May is Mental Health Awareness Month, a time to slow down, check in, and remind ourselves that mental health is not separate from overall health. It affects how we think, how we feel, how we handle stress, how we build relationships, and how we make decisions. It also plays a powerful role in substance use prevention. For the Way...
April is Alcohol Awareness Month
April is Alcohol Awareness Month—a time dedicated to increasing understanding around alcohol use, its impact on individuals and families, and the role we all play in prevention. While alcohol is often seen as a “normal” part of growing up, the reality is that early use can have lasting consequences. For young people, alcohol affects brain...
What Is a Substance Use Prevention Coalition?
When people hear the word prevention, they often think of assemblies, flyers, or programs aimed at stopping substance use before it starts. While those efforts are important, true prevention goes much deeper. At its core, prevention is about building strong, connected communities where young people are supported, informed, and equipped to make healthy decisions. That’s...
Addiction in the West Valley: A Local Family’s Perspective
A local West Valley family shared their deeply personal story of walking through their loved one’s struggle with addiction. Her name was Lorena, a daughter, granddaughter, sister, niece, friend—a person who was loved by many. The reality of addiction is that it settles in with little warning, allowing many signs to be brushed off as...
Alert: Carfentanil Resurgence in Arizona
Most people have now heard of fentanyl — and far too many have experienced its devastating impact firsthand. Here in Arizona and across the nation, fentanyl has torn through communities with staggering force. It’s 100 times more powerful than morphine and has become the deadliest drug America has ever faced. From 2021 through late 2024,...
Why the Minimum Age for Substances is 21: The Science Behind the Law
Have you ever wondered why you must be 21 to buy alcohol, nicotine, or marijuana? It’s not just a random rule—there’s solid science behind it. Let’s dive into why this age limit is so important for protecting young brains. Your brain keeps developing well into your mid-20s. The prefrontal cortex, which helps with decision-making and...
Social media is a part of everyday life; in fact, you might be reading this on a social media platform right now. As adults, we possess the ability to choose what we want to engage with in our lives, an ability honed through personal experiences, relationships, and our evolving vision of what we want our...
As the new year unfolds, we find ourselves immersed in the timeless tradition of seeking a fresh start—a cultural practice that has spanned over 200 years in our Western society. Many Americans embrace the spirit of self-improvement, often manifested in the form of New Year’s Resolutions. As the calendar pages turn, we must introspectively inquire:...
This is an exciting time for our teens, where they experience increased cognitive abilities, learning, and memory due to the brain’s ability to rewire its connections in response to experiences. What triggers this transition? Physical development (aka puberty), which also initiates brain development. As a teen, I am not only dealing with the stresses of...
The impact of physical pain on the lives of millions of Americans cannot be underestimated. Opioids, once prescribed to alleviate suffering, have now exposed us to an alarming “opioid crisis” due to their highly addictive nature. Mitigating youth access to prescription medications is imperative, as studies reveal that 60% of teenagers who misuse prescription drugs...