Below you’ll find helpful resources for teens & adults, including links to community resources for addiction treatment & recovery, videos and articles, as well as other nonprofit organizations sharing our mission: to prevent teen drug and alcohol use and abuse.
Emergency Resources
PA Get Help Now
1-800-662-HELP (4357)
Individuals seeking treatment or substance use support for themselves or a loved one can call the toll-free PA Get Help Now. The free, confidential hotline is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and staffed by trained professionals.
A live chat option is also available online or via text message at 717-216-0905 for those seeking help who may not be comfortable speaking to a helpline operator.
SAMHSA National Helpline
1-800-662-4357
Confidential free help, from public health agencies, to find substance use treatment and information.
National Drug and Alcohol Treatment Hotline
1-800-662-HELP(4357)
National Drug Helpline
1-844-289-0879
The National Drug Helpline is open to any individual dealing with addiction issues, including family members and other loved ones. Resources are available for those struggling with any addictive substance, including alcohol, and professionals are available to help 24/7/365.
Addiction Treatment Locator Assessment & Standards Platform (ATLAS)
Serving: Delaware, Louisiana, Florida, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia – but plans to expand nationally.
Find your county drug and alcohol office
Local treatment programs are administered through county drug and alcohol offices called Single County Authorities. These programs can help with treatment funding, assess the need for treatment or other services, and make referrals to match treatment and/or service needs.
Nonprofits, Support Organizations, and Other Resources
Saving Lives for Zachary
Saving Lives for Zachary is a grassroots 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to educating and informing families about the dangers of drug abuse and drug addiction.
525 Foundation
525 Foundation exists to educate teens and families and raise awareness about the dangers of alcohol and prescription drug misuse and abuse.
Song for Charlie
Song for Charlie is a national family-run, nonprofit charity that encourages young people to choose healthy coping strategies over self-medication. We empower students to learn and share knowledge by providing research tools and promoting peer-to-peer learning programs.
DJ Choices
Our mission is to steer students into making safe choices whether it be in school or in their personal lives. Students are often faced with choices that could have serious consequences whether it be drugs, alcohol or follow safe driving practices.
Ask, Listen, Learn
Ask, Listen, Learn is a completely FREE digital underage drinking prevention program for kids ages 9-13 (grades 4-8) and their parents and educators with the goal to reduce underage drinking.
Responsibility.org
The Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility (Responsibility.org) leads the fight to eliminate drunk driving and underage drinking and promotes responsible decision-making regarding beverage alcohol.
Addiction Group
Addiction Group is an informational web guide that was founded in 2019. Our website was created to help those struggling with alcohol use disorders (AUD), substance use disorders (SUD), and/or co-occurring mental health disorders find treatment for their addiction.
Nar-Anon & Narateen
The Nar-Anon Family Groups are a worldwide fellowship for those affected by someone else’s addiction. As a twelve-step program, we offer our help by sharing our experience, strength, and hope.
Narateen groups, which are part of the Nar-Anon fellowship, are formed to provide support to teenage family members and friends of addicts. A Narateen group is a safe environment where teenagers can share and work on their recovery.
Al-Anon & Alateen
Al‑Anon is a mutual support program for people whose lives have been affected by someone else’s drinking. By sharing common experiences and applying the Al-Anon principles, families and friends of alcoholics can bring positive changes to their individual situations, whether or not the alcoholic admits the existence of a drinking problem or seeks help.
Alateen, a part of the Al-Anon Family Groups, is a fellowship of young people (mostly teenagers) whose lives have been affected by someone else’s drinking whether they are in your life drinking or not. By attending Alateen, teenagers meet other teenagers with similar situations. Alateen is not a religious program and there are no fees or dues to belong to it.
Partnership to End Addiction
We’re on a mission to transform how our nation addresses addiction by empowering families, advancing effective care, shaping public policy and changing culture.
Substance use and addiction affects more than 20 million Americans. Together with our many supporters, we are helping families find answers.
Teen Safe
Our goal is to provide the latest science and true-life stories as educational materials to parents, teens and pre-teens to foster better family communications, promote resilience and healthy activities, and to reduce risky behaviors in teens with the goal of preserving their futures.
Developed by the Center for Adolescent Behavioral Health Research (CABHRe; formerly the Center for Adolescent Substance Use and Addiction Research, CeASAR) at Boston Children’s Hospital.
West Branch Drug & Alcohol Abuse Commission
The Commission is dedicated to serving the prevention, intervention, and treatment needs of the individuals, families, and communities of Lycoming & Clinton Counties affected by alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs.
Crossroads Counseling, Inc.
We are dedicated to building a strong community through our commitment to providing cost- effective, high quality services, consistently and effectively to all those in need.
Narcotics Anonymous
NA is a nonprofit fellowship or society of men and women for whom drugs had become a major problem. We are recovering addicts who meet regularly to help each other stay clean.
Alcoholics Anonymous
Alcoholics Anonymous is a fellowship of people who come together to solve their drinking problem. It doesn’t cost anything to attend A.A. meetings. There are no age or education requirements to participate. Membership is open to anyone who wants to do something about their drinking problem.
A.A.’s primary purpose is to help alcoholics to achieve sobriety.
Videos, Ted-Talks & Free Online Courses
Take The Teen Safe Course
Click to access the FREE Teen Safe Course
Use of drugs and alcohol is associated with the most common causes of death and injury among teens. The earlier a teen begins using substances, the more likely they are to develop a substance use disorder.
In this course, you will learn how to protect your teenager’s health, life and future through a series of brief videos that demonstrate the effects of adolescent substance use on the developing brain. You also will learn practical tips on how to keep your teen safe.
Go to https://teen-safe.org/ or watch the video below to begin the course.
FREE Courses from the Foundation for a Drug-Free World
This series of interactive Truth About Drugs courses has been designed so you can learn the truth about drugs at your own pace. Find out what drugs are, what they are made of, their short- and long-term effects, and view real stories from real people about each of the most popular drugs of choice.
Truth About Drugs courses are free. You must create an account to access the course. Each course contains 5 lessons; you must watch the video, read digital text materials, take knowledge checks, and a test to complete the course. When you complete a course (you must pass the final assessment) you will be provided with a downloadable, printable certificate of completion. Each course takes 40-60 minutes to complete.
To begin, click the name of the course you wish to take from the list below.
The Truth About Alcohol
Through this interactive course you will learn the truth about alcohol. Get straight talk about alcohol in its many forms from those who overcame addiction.
The Truth About Drugs
Through this interactive course you’ll learn the reason why people take drugs in the first place. You’ll also discover basic facts about the most commonly abused drugs. And you’ll hear it from those who lived through the addiction to tell their story. Educate yourself. Get the truth about drugs.
The Truth About Prescription Drug Abuse
Through this interactive course you will learn the truth about prescription drug abuse. You’ll hear it from former addicts who know the consequences and give real, first-hand experience of the dangers of prescription drugs.
The Truth About Ritalin Abuse
Through this interactive course you will learn the truth about Ritalin abuse. You’ll learn how Ritalin abuse starts and the consequences of abusing prescription drugs. People who’ve used Ritalin tell the unedited truth about what happened to them.
The Truth About Painkillers
Through this interactive course you will learn the truth about painkillers. You’ll get straight facts from former addicts who know first-hand how easy it is to become addicted.
The Truth About Heroin
Through this interactive course you will learn the truth about heroin. You’ll hear former addicts tell their stories about how they got hooked and how their heroin habit became their full-time obsession.
The Truth About Marijuana
Through this interactive course you will learn the truth about marijuana, the myths surrounding it and why many former addicts believe using it often leads to even more harmful drugs.
The Truth About Synthetic Drugs
Through this interactive course you will learn the truth about synthetic drugs and why—no matter what people tell you—they are not natural, safe or legal. You’ll hear it straight from former users who experienced the severe effects of synthetic drugs.
The Truth About Inhalants
Through this interactive course you will learn the truth about inhalants. You’ll find out how inhaling everyday chemicals can cause dangerous and deadly effects. And you’ll hear it from people who survived inhalant addiction.
The Truth About Ecstasy
Through this interactive course you will learn the truth about Ecstasy. You’ll get the straight facts about this designer drug from people who have abused it.
The Truth About LSD
Through this interactive course you will learn the truth about LSD. Real people who’ve used LSD spell it all out—from its history to its street names, and its unpredictable effects and risks.
The Truth About Cocaine
Through this interactive course you will learn the truth about cocaine. What it is, what it’s made of and why it’s so highly addictive. Former cocaine addicts give the straight facts about the problems they encountered from using coke.
The Truth About Crack Cocaine
Through this interactive course you will learn the truth about crack cocaine. You’ll hear it straight from former crack users who talk about how they got addicted and what it did to their lives.
The Truth About Crystal Meth
Through this interactive course you will learn the truth about crystal meth. Former users will tell you about what chemicals it’s made from and what they went through to support their meth habits.
Other Helpful Resources
Click the name of each resource to visit their respective websites.
US Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
SAMHSA’s mission is to lead public health and service delivery efforts that promote mental health, prevent substance misuse, and provide treatments and supports to foster recovery while ensuring equitable access and better outcomes.
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
NIDA is the lead federal agency supporting scientific research on drug use and addiction.
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
NIAAA conducts research focused on improving the treatment and prevention of alcoholism and alcohol-related problems to reduce the enormous health, social, and economic consequences of this disease.
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
The mission of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) is to advance science on the causes and consequences of drug use and addiction and to apply that knowledge to improve individual and public health.
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
NIMH provides national leadership dedicated to understanding, treating, and preventing mental illnesses through basic research on the brain and behavior, and through clinical, epidemiological, and services research.
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania – Guide to Treating Heroin and Opioid Use Disorder
Every day, we lose 10 Pennsylvanians to substance use disorder. This disease affects each and every Pennsylvanian and threatens entire communities in our commonwealth.
Help is available for Pennsylvanians battling substance use disorder and their loved ones. This guide will connect you to the resources you need to live a long and productive life.
Pennsylvania Department of Drug & Alcohol Programs (DDAP)
The Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs mission is to engage, coordinate and lead the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s effort to prevent and reduce drug, alcohol and gambling addiction and abuse; and to promote recovery, thereby reducing the human and economic impact of the disease.
US Centers for Disease Control & Prevention
CDC is the nation’s leading science-based, data-driven, service organization that protects the public’s health. For more than 70 years, we’ve put science into action to help children stay healthy so they can grow and learn; to help families, businesses, and communities fight disease and stay strong; and to protect the public’s health.
https://www.cdc.gov/stopoverdose/index.html
US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)
The mission of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is to enforce the controlled substances laws and regulations of the United States and bring to the criminal and civil justice system of the United States, or any other competent jurisdiction, those organizations and principal members of organizations, involved in the growing, manufacture, or distribution of controlled substances appearing in or destined for illicit traffic in the United States; and to recommend and support non-enforcement programs aimed at reducing the availability of illicit controlled substances on the domestic and international markets.
https://www.dea.gov/resources/facts-about-fentanyl