Health literacy and drug abuse.

• Author: Volkow, Nora D.
• Position: HEADS UP: REAL NEWS ABOUT DRUGS AND YOUR BODY

In This Installment

* Important facts about how drug abuse and addiction affect health.

* Tips for students on how to take action to stay healthy.

Assessment Tools

Use the Student Activity Reproducible on the back of this page as an assessment quiz to determine what your students have learned about the health effects of drug abuse.

More Information

For more information about the connection between general health and drug abuse and addiction, read NIDA Notes, "Beyond the Brain: The Medical Consequences of Abuse and Addiction," at www.nida.nih.gov/NIDA_Notes/NNVol18N6/DirRepVol18n6.html.

--A message from Dr. Nora D. Volkow, Director of NIDA

Dear Teacher:

As an educator, you know how important it is for your students to make informed choices. When it comes to drug abuse, knowing the facts is crucial to helping students make decisions that can impact their health and safety.

In this latest installment of Heads Up, students will find out how drug abuse and addiction affect one's overall health. Although at its core a brain disease, drug addiction produces harmful consequences throughout the body.

We thank you for sharing the important facts in this article with your students. By doing so, you are not only helping them be more health-literate, but are also helping them keep safe.

Sincerely,

Nora D. Volkow, M.D.

Director of NIDA

Lesson Plan & Reproducible

Preparation: Before the lesson, make two photocopies of the Student Activity Reproducible for a pre--and post-lesson quiz.

OBJECTIVE Students will understand some of the serious health consequences of drug abuse and addiction.

NATIONAL SCIENCE EDUCATION STANDARDS

Life Science; Science in Personal and Social Perspectives

WHAT YOU WILL DO

* Introduce the topic of drug abuse and health by asking students what they consider the...