Back-to-School Resources for Parents and Educators
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
Looking for free, evidence-informed resources to support prevention education this school year? Addiction Policy Forum offers tools that teachers, school counselors, prevention specialists, administrators, youth-serving organizations, and families can use to strengthen substance use prevention, promote healthy decision-making, and support students and families.
Explore downloadable fact sheets and infographics, video explainers, and some of our most popular online courses—all designed to make education about addiction accessible and easy to understand.
Downloadable Resources
Explains how addiction changes the brain’s reward system and why substance use disorder is recognized as a chronic health condition. Download→
Helps young people build confidence by practicing strategies for responding to peer pressure and making healthy decisions in real-life situations. Download→
Provides guidance on words to use—and avoid—to communicate about substance use disorders accurately, respectfully, and without stigma. Download→
Offers practical, research-informed strategies parents and caregivers can use to strengthen protective factors, improve communication, and reduce the risk of youth substance use. Download→
Provides strategies, conversation tips, and free resources to help educators, caregivers, and community members support children’s well-being, build resilience, and connect families with appropriate services. Download→
Explores how nicotine and vaping affect the developing brain, why adolescents are especially vulnerable, and how educators can help young people make informed decisions. Download→
Video Explainers
What Is Addiction?
Learn about the science of addiction, including how substance use affects the brain, how risk and protective factors influence a person’s likelihood of developing a substance use disorder, and that recovery is possible. Watch here→
7 Things Teachers Can Do to Prevent Addiction
Discover seven practical strategies educators can use to strengthen protective factors, foster supportive school environments, and help prevent opioid misuse. Watch here→
12 Things Parents Can Do to Prevent Addiction
Explore strategies parents and caregivers can use to strengthen family communication, model healthy behaviors, and reduce the risk of youth substance use. Watch here→
Teens and Opioids
Understand how opioids affect the developing brain, why misuse is especially dangerous for young people, and how to make safer, informed decisions. Watch here→
Understanding Alcohol and Your Health
Through Alcohol and Your Health, The Risks Associated with Underage Drinking, and The Biology of a Blackout, learn about the effects of alcohol, the heightened risks associated with early use, and what happens in the brain during an alcohol-induced blackout. Watch here→
Protect Your Brain Series
Why Age of First Use Matters and Mind Your Genes explain how delaying substance use and understanding genetic risk can help teens protect their developing brains and reduce their risk of addiction, as well as strategies teens can use to protect their brains and stay safe. Watch here→
Introduction to Prevention Series
Featuring What Is Prevention?, The Role of the Community, and The Role of Genetics, this series explains the basics of prevention, why delaying first use matters, and how families, communities, and individual risk factors can work together to prevent youth substance use. Watch here→
Understanding Addiction: A Four-Part Series
This series, Addiction and the Brain, Whirlpools of Risk, Understanding Severity, and Don’t Wait for “Rock Bottom,” discusses how addiction affects the brain, risk factors that can increase vulnerability, the levels of severity, and why intervention should begin as early as possible. Watch here→
Our 6 Most Popular Courses on Addiction
Understand how addiction affects the brain, why some people are more vulnerable to developing a substance use disorder, and how addiction can be prevented and treated. Enroll here→
Teaches young people how to keep their brains healthy and avoid addiction, as well as healthy decision-making and refusal skills for responding to peer pressure. A Spanish version is also available. Enroll here→
Explore how alcohol affects the brain and body, the science behind alcohol-induced blackouts, and the risks associated with underage drinking. This course also explains how to recognize signs of alcohol misuse and encourage safer, healthier choices. Enroll here→
Learn about effective treatments for substance use disorders, including medications and how they work. This course also shares patients' experiences and how treatment supported their recovery. Enroll here→
Learn how vaping affects the developing adolescent brain and lungs while separating common myths from the facts. This course also introduces the brain science of addiction and steps young people can take to protect their health and prevent addiction. Enroll here→
Understand the facts about fentanyl and other synthetic drugs, including the risks posed by counterfeit pills. This course also addresses common myths about accidental fentanyl exposure and highlights evidence-based safety practices. Enroll here→
