SAMHSA’s 17th Annual Prevention Day and Celebrating the Holidays Safely
11/17/2020
Virtually Attend SAMHSA’s 17th Annual Prevention Day!
SAMHSA’s 17th Annual Prevention Day will convene on Monday, February 1, 2021, in conjunction with CADCA’s Virtual Forum. This exciting, one-day virtual event will give you the latest on SAMHSA’s prevention priorities for 2021. Dynamic presentations will also highlight evidence-based prevention and intervention strategies and findings you can apply in your own work on substance use prevention, treatment, recovery, and mental health.
This virtual forum will also provide you with a chance to network with prevention practitioners, community leaders, researchers, and consumers in the behavioral health field. Registration for SAMHSA’s 17th Annual Prevention Day is free to the public, so register today.
Celebrating the Holidays Safely
This year, families and friends will face new and unique challenges as they try to celebrate the holiday season while still following CDC COVID-19 guidelines to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. One of these challenges is the impact alcohol has on our immune systems, which can make us more susceptible to the coronavirus. This is just one of multiple ways increased alcohol use during the holidays can be more dangerous this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Fortunately, there are safe ways for families and communities to gather and celebrate. The CDC provides critical information on how to do this on its Holiday Celebrations webpage.
The holiday season is known to be a dangerous time on America's roadways as hundreds of lives are lost each year due to drunk drivers. This is an especially important topic for underage youth, as data show that they are involved in alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes despite being too young to legally purchase or possess alcohol. This year, this may be an even greater risk as more people opt to travel to their holiday destinations by car in order to avoid the spread of COVID-19. You can help prevent drinking and driving over the holidays with free resources from the U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) national safety campaigns. These campaigns provide animated graphics, fact sheets, sample news releases and op-eds, and Spanish-language materials.
Here are resources to share with your prevention networks from NHTSA: