School and police officials in Wyoming are working to determine how best to help teens understand the risks of underage drinking. They're finding that the most common approach - showing shocking images of accident scenes - may not be the most effective.

"'From what I've read, I think the approaches which try to shock students, either through videos of terrible accidents or other videos that emphasize the gruesome nature of things, the conclusions there are they are not effective and may be counterproductive,' [First Lady Nancy] Freudenthal said. Freudenthal isn't exactly sure why that's the case, but said it might be because students typically don't believe bad things can happen to them."

On city has implemented an incentive-based plan that rewards kids who stay drug and alcohol free. Indications are that 80 percent of the students there are participating in the program. Officials also emphasize the importance of parental involvement in the fight against underage drinking and substance abuse. Read more at CasperStarTribune.net.

DrugRehabTreatment.com offers news and information about adolescent substance abuse and underage drinking. Learn more about how parental attitudes influcence their child's choices today.

Labels: education, influences, prevention