SAFE Choices: Choose Knowledge
Prevention, intervention, treatment, and recovery in the news
Choose knowledge and gain the power to empower with these publications, journals, and reports that pertain to youth substance prevention, intervention, treatment, and recovery.
Recent Highlights
Week of June 27, 2022:
- Prevention Technology Transfer Center (PTTC) Network: Pride Month 2022
“The PTTC Network joins with others in recognizing June as LGBTQIA+ Pride Month. Our network is committed to ensuring all our programs are equitable and inclusive. On this resources page, you’ll find links to Network events, products, and resources to achieve those goals and foster an environment of respect, support, and equality.” - youth.gov: June is LGBT Pride Month
“Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month (LGBT Pride Month) is celebrated annually in June to honor the 1969 Stonewall riots, and works to achieve equal justice and equal opportunity for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) Americans.” - JUVJUST: OJJDP Celebrates LGBTQI+ Pride Month
“President Biden proclaimed June as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Intersex (LGBTQI+) Pride Month.” - Partnership to End Addiction: LGBTQ+, Family, & Substance Use
“As a parent or caregiver, showing your love, acceptance and support is essential to promoting your child’s well-being. This behavior can significantly decrease an LGBTQ+ teen’s likelihood of substance use and improve their mental health.”
Week of June 20, 2022:
- Partnership to End Addiction: Looking for LGBTQ-Friendly Treatment for Your Child? Here are 9 questions to ask.
“When a child has a health crisis with substance use or a combination of mental health and substance use problems, it can be frightening and stressful. You may be tempted to grab whatever resource is closest. However, taking a moment to ask questions and assess your options will help get your child into a program that’s right for them.” - SAMHSA: LGBTQI+ Youth – Like All Americans, They Deserve Evidence-Based Care
“As a clinical psychologist, academician, and government leader, I have focused on ensuring that mental health care services and policies are culturally responsive, evidence-based and in the best interest of those receiving services. Providing timely, appropriate, and evidence-based treatment vastly improves outcomes and can help save our young people from suicide ideation and attempts. I want to share what we know works to best engage Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning and Intersex (LGBTQI+) youth as well as the resources we have for them, their families, providers, community organizations, and government agencies.”
Week of June 13, 2022:
- SAMHSA: Pride Month Chat with Representative Ritchie Torres
Join SAMHSA, Thursday, June 16th, 11:30am ET in celebrating Pride Month with a virtual fireside chat with Representative Ritchie Torres. Rep. Torres is an openly gay man who has acknowledged his own struggles with mental health. This event is for any individual with an interest in LGBTQI+ behavioral health. Submit your question for Rep. Torres when you register at the link.
Substance Use and Mental Health LGBTQ+ Resources:
- The Trevor Project
- The Okra Project
- National Alliance on Mental Illness
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
- LGBT Training Curricula for Behavioral Health and Primary Care Practitioners
- U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
Week of June 6, 2022:
- June is Pride Month – The Trevor Project
Everyone’s story is different. The Trevor Project is working every day to help allies and educators understand the needs of LGBTQ young people.
Week of May 30, 2022:
- SAMHSA: National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day 2022: Peer Support for Youth and Families
“An event in honor of the National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day 2022, commemorating child and youth mental health and honoring youth and family peer support.” (YouTube) - US Surgeon General: Youth Mental Health
“Far too many young people are struggling with their mental health and unable to get the support they need. We all have a role to play in supporting youth mental health and creating a world where young people thrive.” (PDF Advisory Download)
Week of May 23, 2022:
- CDC: Children’s Mental Health: Understanding an Ongoing Public Health Concern
A new report on children’s mental health used data from different sources to describe mental health and mental disorders in children during 2013–2019. Poor mental health among children continues to be a substantial public health concern. Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and anxiety among children of all ages, and symptoms related to depression among adolescents, are the most common concerns. - NIH: Nurture Your Resilience – Bouncing Back From Difficult Times
“Everyone goes through tough times in life. But many things can help you survive—and even thrive—during stressful periods. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach. Learning healthy ways to cope and how to draw from resources in your community can help you build resilience.”
Week of May 16, 2022:
- Mental Health America: “The State of Mental Health in America”
Over 2.5 million youth in the U.S. have severe depression, and multiracial youth are at greatest risk. 10.6% of youth in the U.S. have severe major depression (depression that severely affects functioning). The rate of severe depression was highest among youth who identified as more than one race, at 14.5% (more than one in every seven multiracial youth).
You can help end stigma and show your support of individuals experiencing mental health and substance use challenges by joining SAFE Project’s No Shame Movement. Access the No Shame pledge as well as the newly developed “No Shame Youth and Young Adult Supplemental Education Program” on our toolkit page.
Week of May 9, 2022:
- National Prevention Week (NPW) is a national public education platform bringing together communities and organizations to raise awareness about the importance of substance use prevention and positive mental health.
The 2022 NPW Daily Themes:
- May 9: Strengthening Community Resilience: Substance Misuse and Overdose Prevention
- May 10: Preventing Substance Use and Promoting Mental Health in Youth
- May 11: Preventing Suicide: Everyone Plays a Role
- May 12: The Talent Pipeline: Enhancing the Prevention Workforce
- May 13: Prevention is Everywhere: Highlighting Efforts Across Settings and Communities
- May 14: Celebrating Prevention Heroes
- May 10th is National Fentanyl Awareness Day
SAFE Project invites you to view and share informational videos developed in collaboration with youth members of the WV Prevention Empowerment Partnership.
Week of May 2, 2022:
- NIH: Mental Illness
Though many youth experience positive mental health, an estimated 49.5 percent of adolescents has had a mental health disorder at some point in their lives. - SAFE Project: Does My Child or Teen Need Mental Health Support?
There is a role for everyone in supporting youth mental health.
Week of April 25, 2022:
- CDC: Alcohol Use and Your Health
“Drinking too much can harm your health. Excessive alcohol use led to more than 140,000 deaths and 3.6 million years of potential life lost (YPLL) each year in the United States from 2015 – 2019, shortening the lives of those who died by an average of 26 years. Further, excessive drinking was responsible for 1 in 10 deaths among working-age adults aged 20-64 years. The economic costs of excessive alcohol consumption in 2010 were estimated at $249 billion, or $2.05 a drink.” - Very Well Health: Mixing ADHD and Alcohol May Increase Your Risk of Addiction
“Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a condition that causes hyperactivity, impulsiveness, and difficulty paying attention. By some estimates, ADHD affects approximately 11% of children and 4% of adults. Adults with ADHD may occasionally enjoy an alcoholic beverage, but they should be very cautious.”
Week of April 18, 2022:
- SAMHSA: Alcohol Use Among Girls and Young Women (PDF)
“For at least the past two decades, data showed that boys and young men were more likely to drink than girls and young women. However, an unsettling trend has taken hold: Data now show that girls and young women, ages 12 to 20, are drinking more alcohol than their male counterparts.” - SAMHSA: Facts on Underage Drinking (PDF)
“Alcohol continues to be the most widely used substance of abuse among American youth, and a higher proportion use alcohol than tobacco, marijuana, or other drugs.” - SAMHSA: “Talk. They Hear You.”® Campaign
“SAMHSA’s national substance use prevention campaign helps parents and caregivers start talking with their children early about the dangers of alcohol and other drugs.” - SAMHSA: Be Prepared to Have the Difficult Conversation (PDF)
“Before you allow your underage children to attend a party where you think alcohol may be available, take the opportunity to inform them of how alcohol and other substances—such as marijuana—can affect their bodies and minds.” - SAMHSA: After High School – Talking With Your Young Adult About Underage Drinking (PDF)
“While they’re wrapping up high school studies and obligations, high school seniors make important decisions about the rest of their lives. Some choose to pursue a college degree immediately, and others may decide to join the workforce or military or delay college enrollment.”
Week of April 11, 2022:
- NIH Director’s Blog: Alcohol poses different challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic
“The COVID-19 pandemic is affecting every family across the country and will likely have a long-lasting impact on public health and well-being. Alcohol misuse is already a public health concern in the United States, with dramatic increases in emergency department visits and alcohol-related deaths observed in recent years. Alcohol has the potential to further complicate the COVID-19 pandemic in multiple ways.” - Boston University: Alcohol Consumption Has Spiked during the Pandemic. Could the Consequences Outlast the Coronavirus?
“BU researchers say the answer may be to make alcohol ‘less attractive, less affordable, and less available'” - JAMA Network: Alcohol-Related Deaths During the COVID-19 Pandemic
“Research suggests that alcohol consumption and related harms increased during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Studies reported increases in drinking to cope with stress, transplants for alcohol-associated liver disease, and emergency department visits for alcohol withdrawal. We examined mortality data to assess whether alcohol-related deaths increased during the pandemic as well.”
Week of April 4, 2022:
- NIAAA Spectrum: Words Matter When Discussing Alcohol Issues: A New Stigma-Free Vocabulary for Better AUD Outcomes
“Word choice may seem out of place among the myriad factors that can influence outcomes for a complex condition like alcohol use disorder (AUD). In fact, the stigma created by the language that is used to describe alcohol problems can decrease many people’s willingness to seek help for alcohol problems. It also can affect how people with AUD are treated in all aspects of life” - Raise awareness about alcohol-related harms and the importance of strong alcohol policies using memes,
- Encourage engagement from prevention and public health stakeholders to strategically educate and inform decision makers about effective alcohol policies by providing easy-to-personalize, templated opinion editorials, letters to legislators and proclamations, and
- Provide materials to raise awareness around weekly themes in observance of April as National Alcohol Awareness Month.
- Week 1: Harms to Others/Impaired Driving/Violence (April 1-3)
- Week 2: Increases in Alcohol-Related Emergency Room Visits (April 4-10)
- Week 3: Alcohol’s Role in The Opioid Epidemic (April 11-17)
- Week 4: Alcohol and Cancer (April 18-24)
- For more resources, visit the PTTC Network Alcohol Awareness Toolkit
- CNN: US drug overdose deaths reach another record high as deaths from fentanyl surge
“Annual drug overdose deaths have reached another record high in the United States as deaths from fentanyl and other synthetic opioids surge to unprecedented levels.” - More information about Fentanyl
- More information about the SAFE Treatment and Family Support Locator
- More information about Narcan
- Fentanyl Facts: Youth Voices (YouTube Video)
In recognition of National Drug and Alcohol Fact week (March 21-27, 2022), SAFE Project — in collaboration with youth from the West Virginia Prevention Empowerment Partnership — created a video production with facts about fentanyl. For more information about the dangers of fentanyl as well as prevention and treatment resources, check out this new resource page created by SAFE Project. - SAFE Treatment and Family Support Locator
SAFE Project and Partnership to End Addiction launched the first-of-its-kind online SAFE Treatment and Family Support Locator. For every person navigating a substance use or mental health challenges or who identifies as being in recovery, there is often a parent, child, spouse, or caregiver who is right beside them in that journey. While there are reputable locators to find treatment and recovery resources, families and caregivers did not have access to reliable online support resources for themselves–until now. - ABC News: Youth’s overdose death renews pleas for Narcan in schools
“The death of a 13-year-old student who apparently overdosed on fentanyl at his Connecticut school has drawn renewed pleas for schools to stock the opioid antidote naloxone, as well as for training of both staffers and children on how to recognize and respond to overdoses.” - More Information About Narcan
- More Information About Fentanyl
- RAND.org: Commission on Combating Synthetic Opioid Trafficking
“The Commission on Combating Synthetic Opioid Trafficking, established under Section 7221 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020, was charged with examining aspects of the synthetic opioid threat to the United States—specifically, with developing a consensus on a strategic approach to combating the illegal flow of synthetic opioids into the United States.” - SAFE Project: Addiction & Mental Health Resources for the Black Community
Everyone’s journey to recovery is unique — but when it comes to treatment the Black community experiences more barriers to treatment than other groups. Attention to the addiction epidemic has focused primarily on White suburban and rural communities. Less attention has focused on Black communities which are similarly experiencing dramatic increases in opioid misuse and overdose deaths. In SAFE Project’s commitment to ensure that members of the Black community have access to recovery, prevention, and mental health resources, we have curated a list of recovery and mental health resources specifically for the Black community. - NIH: Suicides by drug overdose increased among young people, elderly people, and Black women, despite overall downward trend
“A new study of intentional drug overdose deaths, or suicides by an overdose of a medication or drug, found an overall decline in recent years in the United States, but an increase in young people aged 15-24, older people aged 75-84, and non-Hispanic Black women.” - Feb. 7-13, 2022 is Children’s Mental Health Week AND Children’s Author Week
This year, SAFE Project is highlighting both by featuring two books and their respective authors. These books are specifically written for children and themed on substance use and mental health, while endorsing open and meaningful conversations with kids. The books promote mental and emotional learning and resilience skill building that lead to safe choices in all stages of youth development. - DrugFree.org: A Parent’s Guide to Raising Resilient Kids
“Working together with national leaders in youth development and children’s health, Partnership to End Addiction presents Raising Resilient Kids.” - NaturalHigh.org: How Helping Kids Find Their Natural High Leads to Healthy Choices
“When it comes to harmful substances, adolescents are particularly at risk of making choices that can ruin their lives. Parents and educators have a keen opportunity to guide kids to find and organize their lives around healthy activities and expressions.” - New York Times: More Young Kids Are Getting Sick From Cannabis Edibles
“As states legalize cannabis, a growing number of children are inadvertently consuming marijuana-infused foods.” - GetSmartAboutDrugs.gov: Drug Paraphernalia – How Much Do You Really Know?
Check out the Get Smart About Drugs DEA resource for parents, educators, and caregivers to increase your knowledge about drug paraphernalia – a step that could save a life. - Truth Initiative: New survey finds that more than half of young people consider quitting vaping in 2022
“With findings showing that over half of young e-cigarette users want to quit and many have tried, learn why it is more important than ever to promote resources and tools that will help young people successfully quit vaping.” - United States Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) news release: “Emoji Drug Code Decoded”
“Criminal Drug Networks are killing Americans and they are using social media to deliver deadly doses of fentanyl”, DEA Administrator Anne Milgram. - Short Takes with NIAAA
Short takes video series on the topic of alcohol: “What are alcohol induced black outs?”, “What is alcohol use disorder?”, “What is binge drinking?”, and “What is alcohol overdose?” - Monitoring the future survey results:
“We have never seen such dramatic decreases in drug use among teens in just a one-year period,” National Institute on Drug Abuse Director Nora Volkow, M.D., said in a news release. “These data are unprecedented and highlight one unexpected potential consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused seismic shifts in the day-to-day lives of adolescents. Moving forward, it will be crucial to identify the pivotal elements of this past year that contributed to decreased drug use – whether related to drug availability, family involvement, differences in peer pressure, or other factors – and harness them to inform future prevention efforts.” - New survey shows progress on curbing teen vaping, but e-cigarette use remains high as access to flavors, risk of nicotine addiction, and impact on youth mental health concerns grow
“The 2021 Monitoring the Future (MTF) survey data released today show progress in the fight to curb youth nicotine vaping, signaling efforts to provide education to prevent e-cigarette use and quitting resources are starting to work.” - National Institute on Drug Abuse: Nurturing My Mental & Emotional Health
“Mental and emotional wellbeing is critical to overall health. By supporting teens in developing healthy coping skills, you can set them up for success in dealing with stress and challenging circumstances in the future.” - SAMHSA: Listen to Yourself for Signs of Mental and Substance Use Disorders (Video)
“As a young adult, your mental health or substance use may worry you but asking for help should not.” - DrugFree.org: Ridesharing Services May Reduce Number of Alcohol-Involved Crashes
“A new study finds more ridesharing trips with services such as Uber or Lyft may result in fewer alcohol-involved crashes.” - JustThinkTwice.gov: Getting High and Driving
“Drugged driving is driving under the influence of alcohol, over-the-counter medications, prescription drugs, or illegal drugs.” - USA Today: Drug overdoses surged amid COVID lockdowns
“More than 100,000 Americans died of drug overdoses during the 12 months following the COVID-19 lockdowns, the most overdose deaths ever recorded in a one-year span, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.” - SAMHSA Advisory: Prescription Stimulant Misuse Among Youth and Young Adults
“This Advisory reviews the evidence on prescription stimulant misuse among youth and young adults. It establishes prescription stimulant misuse as a public health problem, identifies associated risk and protective factors, and provides programs and action steps for stakeholders to prevent misuse.” - SAMHSA releases 2020 National Survey on Drug Use and Health
“The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has released findings from the 2020 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). The data suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic had a negative impact on the nation’s well-being. Americans responding to the NSDUH survey reported that the coronavirus outbreak adversely impacted their mental health, including by exacerbating use of alcohol or drugs among people who had used drugs in the past year.” - The National Child Traumatic Stress Network Releases Fact Sheet: TRAUMA-INFORMED SCHOOL STRATEGIES DURING COVID-19
“This fact sheet offers information on the physical and emotional well-being of staff, creating a trauma-informed learning environment, identifying and assessing traumatic stress, addressing and treating traumatic stress, trauma education and awareness, partnerships with students and families, cultural responsiveness, emergency management and crisis response, and school discipline policies and practices.” - White House Releases Fact Sheet: IMPROVING ACCESS AND CARE FOR YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH AND SUBSTANCE USE CONDITIONS
“Even before the pandemic, demand for mental health and substance use services was increasing, especially for our nation’s young people. The COVID-19 pandemic has only made the situation more challenging, subjecting many young Americans to social isolation, loss of routines, and traumatic grief.”
To raise awareness about alcohol-related harms and the importance of alcohol policy safeguards, the Northwest Prevention Technology Transfer Center (PTTC) has launched the Alcohol Awareness Toolkit #ProoflsInTheNumbers. The Alcohol Awareness Toolkit seeks to do the following during the month of April:
2022 Weekly Themes by PTTC
Week of March 28, 2022:
Choose knowledge and know the facts about the dangers of fentanyl for youth and young adults, and learn the steps you can take to save a life from a fentanyl overdose.
Week of March 21, 2022:
Week of March 14, 2022:
Week of March 7, 2022:
Week of February 28, 2022:
Week of February 21, 2022:
Week of February 14, 2022:
Week of February 7, 2022:
My Brother Is Not A Monster
Someone I Love Died from a Drug Overdose
Week of January 31, 2022:
Week of January 25, 2022:
Week of January 17, 2022:
Week of January 10, 2022:
Week of January 3, 2022:
Week of December 27, 2021:
Week of December 20, 2021:
Week of December 6, 2021:
Week of November 29, 2021:
Week of November 22, 2021:
Week of November 15, 2021:
Week of November 8, 2021:
Additional Resources & Assistance
For more information about SAFE Choices, contact
Senior Director Ronna Yablonski at: ronna@safeproject.us

Quickly find a treatment facility that matches your needs or the needs of a loved one in an easy, anonymous, and non-invasive way!

Our Technical Assistance consists of specialized services, information sharing, skill development, training, program assessment and implementation, as well as capacity building.