This Is Your Life Drug Free

Julian, Rachel, and Daniella were all hooked on drugs before they were sixteen years old, and started their substance abuse before they were in junior high. Now in their late teens, they are recovering from choices that have caused long-term, if not permanent damage: not just to their bodies, but also to their minds, their families, and their futures. Each one tells his or her story through sound bites from a school focus group and in interviews shot in their homes, offering brutally honest commentary about being a user, from the steady breakdown of their lives, to how marijuana and alcohol served as "gateway" drugs to further abuse. While the program is generally effective, and the consequences of drug abuse are shown to be chillingly harsh, the use of dramatic re-enactments of situations (Daniella ODs; Julian gets locked out of his house) somewhat detracts from the otherwise powerful realism. Too, the decision to include scenes from the 1930s anti-marijuana film Reefer Madness, which simply gives kids a big laugh, seems ill-judged. The video, aimed at grades 9-12, is also available in a one-minute shorter version for grades 6-8, removing a segment in which Rachel and Daniella talk about being raped as a direct result of drug use. I'm not sure I agree with the alteration, especially since these girls were middle schoolers when they began their drug use, and girls in that age range need the warning just as much as older teens. Even though the video has its faults and the price may be prohibitive for many, this is still recommended, with reservations. Aud: I, J, H. (E. Gieschen)