Students in their early teenage years are on the cusp of making choices that could have a significant impact on their health and well-being in the long term. While the majority of first year students (13-year-olds) will not have experimented with alcohol, tobacco or other drugs at this stage, their view and understanding of substance use will already be influenced by the adult world around them. It is beneficial to equip students with the knowledge, attitudes, and skills they need prior to the situation arising where they may decide to experiment, or may feel curiosity or pressure to try tobacco, alcohol or other drugs. Engaging in discussions about substance use in school can have a valuable influence when it takes place before the peer group starts to experiment.

• Activities 1, 2 and 3 in this unit relate to tobacco use.
• Activities 4, 5 and 6 relate to alcohol.
• Activity 7 is about substance use in the general sense, exploring all drugs in society, including
• medication, legal and illegal substances.
• Activity 8 is a life skills activity, focusing on managing pressure to conform to group behaviours.