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This Is (Not) About Drugs (TINAD)

An in-class, one-hour prevention program for grades 6-12 on the risks of using prescription and illicit opioids

In response to a lack of evidence-based youth education on the risks of opioid use, the Indianapolis non-profit Overdose Lifeline (ODL) developed a one-hour curriculum targeted to grades 6-12.  Objectives of the program are to:

  • communicate that prescriptions opioids are in the same class of drugs as heroin, and that the same risks, including overdose, are present when using them
  • teach students to recognize the signs of an overdose and how to respond, including use of naloxone
  • encourage students to resist peer pressure to use opioids and other drugs
  • demonstrate productive, non-drug coping strategies when dealing with life stresses

The curriculum has been presented in over 22 states and has reached over 45,000 students in Indiana and other communities. It is supported in part by by the Anthem Foundation, the Indiana Department of Education, and the Indiana Division of Mental Health and Addiction.

More information on the program and its effectiveness can be found here and here. 

The overall quality and content of this presentation is an excellent tool to raise awareness of teens and drug use, specifically prescription drug use and misuse.

Continuum of Care
Prevention
Harm Reduction
Type of Evidence
Peer-reviewed
Report with evaluation
Replicated
Response Approach
Early Intervention
Educational
Overdose prevention
Peer-reviewed Article
Preliminary Evaluation of a Prescription Opioid Misuse Prevention Program Among Rural Middle School Students
A Quasi-Experimental Evaluation of a School-Based Prescription Opioid Misuse Education Program
Related Resources
Awareness, Education, and Collaboration: Promising School-based Opioid Prevention Approaches
The Opioid Use Disorder Prevention Playbook
Addressing the Opioid Crisis through Community Prevention: An Application of the Seven Strategies for Community Change
Prescription Drug Community Action Kit: Safe Medication Disposal Guide
Evidence for State, Community, and Systems-Level Prevention Strategies to Address the Opioid Crisis
The Impact of the Opioid Epidemic on Children and Adolescents
Targeting Youth to Prevent Later Substance Use Disorder: An Underutilized Response to the US Opioid Crisis
Youth and the Opioid Epidemic
Prevention of Prescription Opioid Misuse and Projected Overdose Deaths in the United States
Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS)
Monitoring the Future
This Is (Not) About Drugs (TINAD).pdf

Evidence of Program Effectiveness

"...results indicate that TINAD is able to significantly increase students understanding of the risks associated with prescription pain pills, the similarity between heroin and prescription pain pills as well as their awareness of naloxone." Carson, D., Quasi-experimental evaluation of TINAD, 2019

 

"Participants were 576 7th grade students (Mage = 11.8; 51% boys; 39% Hispanic, 31% White, 20% Black) from a rural county in the southeastern U.S. All participants received the TINAD program and completed pre-test and immediate post-test assessments. The program was school-based and implemented in collaboration with school teachers and administrators. Over 91% of all eligible students in the school district participated in the TINAD program. Most participants found the program acceptable—over 83% of students liked the program. Approximately 9% of participants reported prior misuse of prescription opioids. After participating in TINAD, students self-reported higher knowledge and self-efficacy as well as safer attitudes. However, there was no change in intentions to misuse opioids in the future." (Evans et al., 2020)