Record Number of Events for ‘Drug Facts’ Week
NIDA conducted its annual National Drug & Alcohol Facts Week Jan. 25-31 with its new partner this year, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. NDAFW is an annual health observance week for teens to shatter myths about drug and alcohol use through community events, Drugs & Alcohol Chat Day and other partnerships.
This year, NIDA reached an all-time record number of events—more than 1,800 in all 50 states and 10 countries. During the week, NIDA also hosted Drugs & Alcohol Chat Day (Jan. 26), a live online chat between teens and NIH scientists. Despite the inclement weather, more than 60 high schools participated from 25 states. The blizzard did not stop NIDA, NIAAA and NIMH experts from participating remotely, with more than 25 scientists answering more than 1,400 questions.
In addition, NDAFW activities were promoted throughout the week via social media outreach on Twitter and Facebook. Online resources included five new drug-specific toolkits for event holders to use and the popular National Drug IQ Challenge, an interactive quiz accessible on mobile devices, for teens to test their knowledge about drug and drug abuse. Visit http://teens.drugabuse.gov/national-drug-facts-week for more information.