Youth prevention specialist Ray Lozano encouraged Greene County middle school and high school students to take care of themselves and make smart decisions about alcohol and drug use at special assemblies Wednesday morning.
Lozano is a nationally known speaker who has toured the country since 1986 sharing stories of his childhood and teaching students about the dangers of alcohol and drug use.
“There’s something inside of you that’s special and you need to nurture it. That’s why the Elks and your principal wanted me to talk to you,” Lozano told the students.
He explained physiology of drinking in very simple terms, telling the students the Three Ps – peeing, puking, and passing out- are ways the brain works to protect the body against alcohol. He had students wear goggles that simulate intoxication to demonstrate the affect of alcohol, and he told students what they should do if they’re with someone who passes out from drinking.
He asked students to decide that day what they’ll do if someone offers drugs or alcohol. “Know what you know, know why you know it, and don’t hang out with people who use drugs and alcohol,” he advised. “Surround yourself with people who think the say way you do.”
At the high school Lozano focused more on drug use than on alcohol, and challenged the students to determine if they are already addicted to drugs or alcohol.
At both schools the students listened attentively and respectfully.
The Jefferson Elks lodge paid Lozano’s speaking fee as a youth service project.
