African Youth Empowerment and Capacity Building Academy

Refusal Lines that Work about drug abuse

🛡️ Peer pressure is real; but so is your future.

✅ Refusal skill that works:
NO + REASON + ALTERNATIVE
Example:
➡️ “No thanks. I’m focused on my future. Let’s do something else.”

🔥 5 refusal lines you can use today:
1. “No thanks, I’m good.”
2. “Not today.”
3. “I don’t do that.”
4. “I’m protecting my health.”
5. “I’m leaving now. See you later.”

📌 If pressure continues: repeat once then exit.

💬 Comment: Drop your best refusal line (let’s help someone today).

Real Story: Payday Friday Cycle

📖 Real story (true-to-life):
Every payday Friday it starts with “just one drink.”
Then it becomes “one more.”
Then Monday comes with regret: empty pocket, low energy, missed responsibilities.

🔁 The cycle: Stress → Payday → Pressure → Overspending/Drinking → Regret → Stress again.

✅ How to break it:
• Make a small budget before payday (needs first).
• Choose a safe hangout (not a pressure environment).
• Go with disciplined friends who respect boundaries.
• Set a transport plan before you go out.

💬 Question: What’s your safest payday rule?

Myth vs Fact: Sh**ha

🚫 MYTH: Sh**ha is safer than ci******es because the smoke passes through water.
✅ FACT: Water does not remove many harmful chemicals. A sh**ha session can last long, meaning more smoke exposure. Charcoal can also add extra harmful fumes.

What you can do (practical):
1. Don’t let “it’s just flavor” fool you.
2. If you feel pressured, use a short refusal line:
👉 “No thanks, I’m protecting my health.”
3. Choose safer hangouts: sports, movies, food spots, skills clubs.

💬 Question: What’s the biggest sh**ha myth you hear around you?