Department of Health and Human Services: Improving the health, safety, and well-being of America

Skip section navigation (navigation may have changed)

Section navigation

Drugs, alcohol, and smoking:

Straight talk about drugs

Straight talk about alcohol

Straight talk about tobacco

Links to more information

girlshealh.gov glossary

girlshealth.gov home

http://www.girlshealth.gov/

Drugs, alcohol, and smoking

Home

Links to more information

Publications & web sites

Alcohol

FAQs on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism – Need the simple facts about alcohol abuse? Read this web site for details.
Tips for Teens: The Truth About Alcohol – This brochure explains what alcohol does to your body, how alcohol can affect your life even if you’re not drinking, and how to know if a friend has a drinking problem.
The Cool Spot – Think you know how much alcohol is in a single drink? Or how many kids give in to peer pressure and drink? Find the answers on this site, the young teen's place for information on alcohol and resisting peer pressure. It's the "Cool Spot" for a reason.
Too Smart to Start – Check out this site to listen to what other teens have to say about alcohol, play interactive games, and learn how alcohol affects each part of your body.
Girl Talk: Choices and Consequences of Underage Drinking – Want to read what other teenage girls have to say about drinking? Check out the "Girl Talk" blog where you can register to post comments and read stories about how underage drinking has affected girls' lives.
Check Yourself – Check Yourself is a unique web site that has quizzes about different drugs, stories from real teens, message boards, videos, and other fun interactive features. You can even play decision games to see how you might act in a situation involving drugs and alcohol. What choices will you make?
Youth in Action – This is a program of MADD that encourages and enables youth to get involved in activities in their community that prevent underage drinking. Learn how to get involved and join a Youth in Action team by visiting their web site.

Drugs

Drugs + HIV > learn the link – This site has commercials and “webisodes” to help you understand the link between drug abuse and HIV infection.
Get It Straight: The Facts about Drugs – This site gives you the straight story on why it is important to refuse drugs. Learn the facts and pass this site on to your friends.
Marijuana: Facts for Teens – This site offers questions and answers on marijuana. Check it out to learn how the drug affects the body and what it can do to you long term.
Tips for Teens: The Truth About Club Drugs – Think using club drugs is all part of the party? Read this brochure to learn how club drugs such as ecstasy, GHB, ketamine, and rohypnol affect your body, what the risks are, and how to know if a friend is using these drugs.
Tips for Teens: The Truth About Cocaine – This on-line brochure explains how cocaine affects your body and explains the dangers of using this drug.
Tips for Teens: The Truth About Hallucinogens – Read this brochure to learn how hallucinogens such as LSD, psilocybin, PCP, and ecstasy affect your body and mind. It also explains the risks of these drugs and how you can help a friend who is using hallucinogens.
Tips for Teens: The Truth About Inhalants – These may be common household products, but inhalants can cause serious side effects, including death. Read this brochure and learn about how inhalants affect the body and how dangerous they really are.
Tips for Teens: The Truth About Heroin – Check out this brochure to learn about the dangers of using heroin, including how it affects your body. It also explains how you can know if a friend is using heroin and what you can do to help them.
What’s Up with Prescription and Over-the-Counter Drugs – Prescription and over-the-counter drugs may be legal, but using them for anything other than what they are prescribed or recommended for can be dangerous. Check out this site to learn about the risks of overusing and abusing these medications.
Abovetheinfluence.com – Above the Influence is an interactive drug prevention site for youth. It features some popular anti-drug commercials that you might have seen on TV!
Check Yourself – Check Yourself is a unique web site that has quizzes about different drugs, stories from real teens, message boards, videos, and other fun interactive features. You can even play decision games to see how you might act in a situation involving drugs and alcohol. What choices will you make?
ClubDrugs.org – The use of club drugs may be more common these days, but using them can ruin your party for life. Learn more about club drugs such as ecstasy on this site.
Free Vibe – Get the facts about drugs, hear from celebrities, and talk to other teens about their "anti-drugs," things that are more important to them than using drugs, like sports, friends, family and music.
Girls and Drugs – Girls are more likely to suffer from depression than boys, and as a result they may turn to drugs to numb the pain. Read this article from Freevibe.com to learn how to be a good friend and prevent your girlfriends from feeling like drugs are the only way to escape their problems.
Make Up Your Own Mind About Cough Medicine – Think that just because other kids use cold medicine to get high that it’s ok? Think again. Read this web site to learn about the side effects of Dextromethophan, also known as DXM, and draw your own conclusions about it.
Prescription Drug Abuse – How can something that a doctor gives to people be bad for you? Prescription drugs are not harmful if they are used properly and only under a doctor’s supervision. However, taking prescription medicine without a doctor's approval and supervision can be a dangerous, even deadly, decision. Explore this web site to learn more.
Sara’s Quest – Join Sara as she explores the brain's response to drugs. Find out what steroids and other drugs can do to the brain.
The National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign – The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) launched this campaign to empower youth with the knowledge and tools to reject drugs. This web site provides parents and educators with materials, such as fact sheets and print ads, to teach kids and teens why they should stay away from drugs.

Smoking

Mind Over Matter: The Brain’s Response to Nicotine – Learn all about how the brain responds to tobacco and nicotine in this special on-line series. This web site and its special visual aids offer the latest information from leading scientists. Check this out and be in the know about nicotine.
NIDA For Teens: Facts About Nicotine – Did you know that a drop of pure nicotine can kill a person? Learn more about nicotine and the science behind smoking on this site just for teens from the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
Say Goodbye To An Ugly Habit – Quit Smoking! (PDF - 243KB) - It’s probably not news to you that smoking is bad for your body. It causes wrinkles and turns your teeth yellow, and puts you at risk for diseases. Learn how to quit by reading this fact sheet.
Teen Quit: To Help You Quit Smoking – You know that you have to quit smoking, but the question is how? Check out this special site just for teens to get tips on quitting. Don't forget to pass this site on to your friends!
Information About Smoking: A Guide for Teens (Copyright © CYWH) – Check out this article for answers to many common questions about smoking and quitting smoking. It includes a list of the chemicals in cigarettes, how they affect your lungs, and why quitting is important for your health and your life.

Organizations

= This article, publication, web site, or organization is from the U.S. government.

= You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader® to view some of these files after you've downloaded them. If you have problems with PDF documents, please download the latest version of the Reader®.

Content last updated March 28, 2008

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health.