In recent years scientists have debated how much alcohol is safe for the average adult to drink. There's no question that too much is unhealthy, but what counts as too much is still being debated. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2023/02/17/alcohol-health-effects-risks/11221162002/

Teen cannabis users often have less self-control, which can lead to unsafe behavior. Because the prefrontal cortex is still developing until around age 25, cannabis use in the teen years can reduce impulse control and emotional regulation. Learn more at PositivePaths.org/cannabis/brain.

Our Wellness Arts Showcase will feature The Free Will Chamber Orchestra! They are a small orchestra based in Ventura County & their goal is to share original, contemporary classical music with the world. Join us on 3/14 for performances, artwork, community resources & more! brite.link/showcase.

Participar en la creatividad aporta alegría al cerebro. Puede calmar la mente de forma saludable, ofreciendo una herramienta segura para afrontar la situación que reduce la dependencia de alternativas dañinas como el consumo de sustancias. Visita: WellnessEveryDay.venturacounty.gov/es.

We had a blast supporting the Simi Valley Youth Council's Youth Impact Forum yesterday! Students participated in our breakout session about how to craft & deliver a PSA & will now take that knowledge back to their schools to create PSAs on bullying, substance use prevention, mental health, and more.

Meet Gracie, our wonderful CLU 4A Cause intern from Fall 2025, and learn about how she got involved with BRITE! Are you interested in getting involved with BRITE? Learn more and sign up here: www.briteyouth.org/engagementopportunities. https://youtube.com/shorts/LPBDu7pGsrI

Having hobbies that help us express ourselves is important, not only for our quality of life but also for our mental health. Embracing the arts gives us a way to process the emotions we carry within and transform them into something that reflects who we are. For more visit https://ow.ly/cvyX50YhPG0.

Stay on the right path! ☀️ In addition to worse school performance, cannabis use in the teen years has also been linked to lower income, higher unemployment & a lower satisfaction with life. Help yourself have the best future and put your best foot forward! PositivePaths.org/cannabis/overview.

For today's #Wbw post, we're sharing photos of Balboa MS students participating in Mind Over Matter: Making Smart Choices about Substance Use! The workshop includes questions & discussion about alcohol, cannabis, vaping & how to protect the developing teen brain. Thanks for having us, Balboa! ❤️

This is why mental health support & healthy coping skills are SO important. Check in with the kids in your life to make sure they have the support they need & know they are not alone. Model healthy coping skills by taking care of your own mental health ❤️ https://ow.ly/X7cs50YfvqE

❣️Calling all artists & performers❣️ Do you want to share your work with your community? We are currently accepting artwork & performances for our upcoming Wellness Arts Showcase in March! Learn more & sign up: www.briteyouth.org/mentalhealth. RSVP for the event: www.briteyouth.org/connections.

Did you know that taking deep breaths grows the thoughtful pre-frontal cortex part of your brain, helps you to feel more calm and capable, improves self-control, and helps you find solutions to problems? Try some square breathing this weekend and see how you feel! ❤️

Los niños están influenciados por muchas cosas: amigos, cultura pop. Aun así, los padres y cuidadores siguen siendo la influencia más importante en sus decisiones sobre el consumo de alcohol. Habla con tus hijos desde temprano y con frecuencia sobre el alcohol y qué hacer en situaciones inseguras.

Engaging in creativity helps build problem-solving skills & brings joy to the brain. It can calm the mind in healthy ways, offering a safe coping tool that reduces reliance on harmful alternatives like substance use. For mental health resources, visit WellnessEveryDay.venturacounty.gov.

Gracie, our wonderful CLU 4A Cause intern, wrote a new blog post about her experience working with BRITE. Gracie's background as a criminal justice major fit well with our values of educating, empowering & uplifting the youth in our community. Read the post here: https://ow.ly/Ugeq50YbXWM.

90% of Americans with a substance use disorder began using substances before the age of 18. Using alcohol and/or drugs as a teen can have a long-term impact on memory & attention span because the brain doesn't stop developing until around age 25. Here are 4 ways to protect your 🧠:

Staying motivated can be difficult, but sometimes all you need is a small push to become the best version of yourself. Being kind to yourself can strongly influence a positive mindset. Saying, ‘I am strong & determined,’ in the morning can help you feel confident & empowered. ☀️

Everything is a process. In this episode of Plática con Café, Erika discusses the importance of talking proactively about substance use from an early age, starting in elementary school, rather than waiting for problems to arise. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-RIrbsTPW4

Join us on Saturday, March 14th from 3 - 6pm at OPAC for a FREE, inspiring event celebrating youth voices, creativity & mental health empowerment at BRITE Connections: Wellness Arts Showcase! Come out & help us celebrate the power of artistic expression! RSVP at brite.link/showcase.

Turning to alcohol to quiet stress or escape everyday pressures can seem like an easy solution, but it often just pushes things deeper. Healing starts when we allow those emotions to come to the surface instead of burying them. Resources in Ventura County: WellnessEveryDay.venturacounty.gov 💜

Your voice matters! Help shape the future of behavioral health in Ventura County. Register & learn more: https://ow.ly/OjCU50Y59yH. ¡Tu voz importa! Ayúdanos a dar forma al futuro de la salud mental en el Condado de Ventura. https://ow.ly/KL8r50Y59yG.

Because the teen brain continues to develop until around age 25, heavy use of cannabis in the teen years can stunt brain activity & cause a reduction in IQ. Many teens are exposed to the substance without knowing the long-term repercussions. Learn more at PositivePaths.org/cannabis/brain.

Even small choices can have a big influence on your health and well-being. Focusing on healthy habits that support your physical health like avoiding alcohol and other substances, getting enough sleep, and developing healthy coping skills can help you build a brighter future in 2026 & beyond. ☀️💪🏼

Mito: La marihuana no es adictivo. Verdad: De acuerdo con el NIH, el consumo de marihuana puede derivar en un trastorno por consumo de marihuana, el cual puede manifestarse como adicción en los casos más graves. Para aprender más sobre la marihuana, visita https://ow.ly/GLft50Y4BTX.

❣️Calling all artists❣️ BRITE will be showcasing works of art about mental health & we would love to hear from you about how your creative practice supports your mental wellness & helps you make healthy choices! Learn more & sign up at www.briteyouth.org/mentalhealth.

Stay in control! When you use cannabis, it can lead to less self-control resulting in rash & impulsive decisions. You may miss an awesome experience or memory because of a choice that was made under the influence. Visit PositivePaths.org/cannabis to learn more about cannabis use.

If you feel pressured to drink alcohol & you don’t want to, here are 5 ways to say, “I’m not drinking tonight.” Remember, you don’t need to share more info than you want about your reasons for not wanting a drink. It's okay to listen to your gut and say no!

This #fbf we're sharing photos of Frontier HS' Suicide Awareness Walk! Students shared why mental health & suicide prevention are important & what they do to take care of themselves. For mental health resources in VC, visit WellnessEveryDay.venturacounty.gov. https://youtube.com/shorts/HHcnEhNb7YY

#Tbt to our workshop on Stress & How to Deal at Rio Mesa! We had a great discussion with students about ways to handle stress & anxiety without turning to substances like cannabis or alcohol & then we created touchstones with encouraging messages for their peers. ❤️

Contrario a lo que muchos piensan, la marihuana es adictivo. Aproximadamente una de cada diez personas que lo consume se vuelve adicta. Si comienzan antes de los 18 años, la tasa aumenta a una de cada seis. Para más información sobre la marihuana, visita PositivePaths.venturacounty.gov/es/marihuana.

If you’ve been taking part in Dry January or just trying to cut down on alcohol, you might have noticed some of these mental health benefits over the past few weeks. Learn more about how alcohol affects your brain, body, and mental health here: https://bit.ly/46J2mtf.

Martin Luther King, Jr always believed that even in times of crisis, "the time is always right to do what is right." BRITE honors Dr. King’s unwavering dedication to justice & equality through nonviolent action & strives to uphold these ideals every day in the work we do. ❤️

Starting a new year can be intimidating, but it's also a fresh start for creating healthy habits. Making a consistent routine such as exercising weekly or getting enough sleep contributes to a more balanced & healthy lifestyle, which can support your mental & physical health.

Did you know that cannabis use can affect your brain in the long-term? Regular cannabis use as a teen can affect how the brain develops, causing long-term problems with learning and remembering new things. Check out PositivePaths.org/cannabis/overview to learn more. 🧠🙀

Los adolescentes pueden sentir presión para beber alcohol, consumir drogas o hacer otras cosas peligrosas. Practicar decir que no, usar el humor, recurrir a un factor externo o cambiar de tema son excelentes maneras de resistir la presión de grupo.

We love this post by Gracie, our CLU intern, about ways to resist peer pressure! Teens might face pressure to drink, use drugs, or do other dangerous things. Practicing saying no, using humor, using an outside factor, or redirecting the conversation are great ways to resist peer pressure.

How can alcohol affect your future? Alcohol abuse can seep into every aspect of your life. It can damage your relationships with friends and family, affect your mental health, and lead to reckless behavior. It can even cause legal consequences. Think before you drink!

Are you an artist that wants to share your work with your community? BRITE wants to highlight works of art around the subjects of mental health & wellness, and hear how your art supports your mental wellness & helps you make healthy choices! Learn more & sign up here: www.briteyouth.org/mentalhealth

Did you know that teens & young adults are the biggest misusers of Rx pain meds? In 2018, over 695,000 youths & 1.9 million young adults misused these drugs. In Ventura County, nearly 200 people die each year from opioid overdoses. Learn more: COAST.venturacounty.gov/community.

For today's #fbf post we're pulling a cool video out of our BRITE archives! In 2018 students at Ventura HS participated in our Advocacy Workshop & created artwork with messages that they wanted to share with their peers and community. Check it out here: https://youtu.be/EYpSgLdBYfc#fbf We love it! ❤️

Check out this PSA about vaping addiction created by students from Sinaloa Middle School and our amazing Media Team! Thank you for speaking out! ❤️ https://youtu.be/RXqgCFy3zu4

According to research, excess drinking can affect adults' long-term memory & brain structure, increase the risk of certain cancers & harm your immunity. Now imagine the effect it can have on the developing teen brain. Read the article below to learn more. https://ow.ly/IbLa50XSco9

It can be hard to determine how much THC a cannabis edible contains. There is currently no known “safe” dosage amount when it comes to edibles. If eaten all at once, the psychoactive effects may be slow to appear but can be severe when they do. Learn more: PositivePaths.org/cannabis/edibles

Whether it's due to being mindful of their physical and mental health, financial hardship, social media, or cannabis legalization, many young adults today are stepping away from alcohol entirely, choosing sobriety as a lifestyle. https://ow.ly/r56J50XRcy5

Students from Sinaloa Middle School helped us create this PSA about vaping and peer pressure during their field trip to the VCBH studio! Thank you for speaking out! For more information about vaping, visit PositivePaths.org/cannabis. https://youtu.be/oAlCQH9A88k

Happy New Year! 🎆 We love this Day of Self-Care Bingo card! It's so important to make time for ourselves to practice self-care & gratitude, especially during the holidays. How many activities will you try? For mental health resources in Ventura County, visit WellnessEveryDay.VenturaCounty.gov 💖

Alcohol can damage every part of your body, like your heart, liver, brain & even your immune system. Young people who drink alcohol while their brains are still developing are more likely to engage in risky behaviors. Take care of your mind & body & think before you drink!

Are you an artist that wants to share your work with your community? BRITE wants to highlight works of art around the subjects of mental health & wellness, and hear how your art supports your mental wellness & helps you make healthy choices! Learn more & sign up here: www.briteyouth.org/mentalhealth

Using cannabis just 1 or 2x a month is associated with worse school performance & emotional distress for teens, according to a new study. The more frequently teens used cannabis, the more likely they were to report emotional distress & academic problems. https://ow.ly/n0TF50XQ7SH

Evidence suggests that alcohol use & in particular binge drinking can lead to blackouts, injuries, accidents, negative effects on teen brain development & can also increase the risk for alcohol use disorder later in life. Tips for parents & caregivers: https://go.nih.gov/SDW9MyQ