The Life Starter
Sign up
All courses/Life

Course 258 · Life course 80

Make Informed Choices About Alcohol, Nicotine and Drugs

A fictional risk-decision card separating marketing claims, impairment, dependence, peer pressure and trusted support with a rehearsed safe exit. Use six supplied cases to build and check the project.

Before you start

Paper or a free text document is sufficient. All core case facts are supplied.

Manage Stress & Get Mental Health Support See everything you’ll need

Free download · Original practice data · No external account required. Download the starter pack

What you’ll leave with

A fictional risk-decision card separating marketing claims, impairment, dependence, peer pressure and trusted support with a rehearsed safe exit.

Start course Start without an account. Sign in to save lesson progress across devices.

Your project

Start with the practice files. Build your project one lesson at a time.

Practice files are free without an account. Sign in to save your project record in My Proof: a description, checklist, and optional work link. Keep the original files in your own app or notebook; saving a project record does not upload them.

  1. Get your materialsDownload practice filesSupplied practice cases, a blank working record, complete lesson instructions, and annotated worked examples.
  2. Make your projectView the project checklist Work in your own notebook, document, or software. Use the supplied practice examples when you prefer.
  3. Keep a private recordSave a project record Sign in to save a description and checklist, then return to update them.
Course handbook

Know the route before you begin.

Here’s what you’ll need and what you’ll make. You can return to this guide during any lesson.

Who this is for

Learners aged 14+ practicing everyday decisions with fictional information; adults may use the same cases.

Prepare before lesson one
  • Paper or a free text document is sufficient. All core case facts are supplied.
  • Use fictional names and records; do not enter personal health, identity or another person’s information.
  • Suggested earlier course: Manage Stress & Get Mental Health Support
Your final project

Finish with proof you can use.

A fictional risk-decision card separating marketing claims, impairment, dependence, peer pressure and trusted support with a rehearsed safe exit.

Save a project record in My Proof
See project checklist and review criteria

Keep your working files in your own notebook or software. Save a private description, checklist, and work link in My Proof.

What to include

  • Marketing claim/evidence screen.
  • Immediate impairment and support distinction.
  • Relative-risk correction.
  • Refusal with confirmed safe transport.
  • Urgent-help card and nonjudgmental support routes.

Review and revise

Use these criteria to check your work and choose what to improve.

  • Claim screen distinguishes relative-risk claims from unsupported zero-risk advertising.
  • Case analysis separates impairment, dependence concerns and urgent warning signs.
  • Refusal/transport plan names a confirmed non-impaired option and safe waiting arrangement.
  • Support record distinguishes qualified routine help from emergency action without diagnosing or stigmatizing.
Three ideas to help you along the way
Three useful ideas

The rules behind the steps.

01

Check claims

Flavor, popularity and naturalness do not establish safety.

02

Plan a safe exit

A refusal includes transport that does not depend on impairment.

03

Get the right help

Separate immediate emergency response from routine support.

What do these words mean?
Key words

Key terms worth knowing.

Impairment
Reduced ability to react or make safe decisions now.
Craving
A strong urge to use a substance, which can be a reason to seek support.
Relative risk
A comparison of risks, which does not mean zero risk.
Refusal
A clear decision to decline an offered activity or product.
Qualified support
Appropriate professional or official help, with actual access conditions to verify.
Your route

6 lessons.
One useful project.

Work in order the first time. Each lesson makes something the next lesson can use.

  1. 1
    Up next

    Separate a claim from a substance effect

    Distinguish marketing language from supported health information.

  2. 2
    6 min

    Recognize impairment and dependence as different risks

    Separate immediate impairment from repeated-use dependence.

  3. 3
    6 min

    Compare product claims without assuming safety

    Compare product claims without converting relative risk into safety.

  4. 4
    6 min

    Plan a refusal or exit with transport

    Prepare a refusal and safe exit with a confirmed transport alternative.

  5. 5
    6 min

    Recognize an urgent safety situation

    Recognize an urgent scenario and call qualified emergency help.

  6. 6
    7 min

    Locate support without judgment or self-treatment

    Choose a support route without judgment or self-treatment.

Use the tools

Tools to help you practice.

See all tools
ZIP · practice files

Make Informed Choices About Alcohol, Nicotine and Drugs practice files

Supplied practice cases, a blank working record, complete lesson instructions, and annotated worked examples.

Text worksheet

Your course project worksheet

A downloadable text worksheet with each lesson’s working output, space for your answers, and the shared final-project checklist. Save your own copy.

Source transparency

Sources and further study.

Explore the references behind the lessons and take your learning further. Source notes explain access and reuse.

NIAAA: Underage drinking facts
Source & access notes · checked 2026-10-01

Read risks, peer pressure and support approaches; no consumption thresholds are taught.

Access: Official page content was retrieved with the web reader on 2026-10-01. Video playback, outside forms and personal services were not tested.

Reuse: Original fictional cases and assessments with linked factual references. Source exercises, photographs and diagrams are not copied.

CDC: Health effects of vaping
Source & access notes · checked 2026-10-01

Read nicotine addiction, youth risks and adult-context limitations.

Access: Official page content was retrieved with the web reader on 2026-10-01. Video playback, outside forms and personal services were not tested.

Reuse: Original fictional cases and assessments with linked factual references. Source exercises, photographs and diagrams are not copied.

CDC: Naloxone and emergency overdose help
Source & access notes · checked 2026-10-01

Read urgent signs and emergency assistance/reversal-medicine guidance. No administration amount or technique is taught.

Access: Official page content was retrieved with the web reader on 2026-10-01. Video playback, outside forms and personal services were not tested.

Reuse: Original fictional cases and assessments with linked factual references. Source exercises, photographs and diagrams are not copied.

NHTSA: Teen safe driving
Source & access notes · checked 2026-10-01

Read impaired-driving and teen-risk content; no driving or consumption experiment required.

Access: Official page content was retrieved with the web reader on 2026-10-01. Video playback, outside forms and personal services were not tested.

Reuse: Original fictional cases and assessments with linked factual references. Source exercises, photographs and diagrams are not copied.

Ready when you are

Start with the first useful move.

You’ll always know what to do, what to make, and where to go next.

Start lesson one