KIDPOWER
07-17-2008, 08:38 AM
Good Morning, UofMom,
Peer pressure is the biggest reason why young people start smoking, in spite of all education to the contrary. As a result, more and more experts are recommending that refusal skills specific to being pressured to smoke be taught and practices with young people, starting by middle school.
Below are some tactics from a government website,
http://www.saskatoonhealthregion.ca/about_us/documents/A12.pdf
Although this site doesn't give credit for this, the names of the tactics come from a book called How to Say No and Keep Your Friends: Peer Pressure Reversal for Teens and Pre-Teens by Sharon Scott, who has given permission to KIDPOWER to incorporate ideas from her books into our program. http://www.sharonscott.com/books.html. Her system of teaching peer pressure refusal skills is well-thought out and useful. I've added other tactics she recommends: Make a Joke and Use Flattery
Refusal Skills
1. Say “No Thanks”
Ineffective:
Offer: “Hey, you want a smoke?”
Response: “Uh, well … I don’t think so.”
Effective:
Offer: “Hey, you want a smoke?”
Response: “No thanks.”
2. Walk Away
Offer: “Hey, you want a smoke?”
Response: “No thanks.”
Offer: “Come on. Just take a puff.”
Response: “I don’t want to.”
Offer: “It’s real cool. Just try it!”
Response: “I said No.” (turn and leave with head up and back straight)
3. Broken Record
Offer: “Hey, you want a smoke?”
Response: “I don’t smoke.”
Offer: “Just one puff – it won’t hurt you!”
Response: “I don’t smoke.”
Offer: “Is that all you can say?”
Response: “Yes, because I said I don’t smoke!”
Offer: “Okay, okay. I get the message.”
4. Give an Excuse
Offer: “Hey, you want a smoke?”
Response: “No way! I don’t want to get addicted.”
5. A Better Idea
Offer: “Hey, you want a smoke?”
Response: “I’ve got a better idea. Let’s go ____________________________.”
(Insert a realistic activity appropriate to your students.)
6. Make a Joke
Offer, "Hey, you want a smoke?"
Response, "Do you know the REAL reason why dinosaurs became extinct? They smoked!"
7. Use Flattery
Offer, "Hey, you want a smoke?"
Response, "I care about you. Why would you want to endanger your health like that?"
I'd love to hear about your experiences and ideas on this.
Irene
Peer pressure is the biggest reason why young people start smoking, in spite of all education to the contrary. As a result, more and more experts are recommending that refusal skills specific to being pressured to smoke be taught and practices with young people, starting by middle school.
Below are some tactics from a government website,
http://www.saskatoonhealthregion.ca/about_us/documents/A12.pdf
Although this site doesn't give credit for this, the names of the tactics come from a book called How to Say No and Keep Your Friends: Peer Pressure Reversal for Teens and Pre-Teens by Sharon Scott, who has given permission to KIDPOWER to incorporate ideas from her books into our program. http://www.sharonscott.com/books.html. Her system of teaching peer pressure refusal skills is well-thought out and useful. I've added other tactics she recommends: Make a Joke and Use Flattery
Refusal Skills
1. Say “No Thanks”
Ineffective:
Offer: “Hey, you want a smoke?”
Response: “Uh, well … I don’t think so.”
Effective:
Offer: “Hey, you want a smoke?”
Response: “No thanks.”
2. Walk Away
Offer: “Hey, you want a smoke?”
Response: “No thanks.”
Offer: “Come on. Just take a puff.”
Response: “I don’t want to.”
Offer: “It’s real cool. Just try it!”
Response: “I said No.” (turn and leave with head up and back straight)
3. Broken Record
Offer: “Hey, you want a smoke?”
Response: “I don’t smoke.”
Offer: “Just one puff – it won’t hurt you!”
Response: “I don’t smoke.”
Offer: “Is that all you can say?”
Response: “Yes, because I said I don’t smoke!”
Offer: “Okay, okay. I get the message.”
4. Give an Excuse
Offer: “Hey, you want a smoke?”
Response: “No way! I don’t want to get addicted.”
5. A Better Idea
Offer: “Hey, you want a smoke?”
Response: “I’ve got a better idea. Let’s go ____________________________.”
(Insert a realistic activity appropriate to your students.)
6. Make a Joke
Offer, "Hey, you want a smoke?"
Response, "Do you know the REAL reason why dinosaurs became extinct? They smoked!"
7. Use Flattery
Offer, "Hey, you want a smoke?"
Response, "I care about you. Why would you want to endanger your health like that?"
I'd love to hear about your experiences and ideas on this.
Irene