Patterns of drug use among teenagers indicate they are highly influenced by peers. To examine the influence of Say It Straight, an alcohol/drug abuse prevention program aimed at teaching adolescents to deal with peer pressure, sixth, seventh and eighth graders (N=509) created and role played situations in which they wanted to say "no" to an offer of alcohol/drugs or to talk to a friend who was "using." Satir's body sculpting was used to illustrate different communication styles and maximize the chance to elicit feelings. Youngsters exchanged information about their feelings as they interacted within role plays and practiced behaviors they found most effective. Every grade showed a statistically significant movement toward assertive attitudes which was not obtained in a control school. Comparing alcohol/drug related school suspensions and referrals for the entire school year showed fewer such incidents in the experimental than in the control schools. A follow-up of school suspensions during the succeeding academic year still found no new "users" among trained youngsters. (JAC)