FOOTBALL AS A TOOL FOR ADDICTION PREVENTION

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Red Deporte has launched the manual “Football and Prevention Against Drugs, Tobacco, and Alcohol”, aimed at educators and sports coaches. The goal of the manual is to provide practical tools to prevent substance use among young people, using football as an educational tool. Through games and workshops, educators can teach the negative effects of tobacco, alcohol, and drugs, and help young people develop skills such as assertiveness to resist social pressure. The manual includes a letter of support from footballer Álvaro Morata, who endorses this prevention initiative in the sports field.

Red Deporte has launched a new manual titled “Football and Prevention Against Drugs, Tobacco, and Alcohol”, designed to provide practical tools for educators and sports coaches in the fight against substance use among young people. This manual aims to use football, along with educational dynamics, as a tool to prevent the use of drugs, alcohol, and tobacco—common dangers among adolescents.

With a practical approach, the manual offers resources and activities that educators can implement in their sessions, addressing the negative effects of substance use on health and emphasizing the importance of assertiveness in young people. Through football-based games, educators can help youth make conscious and responsible decisions about their well-being, offering healthy alternatives and teaching them how to resist social pressure, which often leads adolescents toward substance use.

One of the key aspects of this manual is the importance of teaching young people to say “no,” a significant challenge during adolescence due to social pressure, the need to fit in, and curiosity. Through the proposed activities, the manual seeks to strengthen young people’s personalities and their ability to resist external influences.

The manual also includes a letter from footballer Álvaro Morata, who supports the initiative and highlights the importance of using sport as a prevention tool. Red Deporte firmly believes that football is not only a means to improve physical health but also a way to shape individuals with a strong and healthy mindset in the face of the dangers of substance use.