ASACS

The main objective of Heidelberg Middle School's Adolescent Substance Abuse Counseling Services (ASACS) is to prevent teens from becoming involved with alcohol or other drugs at a time so critical to their healthy development as vital, functioning adults. Our focus is on helping teens make healthy and safe choices and then teaching parents and community members how to support them in their choices.

The ASACS program provides adolescents who are engaging in risky behavior, who have already experimented with alcohol or other drugs, or who have begun to use more regularly, an opportunity to learn more about substance abuse, its impact on their lives, and provides the skills to work through the issues caused by substance abuse. This program also helps adolescents who have been affected by someone else's use by providing them with a safe place to begin to sort out their feelings and learn more about the effects of substance abuse in their lives.

Risk Factors for Adolescent Substance Abuse

Frequent parent-teen conflicts
Academic failure
Lack of involvement in school activities
High truancy and suspension rates
Alienation, rebelliousness, and lack of social bonding
Friends who use drugs
Favorable attitudes toward drug use
Early first use of alcohol and other drugs
Frequent family moves and parental absenteeism
Parental drug use and positive attitudes toward use
Family history of alcoholism
Positive expectations regarding alcohol and drug use