National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week Is Here – How Beach House Center for Recovery Is Involved

Courtesy of drugabuse.gov National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week® (NDAFW) is right around the corner (January 22-27)— and you won’t want to miss it. Beach House Center for Recovery will be using its influence on social media to promote the initiative, which is being organized by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA). You can be part of the movement by following Beach House on Twitter and Facebook, where we’ll be featuring eye-opening facts and engaging tidbits about drugs, alcohol and addiction— all in support of NDAFW’s goal to shatter myths about substance abuse and educate young people about the real facts. Below are just some of those facts— and teens are not the only ones who will find them eye-opening:

• Around one in 11 people who use marijuana will become addicted to the drug.
• About 4 in 10 people who begin drinking before age 15 eventually become addicted to alcohol.
• Overdose deaths from prescription drugs have quadrupled since 1999.
• Dabbing (smoking marijuana extracts) may be more dangerous than smoking dried marijuana— because concentrated oils from the marijuana plant are much stronger than dried marijuana.

For more startling facts, check out our short, eye-opening video as a kick-off to National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week. Then, share your experience with the rest of us: what one fact most surprised you and why?   You can also test your knowledge about substance abuse by taking NDAFW’s live challenge on January 21. National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week – What It Is NDAFW began in 2010 when scientists from the NIDA, looking to counteract the myths about drugs and alcohol that teens were getting from the media, launched an educational campaign aimed at shattering these myths. Their goal was to inspire educational events in communities across the U.S. that would equip teens with the real facts about drugs, alcohol and addiction. Today NDAFW enjoys the support and official partnership of multiple respected entities, including the National Institute on Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse (NIAAA), the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the White House of National Drug Control Policy, the Office of Safe and Healthy Students in the U.S. Department of Health Education, and the Drug Enforcement Administration in the U.S. Department of Justice. NDAFW has even developed an international presence: in addition to the 1,209 events taking place in communities across the U.S. this year, events are scheduled in Wales, India, Uganda, Nigeria, and Malaysia, among other countries worldwide. How to Participate in NDAFW – Highlights to Look for Here are a number of ways to participate in NDAFW:  

• Share our posts on social media. Use your influence to raise awareness about substance abuse and shatter the myths about addiction. That can be as simple as following our posts throughout the week and sharing them with your network.

 

• Register for NDAFW's Chat Day. If you’re a teacher or student, you’ll get to direct your questions about drugs and alcohol to real NIDA scientists, in a live online chat on January 24. You’ll get factual answers to questions about particular drugs and their effects, what causes addiction, and how to help family or friends who may be struggling with a drug or alcohol problem.
• Participate in a NDAFW event in your community. The event may be free and open to the public. Alternatively, consider scheduling an event of your own for teens in your community. NIDA provides some helpful instructions and resources—including a toolkit—for planning and registering a NDAFW event. To find an event near you, consult this handy map.

How will you be participating in National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week? Share your experience with the rest of us!