Semaine nationale d'information sur les drogues et l'alcool (NDAFW) will be held Jan. 25-31 and is sponsored, for the first time, by both the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), both part of the National Institutes of Health. The institutes often work together on research and prevention initiatives.
The week-long observance was launched in 2010 to counteract the myths about drugs and alcohol that teens often hear from the Internet, TV, movies, music, or friends. Since its inception, the number of community-based events has grown dramatically, with more than 1,500 held last January throughout all 50 states and several international sites. Events link teens with scientists and other experts, creating a safe place for teens to ask questions about drug and alcohol use, without judgment or lectures. Events can be sponsored by a variety of organizations, including schools, community groups, sports clubs, and hospitals. Event holders are provided with an online toolkit that advises teens and their adult coordinators how to create an event, publicize it, find an expert, and obtain scientific information on drugs.
Ideas for events, as well as success stories from previous years, are highlighted on the National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week Web portal that resides within the popular NIDA for Teens site. Special resources on alcool have been added this year in recognition of the new partnership. The site also features a new tobacco boîte à outils for event holders who want to focus on the scientific facts about smoking.
Event holders who register en ligne will receive free booklets with science-based facts about drugs and alcohol, including one of NIDA’s most in-demand teen publications, Drugs: Shatter the Myths. Also this year, NIDA and NIAAA offer three interactive tools that can be projected on large screens at events or used with mobile devices.
Join NIDA (@NIDAnews) and Dr. Jack Stein for a chat on National Drug & Alcohol Facts Week at 1 p.m. EST next Wednesday, Jan. 13. Use #NDAFW #BHchat to join the conversation.
