Events Illuminate Drug, Alcohol Facts

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Three NIH IC directors participate in Chat Day. NIAAA director Dr. George Koob smiles at the camera while NIDA director Dr. Nora Volkow (far r), with assistance from NIDA’s Dr. Susan Weiss, and NIMH director Dr. Joshua Gordon (back l), with assistance from NIMH’s Charlotte Armstrong, are busy answering questions from students across the nation.

National Drug & Alcohol Facts Week set an all-time record this year in the number of domestic and international events held during the week of Jan. 23-29. NDAFW, launched in 2010 by NIDA, and in partnership with NIAAA since 2016, is an annual health observance week for teens to shatter the myths about drug and alcohol use by connecting with health and scientific experts.  

This year, more than 2,100 community events were held in all 50 states as well as 15 countries—the largest international reach ever. In addition, on Jan. 26, NIDA celebrated its 10th anniversary of Drugs & Alcohol Chat Day, a live online chat between teens and NIH scientists. More than 50 high schools participated from 50 states. 

The directors from NIDA, NIAAA and NIMH were part of more than 60 scientists who participated in Chat Day this year, answering close to 2,500 questions from students across the world, including young U.S. airmen from Yokota Air Force Base in Tokyo, Japan. Online resources included several new drug-specific toolkits for event holders to use, a “shatter the myths” pledge card and the popular National Drug IQ Challenge, an interactive quiz accessible on mobile devices for teens to test their knowledge about drugs and alcohol. 

Visit http://teens.drugabuse.gov/national-drug-facts-week for more information. 

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Teenagers from Imagine Prep Coolidge School in Coolidge, Ariz., share their “shatter the myths” pledge cards.