Fire up your video cameras this summer! Tell your students, classmates, and friends! We’ve chosen the topic for the 2013-1-2014 Can’t Beat Love Film Contest:
Substance Abuse and Addiction.
Can’t Beat Love asks filmmakers to explore the topic of substance abuse and addiction. Your film should spotlight aspects of this problem in a way that helps viewers understand the issues involved with substance abuse/addiction, why the teen abuses, and help the audience identify with both the substance abuser as well as explore the effects on those around him/her.
Deadline for Submissions: January 24, 2014
Awards Night: March 5, 2014
Background Information:
Use and abuse of alcohol and other drugs among our nation’s youth remains a major public health problem, increasing the risk for injuries, violence, HIV infection, and other diseases. Teens engaged in substance abuse are more likely to have difficulty at school or even drop out of school, face legal problems, be involved in a violent crime, commit suicide, and suffer long-term health problems related to drug use***.
- Alcohol: Alcohol-related motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death among teenagers and young adults. In 2012, 3.6 percent of 8th graders, 14.5 percent of 10th graders, and 28.1 percent of 12th graders reported getting drunk in the past month. Also, 23.7 percent of high-school seniors reported binge drinking .
- Marijuana: In 2012, 6.5 percent of 8th graders, 17.0 percent of 10th graders, and 22.9 percent of 12th graders used marijuana in the past month.
- Illegal drugs: Use of hallucinogens, inhalants, cocaine, ecstasy, etc. range between 2.7% and 4.8% by high school students.
- Over-the-counter and prescription drugs: Recreational use of both prescription and over-the-counter medicines remains a significant part of the teen drug problem. In 2012, 14.8 percent of high-school seniors used a prescription drug non-medically in the past year. The most commonly abused prescription drugs by teens are the stimulant Adderall and the pain reliever Vicodin.
- Cigarettes: 17.1 percent of 12th graders regularly smoke cigarettes.
- Eating disorders:. Eating disorders are officially recognized and diagnosed. From bulimia to overeating, they come in a number of forms. While a lot of focus has been put on bulimia and anorexia, possibly because their effects are more noticeable, food addiction is also a big problem for teens.
IMPORTANT: There are very stringent rules on the way the filmmaker is allowed to present this topic including not depicting any reenactments of the consumption or possession of drugs or alcohol. Any such submissions will be immediately disqualified. Please see the Contest Rules page for more information.
*Source: http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/high-school-youth-trends
**Source: http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/alcoholdrug/
***Source: http://www.concordhospital.org/app/healthwise/document.aspx?id=tj2888