Addictive Disorders & Addiction Therapy

Biography

Biography: Joseph Shrand

Abstract

Objectives: The goal of this session is to present the use of treatment of teenagers in recovery to help reduce and prevent substance abuse in middle- and high-school students. Methods: Drug Story Theater (DST) takes teenagers in the early stages of recovery and teaches them improvisational theater and psychodrama with which they craft their own shows about the seduction of, addiction to, and recovery from drugs and alcohol. They perform these shows for middle schools and high schools so the treatment of one becomes the prevention of many. In between each scene, the teenagers step out of character and create a PowerPoint presentation on the adolescent brain. The audience takes a pre- and postshow survey, which is then collated and analyzed. Five teenagers and three parents created and performed a play called “The Price You Pay.” Results: Students (N = 1,303) were surveyed, and 1,099 answered whether marijuana was addictive or not. Students (43 percent) thought marijuana was addictive before seeing the show, and 60 percent thought that it was addictive after the show (grade 6: 146/26 pre and 175/13 post; grade 9: 164/125 pre and 232/80 post; grade 10: 156/177 pre and 199/134 post; grade 11: 88/106 pre and 112/75 post; and grade 12: 65/146 pre and 111/93 post). Perception shifted in high-school students from 31 percent who thought marijuana was addictive before the show to 54 percent who perceived marijuana as addictive after the show (P < 0.05). Sixth-grade students (71 percent of 212) thought that marijuana was addictive before viewing the show, and 87.3 percent thought that marijuana was addictive after seeing the show. Sixth graders (17 of 31) who did not think marijuana was addictive before they saw the show changed their minds (54 percent; P < 0.01). Students (43.4 percent) in grades 9–12 knew the function of the prefrontal cortex; after the show, 69 percent answered correctly. Students in grades 9–12 (36 percent) knew the function of oxytocin; after the show, 78.3 percent answered correctly. In one school, there was a 3–5 percent reduction in substance use 30 days after seeing The Price You Pay. Conclusions: The perception that marijuana is addictive declined from grades 6 to 12. This perception can be influenced by seeing teenagers in recovery performing a play and teaching about the brain, facilitating prevention of substance use. This model can be replicated in a culture-specific way, creating DST Troupes wherever teenagers are exposed to drugs and alcohol. More research is needed to assess whether the decrease of substance use is sustainable.