Childrens Theatre of Charlotte

presents

By Dennis Foon

TEACHER RESOURCE GUIDE:

LESSON PLAN ACTIVITIES and RESOURCES
Childrens Theatre of Charlotte is privileged to bring the Alcohol & Substance Abuse Prevention
Program, featuring a production titled Liars, to your school.
This Program is designed specifically to support the North Carolina Essential Standards in Health Education
for Eighth graders. The goal of this Program is to give students information concerning alcohol and
substance abuse to make healthy, informed, positive choices and choose effective ways to deal with peer
and societal pressure. This Guide provides general information about Liars along with some activities to
help you bring the curriculum to life for your students.
North Carolina Essential Standards: Health Education Grade 8
8.ATOD.1 Analyze influences related to alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use and avoidance.

ABOUT THE PLAY ...

Lenny and Jace are classmates. Despite apparently different personalities, they have one thing in common:
they are both children of an alcoholic parent.
LIARS deals with the effects that a parents addiction to alcohol can have on a family, and the strength and
support that Lenny and Jace find in their discovery that they are not alone in their problems. Through her
friendship with Jace, Lenny gradually decides that this is one secret she cannot keep, no matter the
consequences of telling the truth. As she and Jace promise each other, No matter what We gotta be
there for each other. It is our only chance. Well keep talking. Well be friends.

A NOTE FROM DENNIS FOON, THE PLAYWRIGHT

The effects of alcoholism in the family are far reaching and devastate the lives of thousands
of people young and old. In researching Liars, I have been astounded at the depth of the
problem and how people I know personally are struggling as adults with their childhood
experiences as a child in an alcoholic household. In writing Liars, I also began to realize
that the play is really about dysfunctional families. Its about growing up without stability in a
home without communication and trust and honesty and how that kind of experience
shapes a young persons reality and the choices they make with their lives. If kids dont get
the support they need at home, they look to other adults for help. I hope this play and the
study guide will help facilitate communication so that some of the kids who are going through
problems like Jace and Lenny can make contact with people who are willing to listen to them
and help them find the help they need.
THIS PROGRAM IS MADE POSSIBLE IN PART BY THE SUPPORT OF:

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION - Following the performance

1. After seeing the production of Liars, is it what you expected it to be? Discuss some things about the play
that were different than what you expected.
2. Were the characters presented realistically?
3. Were any of the characters enablers? If so, how did they enable?
4. What characters were physically and/or psychologically dependent on a mood-altering drug?
5. Lenny and Jace chose different ways of coping with their problems, throughout the play and at the end.
What were these? What might be some problems they will face based on the final decisions they reach?
6. Who are the liars?
7. What are common stereotypes regarding alcoholic families? Does the play reinforce or contradict them?
8. How does the media encourage or discourage the use of drugs and/or alcohol?
9. How do friends and family encourage or discourage the use of drugs and/or alcohol?
10. How does society encourage or discourage the use of drugs and/or alcohol?
Whos the Dummy?
The play includes an interesting artistic convention: symbolic characters represented by life-size dummies.
The playwright introduces this artistic decision in the script. This concept can be abstract for some students, and
several may leave the show wondering what the dummies were intended to represent. Some leading questions
can begin a conversation about the purpose of the dummies. For example: Does every character in the play
have a corresponding dummy? Which characters do? Is the dummy always with the character or not? Think
about objects that serve as symbols such as chains, ladders, keys or mirrors. If the dummy is a symbol, what
might it represent? These questions could lead to the following explanations, or others.
Since alcoholism is a burden, perhaps the dummies represent the heaviness, discomfort and uneasiness that
addiction places on a person. It illustrates that addiction follows you, shadows you, envelops you and haunts
you everywhere you go.
Sometimes alcoholics describe themselves as a shell of the person they once were. For some, the dummy in
the play may represent the hollow, lifeless, unresponsive, exhausted body that they feel as a result of addiction.

CONCEPTS AND DEFINITIONS

Alcoholism: A primary, chronic disease with genetic, psychosocial, and environmental factors influencing its
development and manifestations. The disease is often progressive and fatal. It is characterized by
continuous or periodic use, impaired control over drinking, preoccupation with alcohol, use of alcohol despite
adverse consequences, and distortions in thinking, most notably, denial.
Drug Dependent: Compulsive/habitual use of drugs which continues in spite of growing problems in any
area of life, be it familial, social, professional, financial, or health.
Addiction: In this context, a term interchangeable with dependency.
Physical Dependency: A state in which the body becomes so accustomed to the presence of a drug that
the person experiences discomfort without it and over time, may require more to achieve comfort.
Physical Withdrawal: Symptoms experienced when someone with a physical dependency stops taking their
drug of choice. Examples include headaches, tremors, nausea, chills, hallucinations and convulsions.
Psychological Dependency: Feeling emotionally reliant on drugs or alcohol.
Psychological Withdrawal: A period of adjustment when someone with a psychological dependency stops
taking their drug of choice. Harder to treat than physical withdrawal, psychological withdrawal involves
learning new methods of coping, communicating, and dealing with ones feelings without drugs.
Tolerance: Adjustment made by the body to the continued presence of a drug. Increased tolerance results in
the need for increased consumption to achieve the drugs desired effect.
Enabler: Person who enables an alcoholic to keep drinking by denying the alcoholism, supplying alcohol, or
by covering up or shielding the alcoholic from the consequences of his/her behavior. An enabler can be a
family member, friend or social agency and believes that he/she is acting in the best interest of the alcoholic.
North Carolina Essential Standards: Health Education Grade 8
8.ATOD.1 Analyze influences related to alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use and avoidance.

QUICK FACTS ABOUT ALCOHOL USE

Alcohol affects every organ in the body

Alcohol is a central nervous system depressant
Alcohol slows a persons reaction time and impairs judgment and coordination
Excessive drinking may result in memory loss and shrinkage of the brain
Older siblings alcohol use can influence the alcohol use of younger siblings in the family
Youth who use alcohol before age 15 are four times more likely to become alcohol dependent than adults
who begin drinking at age 21
Underage drinking is illegal. Consequences for drinking while underage could lead to criminal charges
Consequences of youth drinking include risky sexual behavior, poor school performance and increased risk
of suicide and homicide
Excessive alcohol use is the 3rd leading lifestyle-related cause of death in the US each year

Statistics from North Star Council for Alcohol and Drug Education, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and National Institutes of Health.

GROUP DIALOGUE
The purpose of this exercise is to help students look at which needs are met by drug use and explore ways of
meeting needs without drugs.
1. Ask the students to identify different types of drugs that people take. Create a list on the board or flip chart.
Include prescription drugs, legal drugs and illegal drugs.
2. Ask the students to brainstorm reasons for people taking drugs. Create a list of at least 20 reasons.
3. Discuss the fact that we all have basic needs such as food, clothing, housing, money. Brainstorm other
needs that people have.
4. Suggest that needs could be categorized into four areas:
The need to be oneself is the need to be in control of yourself, to make your own decisions, and to
have personal power.
The need to be somebody is the need to have and achieve constructive goals (job, education, etc.)
It is also the need to be respected by other people and to be recognized for your contribution or
accomplishments.
The need to belong is the need to have fun, to have friends, and to feel that you are a member of your
community. It is also the need to be loved/loving and cared for/caring.
The need to experience the beyond is the need to recognize and develop your spiritual or religious
side. It is also the need to relax, to think things out and to do things other than your usual activities.
Write the need categories across the top of the board. Ask the group to fit the list of needs (from
question three) under the most appropriate heading.
5. Ask the students to fit the list of reasons for drug use (from question two) under each need category.
Discuss why each reason is being placed under a particular heading. It will seem that reason for drug use
will fit under more than one heading and may meet different needs for different people or at different times.
Points to be discussed include:

Initially, a person may have only one or two reasons for using drugs, but the more dependent a person
becomes, the more reasons he/she has for his/her drug use.
Using drugs is easier than learning to how to cope. If coping skills are not used on a regular basis, a
person can lose these skills and must relearn them.
If a person decides to quit using drugs, he/she cant ignore the needs the drug was meeting. To be
successful, drug-free ways must be found to meet those needs.
Does drug use really meet any needs, or does it just make the user think his/her needs are being met?

6. List the need category headings again on the board. Brainstorm how the various needs can be met without
the use of drugs.
Childrens Theatre of Charlotte acknowledges Manitoba Theatre for Young People, Sandra Ferens and Green Thumb Theatre for information and resources.

North Carolina Essential Standards: Health Education Grade 8

8.ATOD.3.2 Identify positive alternatives to the use of alcohol and drugs

STUDENT ACTIVITY - TRUE OR FALSE

Divide students into 6 groups and assign each group a substance:

Alcohol

Tobacco

Cocaine

Marijuana

Ecstasy

Chrystal Meth

Provide each group with the three facts listed below. Ask each group to brainstorm about the substance and
come up with three false statements about it. Each group will then present their substance to the class, stating
their six facts - three of which are true, and three of which are false. As each fact is presented, a group
member will write a key word or phrase on the board representing each statement. Once all six have been
presented, the class votes which are true and false. The group then reveals to the class which statements are
true and false. Have the class discuss if they were surprised or have feedback about the statements.
ALCOHOL

Almost 50% of kids who start drinking before they're 15 end up as alcoholics.
Alcohol dulls your reflexes and blurs your judgment. You might wake up tomorrow and not know where you are!
Last year, 43% of the deaths from teen car crashes were alcohol-related.

TOBACCO

Everyday, over 3,000 Americans under age 15 get hooked on cigarettes. Yet each year, only 3 out of every 100
smokers successfully quits smoking.
A recent survey showed that 86% of teenagers would prefer to date a non-smoker.
Tobaccos most highly addictive chemical, nicotine, is also used in bug poisons. Other deadly chemicals in cigarettes
are ammonia (found in toilet cleaners) and formaldehyde (used to preserve dead animals).

COCAINE

Cocaine is very addictive. Once you're hooked, it's impossible to feel pleasure the same way as before.
Even first-time users of cocaine can have seizures and heart attacks.
Cocaine gives some people a sensation of power, but it often leaves the body unable to function.

MARIJUANA

Marijuana is addictive. More teenagers are in drug treatment programs for addiction to marijuana than for all other
illegal drugs combined!
Some people believe getting high helps you study, but research shows it damages memory and attention span
making it harder to solve problems and learn new information.
Smoking weed doubles your chances of experiencing severe depression later in life.

ECSTASY

Ecstasy damages the part of the brain that creates memory. It causes severe memory loss even weeks after use.
Ecstasy can cause heart failure, kidney failure, and sometimes even death the very first time you use it.
There's no way to tell what's in it. If something goes wrong, ER doctors have no way of knowing what you took.

CRYSTAL METH

The chemicals used to make meth are really bad for your teeth. Plus, it makes you grind and clench your teeth to the
point where they crack.
Meth makes you psychotic! Some users think they feel bugs crawling under their skin.
Crystal meth can destroy your skin. Someone who used to be attractive will suddenly look awful.

North Carolina Essential Standards: Health Education Grade 8

8.ATOD.2 Understand the health risks associated with alcohol, tobacco and other drug use.

FOUR FACTORS OF LONGEVITY

The term LONGEVITY refers to the length and quality of your life. Four factors influence your longevity:

Healthcare

Heredity

Environment

Lifestyle

Write each factor of longevity across the board as illustrated above and ask students to demonstrate which
factor they think MOST influences your longevity by making a human bar graph. To do this, students form a line
in front of the term that they think is the most influential factor. Once every student has chosen a line, ask them
to remain standing and then vocalize the results. For example, According to you, Healthcare contributes about
30% to your longevity, Heredity is also about 50%, Environment looks to be about 10% and Lifestyle about
10%. Have students take their seats and then reveal the real percentages:

Healthcare: 10%

Heredity: 20%

Environment: 20%

Lifestyle: 50%

Emphasize that 50% of how long and full your life can be is up to you and the CHOICES you make. Ask
students if they are surprised by the answers and encourage them to discuss why. Will it make them
reconsider some of the choices they have made?

THE PERIL OF THE DREAM

This activity is most effective when Part I is done near the beginning of class and Part II toward the end. The
exercise is simple, but extremely powerful.
PART I: Have students write down their dream for the future on a piece of scrap paper. Encourage them to
think big - dreams can include their ambitions for college, career, or family. Reassure students that no one
will see what they have written unless they choose to share their dream. Perhaps tell students what your
ambitions were when you were their age. Some dreams may seem unattainable, but that is OK - dreams have
no limits. Once they have written down their dream, they should put it away in their desk or pocket, etc.
PART II: Ask students to take out the dreams they wrote down earlier. Approach a student, and ask him/her to
give you their dream. Reassure him/her that you will not look at it or show it to the class. Take the dream and
improvise a short story of the devastating things that can happen to someone when they choose to abuse
alcohol or drugs. As you tell the story, tear up the piece of paper slowly and very dramatically to make a point
about dreams not coming true as a result of bad choices. At the conclusion of the story, ask the class why
you tore the dream into pieces.
Sample story: One night after ball practice, Joe called his mom and told her he was going
to go to a friends house to study for a math test. His mom knew math wasnt his best subject
and so she understood that hed need to study late. Instead, Joe went to a party. Hed never
drank before but he didnt want to feel stupid in front of his older friends, so he drank a beer.
It tasted so bad, that he downed it. Thinking that meant he liked it, someone put another in
his hand. Before he knew it, hed had 5 beers and he felt really sick. He didnt tell anybody,
but he was scared. He got in his dads car and headed home. He knew the roads like the
back of his hand, but he was having a hard time keeping on the road. He was concentrating
so hard that he was going under the speed limit. He got scared that that might attract
attention, so he sped up and then he was going too fast. The traffic light ahead of him was
yellow, but hed been so focused on his speed and staying on the road that he didnt know
how long it had been yellow. So he sped through the light. He T-boned a car as it crossed the
intersection. etc
Students are often quiet and reflective after their classmates dream is in pieces on the floor. Some have just
received a wake-up call, others feel empowered. Invite students to share their dreams if they want to. Leave
the shredded dream on the floor for the duration of the class.
North Carolina Essential Standards: Health Education Grade 8
8.ATOD.1 Analyze influences related to alcohol, tobacco and other drug use and avoidance.

ALCOHOLISM AND FAMILIES

This information may be useful to read or distribute to students.

Living with an Alcoholic

If you live with a parent who drinks, you may feel embarrassed, angry, sad, hurt, or any number of emotions.
You may feel helpless: When parents promise to stop drinking, for example, it can end in frustration when they
don't keep their promises. Problem drinking can change how families function. A parent may have trouble
keeping a job and problems paying the bills. Older kids may have to take care of younger siblings. Some
parents with alcohol problems might mistreat or abuse their children emotionally or physically. Others may
neglect their kids by not providing sufficient care and guidance. Parents with alcohol problems might also use
other drugs.
Despite what happens, most children of alcoholics love their parents and worry about something bad happening
to them. Kids who live with problem drinkers often try all kinds of ways to prevent them from drinking. But, just as
family members don't cause the addiction, they can't stop it either. The person with the drinking problem has to
take charge. Someone who has a bad habit or an addiction to alcohol needs to get help from a treatment center.
Alcoholism affects family members just as much as it affects the person drinking. Because of this, there are lots
of support groups to help children of alcoholics cope with the problem.
What if a Parent Doesnt See a Problem?
Drinking too much can be a problem that nobody likes to talk about. In fact, lots of parents may become enraged
at the slightest suggestion that they are drinking too much. Sometimes, parents deny that they have a problem.
A person in denial refuses to believe the truth about a situation. So problem drinkers may try to blame someone
else because it is easier than taking responsibility for their own drinking. Some parents make their families feel
bad by saying stuff like, "You're driving me crazy!" or "I can't take this anymore." That can be harmful, especially
to kids: Most young children don't know that the problem has nothing to do with their actions and that it's all in
the drinker's mind.
Some parents do acknowledge their drinking, but deny that it's a problem. They may say stuff like, "I can stop
anytime I want to," "Everyone drinks to unwind sometimes," or "My drinking is not a problem." Lots of people fall
into the trap of thinking that a parent's drinking is only temporary. They tell themselves that, when a particular
problem is over, like having a rough time at work, the drinking will stop. But even if a parent who drinks too much
has other problems, drinking is a separate problem. And that problem won't go away unless the drinker gets
help.
The constant hurt and confusion of the alcoholic household often reveals itself in children protecting themselves
by lying, suppressing feelings and withdrawing from close relationships. Having learned these defenses in
adolescence, children of alcoholics tend to repeat them in adulthood, usually without realizing the connection.
One leading therapist, Dr. Claudia Black, says that children from alcoholic homes tend to adopt a distinct role
within the family. Dr. Black cites four common roles that recur in alcoholic households:

Responsible Child: Some kids assume the role of the parent by feeding and caring for younger brothers
and sisters

Adjuster Child: Here, kids simply accept whatever behavior a drinking parent dishes out. Many hide and
become quiet and withdrawn

Acting-Out Child: Some children assume blame for their parents drinking and deflect attention from family
problems by creating problems of their own at home or at school

Placater Child: These kids ignore their own unhappiness to comfort others. Some become family clowns
and try to cover problems with jokes

Probably the most difficult step in the healing process is the first one: for the child to openly identify the problem
and begin to talk about his or her sadness and anger. Out of love or fear, most children try to keep family
problems a secret. Believing that theyre the ones with the problem and may even be somehow to blame,
children with drinking parents often hide behind a wall of denial and defensiveness.
Information extracted from Nemours: Teen Health, Coping with an Alcoholic Parent, reviewed by Michelle J. New, Ph.D. and Children of Alcoholics: How to
Help When a Parent Has a Problem by Lisa Turney, Do It Now Foundation Catalog No. 808

North Carolina Essential Standards: Health Education Grade 8

8.ATOD.3 Apply risk reduction behaviors to protect self and others from alcohol, tobacco and other drug use.

WHAT CAN I DO?

This information may be useful to read or distribute to students.

Acknowledge the problem. Many kids of parents who drink too much try to protect their parents or hide the
problem. Admitting that your parent has a problem even if he or she won't is the first step in taking control.
Start by talking to a friend, teacher, counselor, or coach. If you can't face telling someone you know, call an
organization like Al-Anon/Alateen (they have a 24-hour hotline at 1-800-344-2666) or go online for help.
Be informed. Being aware of how your parent's drinking affects you can help put things in perspective. For
example, some teens who live with alcoholic adults become afraid to speak out or show any normal anger or
emotion because they worry it may trigger a parent's drinking. Remind yourself that you are not responsible for
your parent drinking too much, and that you cannot cause it or stop it.
Be aware of your emotions. When you feel things like anger or resentment, try to identify those feelings. Talk
to a close friend or write down how you are feeling. Recognizing how a parent's problem drinking makes you feel
can help you from burying your feelings and pretending that everything's OK.
Learn healthy coping strategies. When we grow up around people who turn to
alcohol or other unhealthy ways of dealing with problems, they become our
example. Watching new role models can help people learn healthy coping
mechanisms and ways of making good decisions. Coaches, aunts, uncles, parents
of friends, or teachers all have to deal with things like frustration or disappointment.
Watch how they do it. School counselors can be a great resource here. Next time
you have a problem, ask someone you trust for help.
Find support. It's good to share your feelings with a friend, but it's equally
important to talk to an adult you trust. A school counselor, favorite teacher, or coach
may be able to help. Some teens turn to their school D.A.R.E. (Drug and Alcohol
Resistance Education) officer. Others prefer to talk to a family member or parents
of a close friend.
Because alcoholism is such a widespread problem, several organizations offer
confidential support groups and meetings for people living with alcoholics. Alateen
is a group specifically geared to young people living with adults who have drinking
problems. Alateen can also help teens whose parents may already be in treatment
or recovery. The group Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) also offers resources for people
living with alcoholics.
Find a safe environment. Do you find yourself avoiding your house as much as possible? Are you thinking
about running away? If you feel that the situation at home is becoming dangerous, you can call the National
Domestic Violence Hotline at (800) 799-SAFE. And don't hesitate to dial 911 if you think you or another family
member is in immediate danger.
Stop the cycle. Teenage children of alcoholics are at higher risk of becoming alcoholics themselves. Scientists
think this is because of genetics and the environment that kids grow up in. For example, people might learn to
drink as a way to avoid fear, boredom, anxiety, sadness, or other unpleasant feelings. Understanding that there
could be a problem and finding adults and peers to help you can be the most important thing you do to reduce
the risk of problem drinking.
Alcoholism is a disease. You can show your love and support, but you won't be able to stop someone from
drinking. Talking about the problem, finding support, and choosing healthy ways to cope are choices you can
make to feel more in control of the situation. Above all, don't give up!

Looking to get involved in your community?

Doing so is a great way to be a leader among your peers in making positive decisions.
It's also a great way to meet other youth!

Assist your school or community with organizing after school activities for youth.
Give back to the community by assisting with a cleanup or many other creative activities.
Get educated on prevention of substance abuse and become a peer educator. Get involved with Students
Preventing and Informing on Drugs and Alcohol (SPIDA). Visit http://www.spidacharlotte.org

RESOURCES Teachers, please post in your classrooms

These organizations accept anonymous calls and ensure your
confidentiality. If you need some help or just want to know more,
think about giving one of these numbers a call.

NEED HELP?

NUMBERS TO CALL OR WEBSITES TO VISIT

FOR INFORMATION OR HELP WITH DRUGS OR ALCOHOL

www.al-anon.alateen.org - Strength and hope for friends and family of problem drinkers
www.abovetheinfluence.com - A site to help teens stand up to negative pressures
www.thecoolspot.gov - The young teens place for info on alcohol and resisting peer pressure
www.tobaccofreekids.org - A leading force in the fight to reduce tobacco use
www.thetruth.com - Information about smoking and the tobacco industry
www.anuvia.org - Mecklenburg County prevention and recovery center
Chemical Dependency Center 704-376-7447
Substance Abuse Prevention Services 704-375-3784
Narcotics Anonymous 704-366-8980
Alcoholics Anonymous 704-332-4387
Alateen 704-523-1159

Fighting Back 704-336-4634

Youth Network 704-335-0203

McLeod Center 704-332-9001

National Domestic Violence Hotline (800) 799-SAFE

Please complete our online survey. Your feedback is important to us and the development of our program.

Student Survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/liarsS12

Teacher Survey: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/liarsT12
THIS PROGRAM IS
MADE POSSIBLE BY
THE SUPPORT OF: