In spite of the drug problems that occurred in the mid-eighties to early-nineties, many of today’s  teens believe that certain drugs are controllable or completely harmless.  The drugs which were popular in past decades (such as heroine, crack cocaine, and LSD) are being replaced with a new generation of illicit substances.  Parents and teachers are faced with the challenge of instructing teenagers about the harm involved in taking drugs, but the old methods of mass assemblies and dogmatic lecturing aren’t working.

One of the newer methods of education is the drug abuse website.  A drug abuse website revolves around the goal of teaching visitors about common drugs and methods of prevention.  Unlike the methods of the past, it guides teens through this information in a fun and interactive way.  Gone are the dry lectures and didactic video presentations; these drug abuse websites utilize games and fun questionnaires to keep teens entertained while they learn.

An added bonus of the drug abuse website is the public forums such as chat rooms and message boards.  In these locales, teenagers can converse with their peers about the pressures to fit in or their unabated curiosity surrounding certain popular drugs.  These discussions are often informative and are monitored by helpers who can guide the inquisitive through hypothetical social situations with productive coping mechanisms.

Rather than harp on the popular drugs of yesteryear, many drug abuse websites have significant input from teens and therefore, focus on the myths surrounding the new “club”drugs.   Many drug abuse websites inform teens that club drugs such as Ecstasy, GHB, and Rohypnol are addictive and not for recreational use.  It is important to provide them with up-to-date information on these harmful substances, as well as the age-old standbys of marijuana, nicotine, and alcohol. 

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