LifeSkills Training addresses all the major factors leading adolescents to use drugs by teaching a combination of: health information, general life skills, and drug-resistance skills. The program was developed by Dr. Gilbert J. Botvin, a psychologist at Cornell University. Designed for use with middle school students, the program represents an exciting breakthrough in substance-abuse prevention, including tobacco prevention. Students learn the skills they need to lead happy, healthy, successful lives. These skills include:

•	Increasing their ability to make decisions and solve problems
•	Communicating effectively
•	Avoiding misunderstandings
•	Managing anxiety
•	Making new friends
•	Standing up for their rights
•	Saying no to unfair requests
•	Resisting advertising pressures
•	Resisting pressure to use drugs
•	Increasing their self-esteem

The LifeSkills Training Program responds to the following disturbing facts:

•	The Tobacco Industry spends $22 million every day marketing their deadly products to children.
•	More than 90% of adult smokers began smoking when they were teenagers (with the average starting age being 13).
•	One in four Maine high school students use tobacco products and 33% more think they will be using tobacco within the next year.
•	4,000 Maine kids start smoking every year and 33,000 of them will die prematurely from their tobacco addiction.

Teacher Manuals and Student Guides are available. For more information about this program, please contact Mary Bourque at mary.t.bourque@maine.gov