The board game DENIAL is designed to fight the peer pressure on youth aged 8 to 13 to experiment with tobacco, marijuana and alcohol.  Forming bad habits at this age could eventually lead to serious substance abuse later on. 

A combination of Monopoly, Snakes and Ladders, and Trivial Pursuit,  DENIAL is the invention of Brother Barry Keane, a member of Saint Patrick's Basilica Knights of Columbus.   As players move their game-piece around the board, they get rewards or penalties, depending on the square they land on. For example, you land on the Marijuana square and miss a turn; land on A Student and you move ahead three spaces. You can also land on Consequences or Choices, and have to answer a skill-testing question from a card in one of those piles.

Brother Barry has thoroughly researched the facts about substance abuse to create questions such as: "Is alcohol a stimulant or depressant?" Or a multiple choice questions such as: "If I smoke a package of cigarettes a day, how much does it cost in one year?: $800, $1,600 or $3,000?"  The answer is $3,000...surely, a wake-up call to anyone who thinks about it.  

DENIAL was chosen as a title because many people with drug or alcohol problems have trouble admitting it.  DENIAL is not sold in stores but if you wish to purchase it, contact Barry Keane at 798-7339 or by e-mail at .