Denver classroom plays the Good Behavior Game (Images courtesy Addiction Science & Clinical Practice)The American Institutes for Research in Washington, DC, is the 2012 Mentor International Best Practice in Prevention Award winner for the Good Behavior Game, an evidence-based substance abuse prevention program funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the National Institute of Mental Health.
The Good Behavior Game is a 1st – 2nd grade classroom activity designed to teach children about appropriate behaviors. When interviewed about 15 years later, participants were less likely to report a drug or alcohol use disorder, smoking, suicidal attempts or thoughts, or an antisocial personality disorder (compared to students who hadn’t played the game). Males whose first-grade teachers identified them as aggressive and disruptive benefited the most. More information about the Good Behavior Game can be found at www.drugabuse.gov/news-events/nida-notes/2010/04/behavior-game-played-in-primary-grades-reduces-later-drug-related-problems
The Mentor Foundation, founded in 1994 by Her Majesty Queen Silvia of Sweden in collaboration with the World Health Organization, identifies and develops best practices and effective policies in drug abuse prevention.
For more information, contact the NIDA press office at media@nida.nih.gov or 301-443-6245.
Example of rules posted for Good Behavior Game (Images courtesy Addiction Science & Clinical Practice)