Everything You Need to Know About Drugs & the Teen Brain in 22 Minutes

Gr 7 Up—Compelling animation and smoothly rendered graphics, backed with a chill-out sound track, will draw in the target audience for this program about the physiological and behavioral effects of alcohol and drugs on teens. Teen hosts Katie Chung and Max Rein are very articulate. Much of their dialogue is intended to reinforce findings by experts such as Steven Dewey from Brookhaven National Laboratory and Aaron White from the Adolescent Brain Institute at the University of California, San Diego, about addiction and brain research. They are among the experts who provide easy-to-understand explanations detailing how adolescent brain function and development can be impaired by alcohol, ecstasy, and other drugs. Their findings are supported by brain scans, MRIs, and similar diagnostic tools. The information-rich program documents studies that indicate substance abuse in teens causes brain changes that are greater and more difficult to reverse than in people over 20. The simulations of teens getting drunk, high, or trying to function during withdrawal are very realistic as are the interviews with recovering teens. The digital countdown at the end of various segments is a nice touch. While this video won't likely reach those already in the throes of addiction, it will be an extremely good tool for classroom use in health and substance abuse prevention classes.—John Clark, Hartland Public Library, MEH