The LGBTQ+ community suffers from high rates of substance use. Up to 30% of the LGBTQ+ community struggles with substance use compared to 9% of the general population. Why is this? Some factors include their experiences of bullying, hate, discrimination, stigmatization, rejection by those around them including their family and/or peers, isolation, and other extreme stressors. LGBTQ+...

Written by David Zecua, a CSU Channel Islands Service Learning student.

Solitude. What comes to mind when you hear that word? Do you picture yourself being alone in a particular setting or do you picture solitude as an internal sensation? I imagine that we all have heard about or have experienced loneliness at some point in our lives. Loneliness can happen when hanging out with...

I still do not understand what my gender is. I do not know if I am nonbinary, gender fluid, genderless or have a set gender. To be honest, I think it really depends on the day. Some days I feel more feminine, others I feel more masculine. It depends but I have no concrete label for it.

In my Instagram bio and all the other places that ask...

This information was originally published on Marijuana Factcheck, a project of Ventura County Behavioral Health. From their website: 

Everyone wants to make the best and most informed decisions they can, for themselves and their families. But decisions can only be as good as the facts they are based upon.

We’ve been hearing from a lot of people who would like to see a clear,...

By Olivea Herrera, one of our Young Adult Guest Bloggers

I learned many things throughout high school, and all the way up until graduation. School in itself taught me to keep composure when the system was failing its students. It taught me to be even stronger when they didn’t do anything about things that really upset the students. Yet, that is not the topic. It could be a topic for a...

This article is from Opioid Help, one of our community partners. From their website, “The world is facing an Opioid Epidemic that is unlike anything seen before. For this reason, Opioid Help has sought to be an extensive resource and community for information and support for people who have been affected by the prevalence of Opioids since 2019.” Visit their website and sign up for...

While the summer months bring sunshine and freedom for teens, it can be challenging for parents to find healthy activities to keep their teens engaged and away from parties and risky behaviors. Summer means more freedom, and many homes with little or no supervision. This can create situations where drug and alcohol experimentation take place. 

During the summer months, car accidents spike...

The following article was published by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.

Summer is a wonderful time for outdoor activities with family and friends. For some people, a day at the beach, on the boat, or at a backyard barbecue will include drinking alcoholic beverages. But risky drinking and summer activities don’t mix. Drinking impairs both physical and mental...

Stressed about graduation? It's gonna be okay.

Written by David Zecua, a CSU Channel Islands Service Learning student.

Our semesters are quickly coming to an end and for many students, the end of the school year may be an exciting thing to look forward to and anticipate. It can also be stress- and anxiety-inducing for students having to deal with final exams or...

Written by David Zecua, a CSU Channel Islands Service Learning student.

How do you feel when you drive? Challenges on the road such as slow vehicles, heavy traffic, or bad weather can make you feel nervous when driving. Having a passenger or two or listening to loud music can be distracting as well. Imagine how much harder those challenges can be when you get behind the wheel...

The first National Fentanyl Awareness Day was May 10, 2022, and was recognized by organizations across the U.S. including the DEA. It was created to address our national public health crisis of deaths and overdoses due to fentanyl use. People, especially young people, are ingesting illegally manufactured fentanyl without knowing it and dying at alarming rates as a result.

The statistics...

Two decades ago, a new generation of supposedly “safer and less addictive” painkillers triggered an epidemic of opioid abuse in the U.S. Since then, opioid overdoses have killed over 400,000 Americans. Now, more than half of opioid deaths are caused by synthetic opioids such as fentanyl. Beyond the death toll, at least 2 million Americans have become addicted.

U.S. deaths from...