Data from the last decade (The Recovery Village) shows rates of middle school substance abuse and addiction in kids as young as 11 or 12 years old have swelled across the United States. In 2015, more than 8% of 8^th graders have reported using illicit drugs.  To assist in the fight to turn the tide in this area, the Boone County Cooperative Extension Service (program materials, volunteer lunch, and manpower) partnered with Boone County Schools (morning snacks, guest speakers, community volunteers, and manpower) and offered Truth & Consequences at two of our middle schools.

575 7th grade students participated in the substance abuse educational program which consisted of four, one hour sessions. Students heard from recovering addicts and how their lives have been affected by substance abuse. They also watched a video about how the rest of the family is affected by having a member as an addict and listened to family members discuss losing a child/sibling to a drug overdose. Another session required the students to select a scenario (written by the school) and go through the steps of that scenario speaking with actual court workers, law enforcement, pharmacists, funeral directors, etc. The students were also given the opportunity to discuss what they experienced during the program with trained therapists while in a small group setting.

389 students returned a written evaluation conducted four weeks after the program. From these, 90% have a better understanding of the emotional consequences of substance abuse, and 93% now know how and where to access help for substance abuse. Also from the written evaluation, when asked about substance use in the last 30 days prior to T & C, 13 students admitted to smoking at least once, 5 to alcohol usage, 18 to prescription pain medicines, and 5 to illegal drugs. 30 days after participation, 7 students admitted to smoking, 3 to alcohol usage, 5 to prescription pain medication, and 2 to illegal drugs. Changing behavior takes a long time, hopefully this is the first step in the right direction. Because of the success of the program, two additional middle schools are looking to add T & C next year.