Event registration opens for 10th anniversary of National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week®

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) announced that event registration begins today for the 10^th annual National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week^® (NDAFW), to be held March 30 through April 5, 2020. NDAFW is a week of educational events that annually brings together teens and scientific experts to SHATTER THE MYTHS^® about substance use and addiction. NIDA and NIAAA are both part of the National Institutes of Health.

Last year, nearly 2,000 events were held throughout all 50 states and in 20 countries. A variety of organizations can host NDAFW events, including schools, community groups, sports clubs, and hospitals. To make it easier to organize an event, NIDA has created the following resources:

• An online guide, which gives event organizers everything they need to plan, promote, and host an NDAFW event.
• Audience-specific toolkits (to be updated in December) and activity ideas for event organizers to use in their respective communities.
• A “Tools for Success” presentation and sample press and social outreach materials. 
• Free booklets. Event organizers who register their events online will receive booklets with science-based facts about drugs and alcohol, including one of NIDA’s most in-demand teen publications, Drugs: SHATTER THE MYTHS.
• Interactive National Drug & Alcohol IQ Challenge, a 12-question, multiple-choice quiz that takes approximately 10 minutes to complete. It is available in print or electronic format, in both English and Spanish, and can be projected on large screens at events, or used with mobile devices. The 2020 IQ Challenge will be posted in March.

NIDA launched NDAFW in 2010 to stimulate educational events in communities nationwide and around the world so teens can learn what the science shows us about drug use and addiction. NIAAA became a partner in 2016. During NDAFW, on April 1, NIDA will also host its annual National Drugs and Alcohol Chat Day, an annual live online chat held between high school students and NIDA scientists. Last year, nearly 4,500 questions were submitted from students in 44 schools.

To join the conversation on social media, follow @NIDAnews and @NIAAAnews and look for the hashtag #NDAFW.

To see press highlights and previous articles about NDAFW, go to: https://teens.drugabuse.gov/national-drug-alcohol-facts-week/view-events-and-highlights/2019/highlights.

To receive an e-newsletter about NDAFW planning, organizations can e-mail NIDA at drugfacts@nida.nih.gov.

For all information related to NDAFW, go to: https://teens.drugabuse.gov/national-drug-alcohol-facts-week​.