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Hidden Dangers

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Lesson Plan

Science of Addiction Guide

Students will understand the cellular mechanisms and long-term health effects of alcohol and tobacco use and apply this knowledge to make informed personal health decisions via guided slides and reflective journaling.

Connecting scientific concepts of addiction to real‐world choices empowers students to evaluate risks and develop healthy coping strategies, reducing substance use initiation and supporting long‐term wellbeing.

Audience

10th Grade Students

Time

40 minutes

Approach

Interactive slides, guided discussion, reflective journaling

Materials

Cellular Impact Slides, and - My Health Impact Journal

Prep

Prepare Materials

5 minutes

  • Review Cellular Impact Slides to familiarize yourself with key concepts.
  • Print and photocopy My Health Impact Journal for the student.
  • Set up projector or screen for slide presentation.
  • Gather pens or pencils and a whiteboard/markers for discussion notes.

Step 1

Introduction & Objectives

5 minutes

  • Welcome the student and explain today’s focus on alcohol and tobacco.
  • Present lesson objectives orally or on board:
    • Understand how substances alter cells.
    • Identify long-term health impacts.
    • Connect science to personal health choices.
  • Invite the student to share any prior knowledge or questions.

Step 2

Chemical Mechanisms Exploration

10 minutes

  • Project Cellular Impact Slides.
  • Walk through how alcohol and nicotine interact with brain and lung cells:
    • Alcohol’s effect on neurotransmitter balance.
    • Nicotine’s impact on cell receptors and oxygen transport.
  • Pause after each section to ask the student to paraphrase key points (check comprehension).

Step 3

Long-Term Effects Discussion

7 minutes

  • Facilitate a guided discussion on chronic consequences:
    • Liver disease, heart damage, cancer risks.
    • Respiratory issues, weakened immunity.
  • Ask open‐ended questions:
    • "How might these effects change someone’s daily life?"
    • "Why do repeated exposures compound damage?"
  • Summarize responses on the whiteboard.

Step 4

Personal Reflection Worksheet

12 minutes

  • Distribute My Health Impact Journal.
  • Instruct the student to complete sections:
    • Key scientific facts learned.
    • Personal risk factors and influences.
    • Three strategies to avoid or reduce use.
  • Circulate to check understanding and offer prompts if needed.
  • Provide gentle feedback on ideas and clarity.

Step 5

Exit Reflection & Goal Setting

6 minutes

  • Invite the student to share one major insight from today’s lesson.
  • Ask them to state one specific, achievable goal to maintain healthy choices.
  • Have the student write an exit ticket:
    • One thing they’ll do this week to support their goal.
  • Collect the exit ticket to review and plan any follow‐up support.
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Lesson Plan

Science of Addiction Guide

Students will understand how alcohol and tobacco interact with cells and cause long-term health effects, then apply this knowledge to set personal health goals.

Connecting the science of addiction to real-life health choices empowers students to make informed decisions, recognize risks, and develop strategies to avoid or reduce substance use.

Audience

10th Grade Students

Time

40 minutes

Approach

Interactive slides, guided discussion, reflective journaling

Materials

Prep

Prepare Materials

5 minutes

  • Review Cellular Impact Slides to ensure familiarity with key concepts.
  • Print and photocopy My Health Impact Journal for the student.
  • Set up projector or screen for slide presentation.
  • Gather pens or pencils and a whiteboard/markers for discussion notes.

Step 1

Introduction & Objectives

5 minutes

  • Welcome the student and explain today’s focus on alcohol and tobacco effects.
  • Present lesson objectives on the board or verbally:
    • Describe how substances alter cells.
    • Identify long-term health impacts.
    • Link science to personal health choices.
  • Invite the student to share any prior knowledge or questions.

Step 2

Chemical Mechanisms Exploration

10 minutes

  • Project Cellular Impact Slides.
  • Explain how alcohol affects neurotransmitter balance and how nicotine interacts with cell receptors and oxygen transport.
  • After each section, ask the student to paraphrase key points to check comprehension.

Step 3

Long-Term Effects Discussion

7 minutes

  • Lead a guided discussion on chronic health consequences:
    • Liver disease, heart damage, cancer risks.
    • Respiratory issues and weakened immunity.
  • Pose open-ended questions:
    • "How might these effects impact daily life?"
    • "Why does repeated exposure compound damage?"
  • Record responses on the whiteboard.

Step 4

Personal Reflection Worksheet

12 minutes

  • Distribute My Health Impact Journal.
  • Instruct the student to complete sections on:
    • Key scientific facts learned.
    • Personal risk factors and influences.
    • Three strategies to avoid or reduce use.
  • Circulate to offer guidance, prompts, and feedback.

Step 5

Exit Reflection & Goal Setting

6 minutes

  • Ask the student to share one major insight from today’s lesson.
  • Have them state a specific, achievable goal to support healthy choices.
  • Write an exit ticket: one action they’ll take this week toward their goal.
  • Collect the exit ticket for follow-up review.
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Slide Deck

Cellular Impact of Alcohol & Tobacco

• How do substances alter cell chemistry?
• Why study cellular effects?
• Link to health outcomes.

Introduce the session. Emphasize that we’re looking inside cells to see how alcohol and tobacco change normal function. Encourage the student to ask questions as we go.

Alcohol & Neurotransmitter Balance

• Alcohol enhances GABA activity → greater inhibition
• Alcohol inhibits glutamate receptors → slowed signaling
• Increased dopamine release → reward circuitry activation

[Diagram: Synapse with receptors]

Point out the diagram showing a synapse. Explain GABA (inhibitory) and glutamate (excitatory) balance. Highlight dopamine’s role in reward.

Nicotine Binding to Cell Receptors

• Nicotine binds nAChRs in brain → increased neural excitation
• Triggers dopamine release → reinforcing use
• Receptor up-regulation with repeated exposure

Show neuronal cell with nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs). Stress that nicotine mimics acetylcholine, increasing firing. Connect to addiction.

Disrupted Oxygen Transport

• Carbon monoxide (CO) binds hemoglobin more strongly than O₂
• Less oxygen delivered to tissues → cell hypoxia
• Nicotine causes vasoconstriction → further reduces blood flow

Explain how smoking introduces carbon monoxide alongside nicotine. Show red blood cell diagram. Relate to shortness of breath.

Chronic Cellular Damage

• Reactive oxygen species → DNA & membrane damage
• Inflammation & cell death in lungs, liver, blood vessels
• Accumulated mutations increase cancer risk

Discuss chronic effects at the cellular level. Invite student to link these processes to organ-level disease.

Guiding Questions

  1. How does altering neurotransmitters lead to addiction?
  2. Why does reduced oxygen transport affect all organs?
  3. How do repeated exposures compound cellular damage?

Use these questions to prompt reflection and ensure comprehension.

Key Takeaways

• Alcohol disrupts inhibitory/excitatory balance and rewards system
• Nicotine hijacks receptors and reduces oxygen delivery
• Chronic exposure leads to cell damage, inflammation, and disease

Summarize key points and check for understanding. Transition to personal reflection worksheet.

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Worksheet

My Health Impact Journal

Use this journal to reflect on what you’ve learned about alcohol and tobacco’s effects on your body and to plan healthy choices moving forward.

Part 1: Key Scientific Facts

List three important scientific facts you learned about how alcohol and tobacco affect cells. Be specific and use your own words.



















Part 2: Personal Risk Factors & Influences

Reflect on your own life and environment. Answer the following prompts in complete sentences.

• What personal, social, or environmental factors might increase the likelihood of someone your age trying alcohol or tobacco?












• How do these factors apply to you or your peers?












Part 3: Strategies to Avoid or Reduce Use

Based on what you’ve learned, write three practical strategies you could use to avoid or reduce alcohol and tobacco use. For each strategy, explain why you think it would be effective.

  1. Strategy: ________________________________________________________
    Reason it’s effective: __________________________________________________











  2. Strategy: ________________________________________________________
    Reason it’s effective: __________________________________________________











  3. Strategy: ________________________________________________________
    Reason it’s effective: __________________________________________________











Part 4: Exit Ticket & Goal Setting

Choose one specific, achievable goal for this week that will help you maintain healthy choices regarding alcohol and tobacco.

My goal for this week is:




One action I will take this week to reach my goal:




 
 
Thank you for your honest reflections. Keep this journal to track your progress and revisit your strategies as needed!

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Hidden Dangers • Lenny Learning