As middle school students, we all graduated from the DARE program. The past summer, I was even a DARE youth staff leader at DARE Camp. During these total of three fun-filled days, there's no doubt that the kids had fun, but was the message of saying "no" to drugs conveyed to the children? It probably wasn't conveyed as much as it could have been. When in middle school, it seems quite easy to "Just say no" especially when most don't come in contact with serious situations at that age. It's obvious that it gets harder to say no when we get older, seeing there are so many people abusing drugs and alcohol. Overall, I do not believe the DARE program is as effective as once planned to be. Although it may be fun for the kids, I believe that choices are somewhat reflected by how a child is brought up; therefore, extra money shouldn't be wasted on an ineffective program.