SAMHSA Launches AlcoholFX, a New Educational App for Underage Drinking Prevention, During Alcohol Awareness Month
04/18/2016
Download SAMHSA’s Alcohol’s Effects on the Brain App Today
Alcohol Awareness Month is here, and Prevention of Underage Drinking & Alcohol Misuse Day (May 17) during National Prevention Week is just around the corner.
To recognize these important public observances, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has released a new mobile application (app) for underage drinking prevention—Alcohol’s Effects on the Brain (AlcoholFX). AlcoholFX is a free, science-based app for tablets that teaches students ages 10–12 how alcohol can harm their brains. Based on lesson plans from SAMHSA’s Reach Out Now initiative, the app can easily integrate with instruction in fifth- and sixth-grade classrooms.
AlcoholFX helps increase students’ knowledge of alcohol’s negative consequences before they reach the average age of first use.
With AlcoholFX:
- Students engage in research-based, interactive games that explore brain science while they practice their responses to difficult social situations involving alcohol.
- Educators use science-based lesson plans, resources, and recorded scenarios to help students and parents learn about the dangers of alcohol.
- Parents learn how alcohol affects their children’s brains and can put their children at risk for falling behind in school.
Why talk about alcohol early?
According to SAMHSA’s "Talk. They Hear You." Campaign, at around age 9, children begin thinking alcohol may not be just for adults. By age 15, many young people are drinking. Young people who start drinking before age 15 are five times more likely to develop alcohol problems as adults than those who begin drinking at age 21 or older. Youth who drink alcohol also are more likely to use drugs, get bad grades, hurt themselves or someone else, engage in risky sexual behavior, make bad decisions, and experience health problems.
Read more about AlcoholFX and watch the new promotional video. AlcoholFX is available to download for free on tablets from the Google Play and Apple iTunes stores.
Resources To Support Underage Drinking Prevention
The following free resources are available from the federal government:
April Is Alcohol Awareness Month
April is the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc.’s (NCADD) Alcohol Awareness Month to raise public awareness about alcoholism and alcohol-related issues. The 2016 theme is “Talk Early, Talk Often: Parents Can Make a Difference in Teen Alcohol Use”. Download NCADD’s organizer’s guide, which includes planning and promotional materials, templates, and other resources to help communities plan Alcohol Awareness Month events.
In honor of Alcohol Awareness Month, Frances M. Harding, Director of SAMHSA’s Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, posted the blog When Communities Talk, Prevention Is Possible and the month’s important connection to the Communities Talk: Town Hall Meetings To Prevent Underage Drinking initiative.
Save the Date for National Prevention Week: May 15–21, 2016
SAMHSA hosts National Prevention Week each May so schools can participate in prevention-themed activities before summer, when substance misuse escalates. Mark your calendar for Prevention of Underage Drinking & Alcohol Misuse Day on May 17. Download SAMHSA’s National Prevention Week toolkit to plan and promote your prevention-related event.
New Highlights from the December 2015 STOP Act Report to Congress Available
SAMHSA has released Important Facts About Underage Drinking: Highlights from the 2015 STOP Act Report to Congress on the Prevention and Reduction of Underage Drinking. The report provides annual data on the prevalence and patterns of underage drinking as well as effective prevention solutions.
SAMHSA Releases Snapshot of Behavioral Health Issues for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Boys and Men
SAMHSA released a brief highlighting issues specific to Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander males. The report breaks down data on their prevalence of depression, suicide, and substance misuse.