You can help make opioid prevention resources available to more families, schools, and communities! Sharing accurate, evidence-informed information about opioids and addiction is an important step toward raising awareness, reducing stigma, and preventing substance use among young people. The Addiction Policy Forum's Opioid Prevention Campaign Partner Toolkit is designed to make it easy for organizations, educators, prevention professionals, and community partners to share cam

Knowing how to say no to alcohol and other drugs is an important skill that can help teens navigate peer pressure and make healthy decisions. Practicing refusal skills can help young people feel more confident and prepared when faced with situations involving substance use. The Addiction Policy Forum developed the How to Practice Refusal Skills infographic to provide parents, caregivers, and educators with practical strategies to help teens respond to offers of alcohol and

Adolescence is a critical period of brain development, making young people particularly vulnerable to the effects of opioids. Understanding the risks of opioid misuse is an important step toward preventing addiction and protecting the health and well-being of teens. Opioid use can cause changes in areas of the brain responsible for decision-making, self-control, and the reward system. While teen opioid misuse has declined over time, it remains an important public health conc

Addiction is a complex medical condition that affects how the brain functions. Understanding the science behind addiction can help reduce stigma, strengthen prevention efforts, and increase awareness of why addiction is not simply a matter of willpower. Alcohol and other drugs can affect important areas of the brain, including the limbic system, which helps regulate survival instincts and reward, and the cortex, which plays a role in decision-making and impulse control. Repe

Addiction is a medical condition that affects the brain and changes behavior. Understanding how addiction impacts the brain is an important step toward preventing substance use disorders, reducing stigma, and supporting individuals on their path to recovery. Substance use can affect areas of the brain responsible for decision-making, motivation, and reward. Over time, repeated substance use can change how the brain functions, making it increasingly difficult for a person to

Opioids can pose serious risks to young people, making education and early prevention more important than ever. Providing teens with accurate, age-appropriate information about opioids and their potential dangers can help them make informed decisions and protect their health. The Addiction Policy Forum developed Teens and Opioids, a video explainer designed to raise awareness about opioids and the importance of preventing substance use among young people. Parents, educators,

Teachers play an important role in preventing youth substance use and addiction. Beyond educating students, teachers help shape supportive environments, build meaningful relationships, and equip young people with the knowledge and skills they need to make healthy decisions. Schools are an important setting for prevention. By fostering connections, encouraging healthy coping skills, recognizing potential warning signs, and providing accurate information about substance use, ed

Prevention starts at home. Parents and caregivers play an important role in preventing substance use and supporting healthy development. In this video explainer, Addiction Policy Forum shares 12 practical, evidence-informed strategies parents can use to help protect their children, build resilience, encourage healthy coping skills, and reduce the risk of addiction. Explore simple, actionable steps you can incorporate into everyday family life to support your child’s health an

Addiction Policy Forum is excited to announce that Protect Your Brain—our free, self-paced online prevention course–is now available in both English and Spanish. Developed to help youth, families, educators, and communities better understand brain health and substance use prevention, the course provides engaging, evidence-informed education that empowers young people to make healthy decisions and build lifelong protective skills. Every young person, family, and community dese

Sobre Protege tu Cerebro Protege tu cerebro es un programa dinámico y basado en evidencia científica, diseñado para estudiantes de secundaria y bachillerato, así como para los adultos que se preocupan por su bienestar. El curso se completa en unos 20 a 30 minutos y utiliza un lenguaje y elementos visuales adecuados para la edad, con el fin de enseñar habilidades esenciales para el bienestar mental, la toma de decisiones saludables y la prevención de adicciones. Aprenderás: Có

There is ongoing research to develop effective, sustainable, and scalable strategies to prevent the initiation of substance use and its progression to substance use disorders, as well as prevent other related health consequences. Evidence-based prevention interventions - particularly those implemented at key developmental stages can have a profound and lasting impact. In addition to reducing substance use, prevention approaches can improve long-term health and help prevent a

The Addiction Policy Forum, in partnership with the University of Delaware, has released results from a pilot study testing the effectiveness of a training curriculum for youth. Protect Your Brain is a curriculum developed by the Addiction Policy Forum to strengthen prevention knowledge and equip young people with tools to reduce the risk of developing a substance use disorder. The program also emphasizes the neuroscience of brain health, healthy coping skills, and the uniqu

About Protect Your Brain Protect Your Brain is an engaging, science-based program designed for middle and high school students and the adults who care about them. The course takes about 20–30 minutes to complete and uses age-appropriate language and visuals to teach essential skills for mental wellness, healthy decision-making, and addiction prevention. You'll learn: How your brain develops during the teen years Why mental health matters—and how to care for it What health lit

Addiction Policy Forum’s What is Addiction? video explainer is now available in 13 languages to help improve language access to information on the science of substance use disorders. The video explains the biological components of addiction, such as the effects on the brain, as well as psychological and social components. These three domains – the biopsychosocial – recognize that there are many risk factors for developing a substance use disorder, such as genetic predisposit

In a large-scale effort to make fentanyl and counterfeit pill education resources available to communities, The Addiction Policy Forum...

Opioid overdoses have reached alarming levels, with synthetic opioids like fentanyl contributing to a significant number of deaths each year. Naloxone is a critical tool in this battle, capable of reversing the effects of an overdose in minutes. We'll explore what naloxone is, why it's essential, and how you can access it to potentially save a life. What is Naloxone and Why is it Important? Naloxone rapidly reverses opioid overdoses by restoring normal breathing. It should be

As fentanyl continues to impact communities at an unprecedented rate, understanding its potency and dangers is critical to reducing harm. By raising awareness and promoting life-saving measures like naloxone, we can work toward preventing overdoses and saving lives. This video explainer highlights the alarming increase of synthetic opioids like fentanyl, overdose risks, the increase in counterfeit pills containing fentanyl nationwide, and the importance of naloxone access and

Addiction is a chronic health condition affecting over 48 million people nationwide. Addiction has biological components, such as the effects on the brain, as well as psychological and social components. These three domains – the biopsychosocial – recognize that there are multiple pathways to addiction, such as genetic predisposition, psychiatric and psychological factors, and unhealthy coping skills. In addiction treatment, clinicians work to build individualized treatment p

The video explainer on underage drinking highlights the risks and consequences of early alcohol use.

An alcohol-induced blackout is not just a lapse in memory; it’s a sign of the brain’s inability to function properly due to alcohol