Alcohol and first aid

Looking at the scenario of a house party, learners explore peer pressure, social barriers to helping and the first aid skills to help someone who has drunk too much and is lying unresponsive and breathing.

This resource is part of Humankind, our professional development programme for teachers, created with expert guidance on humanitarian and life issues.

Learning objectives

Learners will:

• recognise risks associated with drinking too much alcohol
• consider how peer pressure can influence others
• identify social barriers to helping others and how to overcome these
• learn how to help someone who is unresponsive and breathing.

Resource overview

• Lesson 1: Story of a night out (Choose from 30-minute or 50-minute sessions) 

Film-based lesson. Invite discussion on how learners would react if the scenario of drinking too much at a house party was presented to them in real life.

• Lesson 2: Practical “pushover” session (20 minutes)

First aid lesson supported by an animation. Practical session to practise “the pushover”. Help someone who is unresponsive and breathing by learning how to push them on to their side with their head tilted back.

• Character profiles

Used to support the 50-minute film-based lesson. Hear from Mark, the facilitator of the story, and eight friends who each react in different ways to the events which unfold.

• Teacher notes

Guidance on how to use these resources and background reading.

Video: Lesson 1 – Story of a night out: 30-minute video

Credits

This resource was written by Helen Brooking and published in 2014.

The photo of two teenagers helping their friend © Jonathan Banks/British Red Cross.