1 in 5 Ventura County teens have abused prescription drugs. 

Over 50% get them from friends and family. 

9% of 9th graders and 14% of 11th graders in Ventura County say they’ve used prescription medications to get high.

The countywide report of the California Healthy Kids Survey (CHKS) indicates a hopeful decline in lifetime misuse of prescription drugs. However, prevention of Rx drug and heroi...

Here at BRITE, we include a focus on mental health and wellness as a component of our drug and alcohol abuse prevention programs. When you take care of yourself and feel grounded, you are more likely to see things clearly and make better decisions. We found this article’s tips helpful, especially during the darkest season of the year when we tend to hibernate and our thoughts can become dark and c...

There is a strong connection between alcohol and sexual assault, for both teens and adults. Alcohol is the drug most used to facilitate sexual assault, and it’s used in half of all sexual assaults. Additionally, alcohol inhibits a teen’s ability to:

• Think clearly
• Set limits and make good choices
• Think about long-term consequences and control impulses
• Determine when a situation is dangerous
...

This post was written by a CSU Channel Islands Service Learning student, featuring art from Pacific High School students.

It almost always feels like everyone around you has something they are very passionate about. Whether your peers are amazing athletes, or musically gifted, to other random hobbies, it can be very easy to feel lost if you do not believe you have a passion. In getting lost it is...

Alcohol is the most widely misused substance among America’s youth. Consumption of alcohol by anyone under the age of 21, also known as underage drinking, remains a considerable public health challenge. Adolescent alcohol use is not an acceptable rite of passage, but a serious threat to adolescent development and health. Medical research shows that the developing adolescent brain may be particular...

This post was written by a CSUCI Capstone student featuring artwork from Ventura High School students. 

It was sixth grade History class, and we were about to end our day and move to our next class. There was this one kid named Jeff (not his real name, but for the purpose of this story we will call him Jeff), I knew Jeff was a kid who was a big trouble maker. He was always picking fights with oth...

Drugs can impair your ability to drive safely and increase the risk of getting into a collision. In fact, cannabis increases your chance of a car accident. The percentage of Canadian drivers killed in vehicle crashes who test positive for drugs (40%) now actually exceeds the numbers who test positive for alcohol (33%). Impaired driving is the leading criminal cause of death and injury in Canada, a...

This poem was written by Karen Gonzalez, a student at CSU Channel Islands.

It’s really easy to get lost in the mist 

All the sweet flavors just come in a twist

Just to become popular 

It all becomes a blur

Needing to be accepted 

Not knowing that you’re being affected

Getting lost in the crowd 

Only exhaling clouds

“It’s not as bad as cigarettes”

With all the sweet flavors there are no r...

Information and resources from the National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMI).

Without mental health we cannot be healthy. We all experience emotional ups and downs from time to time caused by events in our lives. Mental health conditions go beyond these emotional reactions to specific situations. They are medical conditions that cause changes in how we think and feel and in our mood.

The lesbian...

By Kirsten Weir, from the American Psychological Association’s Monitor on Psychology, Vol. 46 No. 10

More states are legalizing marijuana, but concerns remain about its long-term effects on the adolescent brain.

Marijuana is the most widely used illicit drug in the United States — but the term “illicit” may not apply much longer. Twenty-three states have legalized Cannabis for medical use since ...

Information taken from CDC.gov

Every day, 29 people in the United States die in motor vehicle crashes that involve an alcohol-impaired driver. This is one death every 50 minutes. The annual cost of alcohol-related crashes totals more than $44 billion.

About one in three traffic deaths in the United States involve a driver with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.08% or higher. Drivers with ...

Underage and Binge Drinking in Ventura County

Underage drinking is when anyone under the minimum legal drinking age of 21 drinks alcohol. It is a risk to youth and a widespread public health problem.

• In Ventura County, 6% of 7th graders, 14% of 9th graders and 26% of 11th graders currently use alcohol.

• Lifetime alcohol use by ninth and eleventh graders has declined by 20 percentage points...