Education & Outreach

BHI strives to educate the community and families that, as stated in the Surgeon General’s October 2015 report, addiction is a chronic disease of the brain, and not a moral failing. We also inform our community about the “family disease model of addiction”. This model shows that the addiction both affects the entire family, and that family group dynamics can often fuel the addiction.

Our Objectives: 

• Interrupt the pathway to addiction for young people in the “risking risk” category before they become dependent on substances or contemplate self-harm.
• Educate youth and their families/friends about upstream behaviors on the RAMP® to addiction so young people can recognize them.
• Communicate the realistic impact of continued substance use in ways that are easier for young people to acknowledge.
• Inspire and motivate individuals to take action to seek help, to stop, or cut down on substance use and/or get help for mental health challenges.
• Provide immediate resources to get help – both for individuals, and family or friends worried about loved ones.

Our Commitment:

It is our belief that this content, broadly distributed, will prompt young people to seek care and use resources for self-care.

Understanding the brain science of addiction builds awareness around a young person’s substance use habits. Learning how substances hijack the pre-frontal cortex of the brain, where rational thinking occurs, can also lessen the shame often felt for actions taken under the influence of substances. Peer stories and brain science videos also build empathy for youth struggling with substances. Letting go of this shame removes a major barrier, freeing people to seek treatment.

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