Plan Your Event

• Choose Your Topic. Your NDAFW event can focus on a specific substance or address substance use in general. NIDA has several toolkits for events and promotional activities that are specific to the following themes: 
  
  • Specific drugs, such as alcohol, marijuana, MDMA, opioids and other prescription drugs, tobacco, nicotine, & vaping (e-cigarettes), new psychoactive substances (synthetics).
  • Specific populations, such as college-aged and young adults and teens in the juvenile justice system.
  • Other topics, such as drugged driving and a video toolkit, which includes a teen-friendly video showing parts of the brain and their functions. We also have a general NDAFW toolkit available in Spanish.
• Choose a Location. The type of event you host may determine the location. An NDAFW event or activity can be hosted any place in your community where teens are, such as:
  
  • Schools, afterschool programs, community/recreation centers, or places of worship.
  • Donated space from theaters or other privately held meeting spaces.
  • Space available through your state or local health department.
• Get permission to hold the event. 
  
  • School events. Check with the principal and any other administrator well in advance of the event.
  • Local community events. Be sure to check with the location’s leadership and see if there are permission forms or other requirements you need to complete. Be sure to ask who your point of contact is to make sure everything runs smoothly.
• Determine what type of activities will work best for your space and your audience. Work with your team to create an event that works best for your school or community.
  
  • Participate in National Drugs & Alcohol Chat Day. 
  • Use the NDAFW Teaching Guide.
  • Select from NIDA’s list of great activities.
  • See what others have done for NDAFW in the past.
• Include the Privacy and Confidentiality for Event Attendees Statement.
  
  • Include and read aloud the privacy and confidentiality statement on privacy ground rules at the start of your event.

EVENT TIP: Have a plan in place for appropriate intervention if a teen reveals a potentially harmful personal situation.

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All NDAFW events must use science-based information to make sure the participants get the facts about drugs and drug abuse.

Use at Least One of These Scientific Sources 

• NIDA Materials

  Check out our Order Free Materials section for science-based educational publications. These materials are a great way to prepare students before the event, to hand out at the event, or to use for posters to decorate your event. NIDA also offers many online resources about drugs and drug use.

  

   

• NIDA Web-Interactive Events

  Use these fun and educational web interactive activities with individuals or as part of an event utilizing a large screen for group participation.

  • National Drugs & Alcohol IQ Challenge
    Test their knowledge! Every year NIDA uses the latest science to create an interactive quiz that challenges what students know and helps SHATTER THE MYTHS^TM,SM around drugs and drug abuse.
  • Drugs & Your Body: It Isn’t Pretty
    Developed in partnership with Scholastic Inc., this experience will ‘show’ students the ugly truth about how drug use can damage to their body. From acne to addiction to disease and death, this interactive activity features animations, audio clips, and videos that will engage and educate.
     
• A Scientific Expert

  Bring your event to the next level. To help answer teens’ questions, find a local expert with a professional background in the science of drugs or addiction. Here are a few great resources in your community:

  • Local Colleges and Universities. Go to your local university’s website to find people in departments—like psychology, psychiatry, public health, or neurology—that might be interested in working with you. Explain about NDAFW and see if a professor, researcher, or graduate student with a background in any of these disciplines would be willing to volunteer.
     
  • Local Hospitals or Pharmacies. For area hospitals, call the main hospital number and ask to be linked to the psychiatry or mental health department. They may be able to link you with an expert who treats people with substance use disorders. For pharmacies, go to your local pharmacist and explain your event and see if they or a colleague can volunteer an hour of their time to attend.
     
  • Local Health Departments. Check out your state or local health department website. Most have programs that focus on teens or drug use prevention. They can work with you to find a person or other resources to help bring the science to your event.

Brush up on Your Drug Facts Knowledge

Drug use is an evolving field. Take some time to brush up on your knowledge of drugs and their effects before your event. Here are a few of NIDA’s resources to get you started, or explore the NIDA website.

• Commonly abused drugs. Learn how using drugs, even just once, can affect your body and your mind.
• Drugs, Brains, and Behavior: The Science of Addiction. Learn the science of drug use and addiction.
• Marijuana Drug Facts. Read the latest, including its harms and potential medical uses.
• Popular Chat Day Questions. Check out common questions teens ask and what scientists say in response.
• National Drugs & Alcohol IQ Challenge. Test your knowledge of drugs and their effects.

EVENT TIP: See our Teaching Guide for recommendations on how to engage teens and encourage them to learn more.

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