When You Drink, You Don’t Think: Teaching Students About Impaired Judgment

The birds are chirping, the sun is peeking out, and the smell of fresh-cut grass is creeping back in. Spring is here (finally!), and prom season is right around the corner. It’s a time filled with excitement, anticipation, group chats about dresses, tuxes, dates—and yes, let’s be real—parties. As health educators, this season brings a golden opportunity to talk with students about something that cuts across all the big health topics: judgment.

In any effective health education program, helping students understand impaired judgment is essential. Whether you teach high school health or incorporate wellness topics into other subjects, this is a powerful way to guide students toward making smarter choices. It all comes down to preparing them to protect themselves and their future.

We talk to students about risky behaviors all the time—sexual activity, substance use, drinking and driving, trespassing, peer pressure—you name it. And one theme shows up again and again: the illusion of control. Students (and adults!) often say things like:

“I’d never do that.”
“I’d never hook up with someone like that.”
“Of course I wouldn’t get in a car if I’d been drinking.”

But here’s the truth I tell my students again and again:

I don’t care how nice you are.I don’t care how strong your values are.I don’t care if you’re the most responsible kid in the room.

When your judgment is impaired, there is no telling what you will or won’t do. You are not thinking clearly. You are not you.

The Dollar Bill Jump

So how do we get students to feel what impaired judgment is actually like? How do we get them to understand it in a way that clicks?

Enter: The Dollar Bill Jump.

This interactive, low-key classroom activity seems simple at first—but that’s exactly the point. It’s a great fit for high school health classes, especially when covering units on alcohol, drugs, and decision-making.

Here’s how it works:

Tape a dollar bill (or a fake one) to the ground.
Have students place their toes on the short end of the bill.
Then, tell them to squat down and hold the tips of their toes.
The challenge? Frog jump over the dollar bill while still holding their toes.

(No letting go!)

Most students approach it with confidence: “No biggie.” But as they try (and fail), it quickly becomes clear—it’s impossible to make the jump while holding their toes. The aha moment lands hard:

That same “I got this!” attitude is what people feel under the influence of drugs or alcohol. They believe they’re in control. But they’re not. They can’t see clearly. They can’t think clearly. And just like the dollar bill jump, what seemed simple or safe becomes unachievable and dangerous.

This is a favorite strategy in classrooms aiming to build healthy teens, using real-world, skills-based health education resources that go beyond just talking at students.

Take It Further with Alcohol Stations

If you’re ready to take this conversation further, I’ve created a resource just for you: Alcohol Stations—a set of five interactive, discussion-rich classroom stations designed to get students thinking and talking.

And yes, Station 3 includes the ever-popular Dollar Bill Jump.

It’s engaging. It’s eye-opening. And it’s the kind of learning experience students remember long after class is over.

Let’s give students what they really need this prom season: not just lectures, but tools. Not just information, but insight. Let’s help them understand that when they drink, they don’t think—and that can change everything.

So glad you're here as we navigate health together,

Emily | Health 101

Student Takeaways

▲ "I thought this would be easy—I totally thought I could do it."

▲ "I didn’t realize how much your brain just thinks it’s got it under control, even when it doesn’t."

▲ "This made me realize how fast something can go from 'I’ve got this' to 'uh-oh.'"

Teacher Tip

▲ Use the Dollar Bill Jump as a class opener before students know today’s topic. Keep it playful and light at first, and reveal the connection to impaired judgment after they’ve had their aha moment. It makes the lesson land deeper.

Fast Fact

▲ According to the CDC, alcohol is a factor in nearly one-third of all teen traffic fatalities. Impaired judgment doesn’t just affect the person drinking—it endangers everyone around them.

Health 101 Spotlight

▲ Health 101 creates ready-to-use, real-world health education curriculum for K–12 teachers and students. We help educators teach teens how to make smart choices about alcohol, drugs, social media, relationships, and more—without the stress of planning it all yourself. Our lessons are skills-based, standards-aligned, and designed by a full-time teacher who gets it.

Explore more at Health101.org and follow along on Instagram (@health1.0.1) and Facebook (facebook.com/health101.org)!