolescent use of substances as
the result of influences from peers, the media, and the
general culture. These social influences take the form of
messages that appear to condone substance use, for example:
modeling of alcohol and other drug use by peers and media
personalities, persuasive advertising appeals, and/or
direct offers by peers to use substances. For the purposes
of this supplement, personal influences stemming from
normal adolescent development (e.g., need for independence,
to experience risk) are also viewed as an important source
of influence. This model aims to create greater awareness
of these three spheres of influence — personal,
social or interpersonal, and cultural or environmental
— and to develop skills to analyze and minimize their
impact.