YA Fiction about Drug Abuse and Addiction: Where are the Facts?

Image retrieved from http://teens.drugabuse.gov/

Teens who read fiction involving drugs and drug abuse, such as Jacqueline Woodson’s Beneath a Meth Moon (New York, NY: Nancy Paulsen Books/Penguin, 2012), may have questions about drugs, drug addiction, and recovery processes.  Librarians can serve these teens by providing current, authoritative resources  that deal with these topics.

Up-to-date, drug-related online resources can be accessed at a website of the National Institute on Drug Abuse: NIDA for Teens: The Science Behind Drug Abuse.  The webpages are designed for teens and professionals who serve them.  Videos and facts sheets are included.  Also at this website, there is information about National Drug Facts Week (coming up from January 26 to February 1, 2015) and National Drug Facts Chat Day (scheduled next for January 30, 2015).

One question a teen might have after reading Woodson’s Beneath a Meth Moon is “What other names are there on the street for ‘meth’?”  Terms such as ‘Chalk,’ ‘Go Fast,’ and ‘Tina’ (and other information about methamphetamine) can be found at the NIDA for Teens website on the Drug Facts page.