This post was written by a senior at CSUCI.

Throughout my high school (and the beginning of my collegiate) career, I was always concerned about dating. About the fact that I didn’t have a boyfriend, about the fact that boys acted like I didn’t exist unless I was accompanied by a pretty friend, about the fact that I wasn’t even completely sure of my sexuality or myself. 

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The following article is an excerpt from The Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility’s webpage about Discussing Alcohol with Your College Student, found here. We thought this was an important and informative resource to share with our community.

We know many college students make responsible decisions about alcohol consumption. In fact, according to the 2018 Monitoring the...

This post was written by a senior at CSUCI.

I think when I was younger, and I was given drug education in elementary school and middle school, I already anticipated a man dressed in all black with a trench coat on trying to force drugs upon me. Obviously now, as someone in their senior year in college, I know that not only is that not the case, but far from it. In every instance I have been...

Every year, Ventura County Office of Education (VCOE), Ventura County Behavioral Health (VCBH), BRITE, and Ventura County Public Health (VCPH) collaborate to produce a conference for Ventura County youth about tobacco use prevention education called Teens Kick Ash. In March 2020, the focus was on vaping prevention and cannabis education. Workshops included Cannabis – True or False, Media,...

Have you ever counted how many times you’ve seen drinking depicted as cool, exciting, and a rite of passage in movies, social media, and on television? Imagine being a teen and seeing this. The power that advertising and representation has on us is astounding, and our youth are especially vulnerable because their brains are still developing and they might not be thinking logically about...

This post was written by a senior at CSUCI.

I have a lot of friends, and parents of friends, who have differing opinions regarding their teens and alcohol. Some don’t care at all; they are the kind of parents who don’t have many rules at all for their kids, and although they aren’t directly informed about what their kids are doing, they don’t actually make any kind of...

By Julia Lopez

If you really knew me you would know that…

This sentence has stayed with me since I participated in Challenge Day at Oxnard High School. How many people really know me? How many people do I truly let in?

If you really knew me you would know that… I can’t stand avocados or tomatoes.

It may seem like a simple way to start a deeper conversation but food is at the...

From the Prevention Action Alliance’s Know! newsletters. View all of their newsletters here.

It’s January; the start of a new year, new habits, and new resolutions. That’s easier said than done for many people, adults and teens alike. All the hustle and bustle can worsen the symptoms of those who already suffer from anxiety and depression. And for others, the holidays can...

This article was written by a CSUCI student.

There aren’t too many issues that collect the attention of so many as marijuana. This has been a heavily debated topic regarding its legalization for several decades, and appears to have almost no end in sight. Those that advocate for legalization claim that it has various health benefits such as pain relief and relief from traumatic disorders...

Did you know? Answer these questions about vaping.

Let’s test your knowledge:

1. True or False: It is just water vapor in vapes.
2. True or False: The liquid in vapes does not contain any harmful chemicals.
3. True or False: Vaping helps people quit smoking tobacco.

To take our full Marijuana Vape Quiz, click here. 

What is vaping?

Vaping is the act of inhaling and exhaling the...

This post was written by a CSUCI student. 

This topic is probably the most baffling one for me. I grew up in a very strict, traditional household where even talking about alcohol was a sore topic, let alone having my parents actually provide it for me. My parents would have the occasional beer or glass of wine once every few weeks. Their lives did not revolve around drinking, which meant...

We recently had the pleasure of working with students from CSUCI’s Service Learning program. Some of those students conducted surveys about attitudes around marijuana, vaping, and alcohol in both Ventura and Los Angeles. Here are the questions and responses. 

• How do you feel about marijuana? 

• How do you feel about vaping?

• How do you feel about alcohol? 

• (For...