Overview of SMART Moves: Substance Use 

SMART Moves is a suite of targeted programs and supplemental topic-specific modules that can be used to help youth develop healthy decision-making attitudes and skills. Each program and module reflects contemporary youth development best practices in a flexible format that allows Clubs and Youth Centers to customize learning for the needs and interests of their youth and communities. The SMART Moves suite consists of: SMART Moves: Emotional Wellness, SMART Moves: Core and a series of topic-specific SMART Moves modules. 

The goal of this SMART Moves: Substance Use module is to influence attitudes and teach essential skills to enable youth to make healthy decisions about substance use. As a result of participating in this module, youth will be able to:

• Describe the health risks associated with substance misuse 
• Describe how substance misuse can impact their goals
• Describe how media and peers influence a young person’s views on substance use
• Apply decision-making and refusal skills to substance misuse 

This SMART Moves module is intended to be used only after youth have completed the SMART Moves: Core targeted program. In SMART Moves: Core, youth are introduced to foundational healthy decision-making skills, such as goal-setting, effective communication, a decision-making process, refusal skills and critical thinking about media messages. It is essential that youth are introduced to those foundational skills first so they can practice them in the context of this module’s sessions on substance use. 

Family and Caregiver Resource 

The supplementary Family and Caregiver Resource in this module invites families to talk about substance use and share their attitudes and values about medicine. This module includes a sample Family and Caregiver Substance Use Discussion Guide for families and youth to use together to continue learning about substance use. Each Family and Caregiver Resource supports a particular session of the SMART Moves: Substance Use module. 

Additional Supporting Resource

Opioid and Substance Use Prevention Guide 
This is a comprehensive resource guide to help Club and Youth Center leaders and staff initiate conversations about the continuum of substance use, while equipping them with the knowledge to address addiction. This guide includes an introduction to the opioid crisis, along with an assessment and planning tools for designing a prevention initiative. It also includes a menu of prevention strategies – for staff, youth, families, and school and community partners. You may choose to include these strategies in your plan, along with resources to help implement them. 

Commonly Asked Questions for Group Discussion 

The section is adapted from the Values Question Protocol in the FLASH curriculum from the Seattle and King County public health department. Below are some commonly asked questions from youth about substance misuse, along with facts to help you answer questions while you’re facilitating this SMART Moves module. When answering questions, remember to reply in ways that use the GUIDE approach:  

• GU – Give recognition and thank them for asking 
• I – Identify the facts
• D – Describe how a behavior might impact a young person’s future goals 
• E – Explore referrals to trusted adults to provide guidance 

QUESTION: Why are some drugs legal if they are bad for you? 

RESPONSE: Thanks for asking that! All legal drugs are not bad, but some drugs – like nicotine – are bad for everyone all the time. There is no safe level of nicotine, and it has no positive outcomes. Other drugs like Tylenol can sometimes be good for you. If someone takes the appropriate dose of Tylenol when they need it for a medical reason, like a fever, it can be helpful. But if someone takes too much, it can be harmful. Some drugs are legal because they can help you get better, however, if you misuse them, they become harmful. 

Ask these questions to follow up with youth: 

• How might using drugs impact your future goals? 
• Who is another trusted adult you could go to if you have questions about this?

QUESTION: Why do some people get addicted to drugs while others don’t? 

RESPONSE: Thanks for coming to me and asking me this question! Addiction happens when someone misuses drugs and the drugs begin to alter their body, mind and affect how they relate to people. Everyone is at risk for drug addiction if they misuse drugs. However, there are things that make some people more at risk than others, such as using drugs at an early age when the brain is still developing, or having family or friends who misuse alcohol or drugs. Even if someone has risk factors, they may never use drugs or develop a drug addiction. It’s important to talk with a trusted adult about addictions or drugs and share things you’ve learned in this program. 

Ask these questions to follow up with youth: 

• How might being addicted to drugs prevent you from achieving your goals? 
• Who is another trusted adult you could go to with questions about this topic?