School: Minister Destiny Testimony Schools Track: Youth Class: Topic Library — Year 1 (Foundations) Presented by: Minister Destiny Marie Morgan, Muslim Ordained Minister
This lesson is educational information and is not legal advice and not medical advice. Laws vary by state. If you are in danger right now, call 911. This lesson does not diagnose or treat any person.
Before you start
- This space is private. Nobody sees what you read or answer. Your progress stays on your device.
- We never ask your name. If you earn a certificate, you download it and write your own name on it after.
- Pass the test at 80% or higher to earn this unit's certificate. You can retake it as many times as you need — each retake presents the questions in a different order, with the answer choices in a different order too. Answers are not shown.
- If you are in danger right now: call 911. If you cannot talk out loud, text HOME to 741741 (Crisis Text Line) or call or text 988 any time.
- This unit is about prevention: how this condition can develop, why a growing brain deserves protection, and how to help a friend.
The lesson
Part 1. What a substance use disorder is — in plain words
A substance use disorder is a health condition. The body and brain learn to expect a substance, the person craves it, and they keep using it even when it hurts their health, grades, family, sports, or safety. It is not a sign of a bad person — which is exactly why prevention matters.
Three parts work together: the brain, which learns habits and rewards fast; behavior, the routines and cues around use; and circumstances, like stress, sadness, pain, or being around heavy use. Understanding it early gives a person the best chance to stay free of it.
Part 2. Why a growing brain needs extra protection
Your brain keeps developing into your twenties. The systems for judgment and weighing consequences are still under construction, while reward systems are already strong. That normal gap is why substances can hit a young person harder and teach the brain faster: early use raises the risk of a lasting pattern.
Nicotine in cigarettes and vapes can train craving quickly, and vaping can deliver a lot of nicotine without tasting harsh. Alcohol slows the brain and body and harms judgment and memory. Cannabis can affect attention, learning, motivation, and driving, and today's products can be stronger than people expect. Your choices should rest on how your brain works — not on an ad or a friend's guess.
Part 3. Pressure is real — refusal skills that actually work
Most offers sound like friendship: "Everyone's doing it," "Don't be weird," "Just once." Planning your answer before that moment is the skill. Short, calm lines work best: "No thanks, I'm good." "I want to stay clear for practice." You do not owe a long explanation, and repeating the same line without arguing — the broken record — is a real technique.
Add backup moves. Stay near friends who respect a no. Have a code word or text with a parent, caregiver, or older sibling that means "come get me." If substances appear unexpectedly, leaving is not rude — it is keeping your promise to yourself. Never ride with a driver who has been using; call a trusted adult or 911 if someone is in danger.
Part 4. Signs a friend may need help — and how to help
Watch for a pattern, not one bad day: pulling away from family and old friends, grades or attendance dropping, needing a substance just to get through the day, hiding or lying about use, or using to cope with every hard feeling. You cannot diagnose a friend, and you should not search or accuse them.
Talk privately and specifically: "You've missed practice three times and you seem miserable without your vape. I'm worried about you." Listen more than you lecture. Do not cover for use, buy or hold anything, or keep a dangerous secret. Tell a trusted adult — a parent, counselor, coach, or nurse — even if your friend asked you not to. If a friend is hard to wake or breathing slowly, call 911 and stay until help comes.
Part 5. Trusted adults, privacy, and the law in general
Name at least two trusted adults before a crisis. A school counselor can listen and connect you to outside help; a doctor or nurse can assess health needs. If talking at home feels hard, another trusted adult can help you find the words.
Substance use treatment records held by certain programs have strong legal confidentiality, but adults may need to share information to keep you or someone else safe. You can always ask: "Who else will you need to tell?"
One legal idea teaches compassion with accuracy. In Robinson v. California, the Supreme Court said a state may not make it a crime simply to be a person with an addiction. That does not make possessing or using illegal substances legal, and it does not erase school rules or consequences for acts. It means the right response to the condition is help — not shame.
Part 6. Building a life that protects you
Prevention is not only saying no. Build a day with less room for craving and pressure: sleep, food, movement, and people who like you without substances. Notice your triggers — boredom, stress, a group chat — and plan a different response: music, a walk, calling someone, leaving the chat.
Posts about use can follow a person to teams, jobs, and college. Do not share photos of someone else using, and do not let anyone pressure you into holding, buying, or delivering anything.
If you have already used and want to stop, tell a trusted adult or clinician honestly; stopping some substances can need medical guidance. Reaching out early is strength.
Words to know — Addictions
- Substance use disorder — a treatable health condition in which a person keeps using a substance despite serious harm and has difficulty stopping.
- Craving — a strong urge to use a substance, often triggered by cues or stress.
- Tolerance — the body's adaptation so the same amount produces less effect than before.
- Withdrawal — symptoms that can occur when a body adapted to a substance no longer gets it.
- Refusal skills — planned, calm ways to say no and leave a risky situation safely.
- Trusted adult — an adult who believes you, does not hurt you, and will act to help you stay safe.
- Vaping — breathing in aerosol from an electronic device, which often delivers nicotine.
- Protective factor — something that lowers risk, such as stable relationships, sleep, and support.
Myths vs facts — Addictions
- Myth: Vaping is just flavored water vapor. Fact: Many vapes deliver nicotine, which can train craving quickly.
- Myth: A person with a substance use disorder is a bad person. Fact: It is a health condition; the person deserves dignity.
- Myth: A real friend keeps a dangerous secret about use. Fact: Telling a trusted adult is how help arrives.
- Myth: One try cannot matter. Fact: Early use raises the chance of a lasting pattern, and no one knows in advance who will be affected most.
- Myth: Saying no requires a perfect speech. Fact: A short line, repeated calmly, plus a plan to leave, is a complete refusal skill.
Think it through — Addictions
The situation: At a gathering, Sam is offered a vape again and again. The host laughs, "Don't ruin the night." Sam does not want to vape. Across the room, Sam's friend Alex, who vapes daily and missed two practices, is asking people for money.
Walk it through: (1) Sam (Part 3): use a short line — "No thanks, I'm good" — repeat it, and use the planned ride or code text to leave if pressure rises. (2) Alex (Part 4): daily use, missed practices, and seeking money form a pattern to care about, not a diagnosis Sam should announce. (3) Helping (Part 4): speak privately later, refuse money for use, and tell a trusted adult or school counselor. (4) Compassion (Part 5): a developing condition is a health matter; the response is help, not mockery or a shared secret.
Cases & codes to study — Addictions
Robinson v. California, 370 U.S. 660 (Supreme Court of the United States, 1962)
- The facts: A state law made it a crime simply to be a person addicted to narcotics, and a man was convicted on that status alone.
- The question: May a state punish a person for the condition of addiction itself?
- The ruling and the outcome: The Court said no and reversed the conviction: punishing the status of addiction is cruel and unusual punishment. Acts remain a separate question.
- Why it matters to you: A person with this condition deserves help and treatment, not punishment for who they are.
- 📄 Court document: https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/370/660/
The law itself — read the real words
- 42 C.F.R. Part 2 (Code of Federal Regulations) — gives substance use disorder records held by covered programs added confidentiality. Read it: https://www.ecfr.gov/api/renderer/v1/content/enhanced/2025-01-29/title-42?chapter=I&subchapter=A&part=2
Where to read the real thing, free: eCFR (https://www.ecfr.gov); CourtListener (https://www.courtlistener.com).
Try this — Addictions
- ☐ Write two short refusal lines and practice them out loud.
- ☐ Set up a code word or text with a trusted adult that means "come get me."
- ☐ Name two trusted adults you could tell about a worried-about friend.
- ☐ List three protective parts of your week and one change that strengthens them.
Resources to keep — Addictions
- 911 — if a person is hard to wake or breathing slowly.
- 988 (call or text) — support any time.
- Crisis Text Line: text HOME to 741741 — if you would rather type than talk.
- Childhelp: 1-800-422-4453 — if an adult is hurting you.
- SAMHSA National Helpline: 1-800-662-4357 — treatment referrals.
What you earned / what's next — Addictions
✅ Addictions complete (quiz score 80% or higher): You can explain a substance use disorder in plain words, say why a growing brain needs protection, use refusal skills, spot a worrying pattern in a friend, and name trusted adults and help lines.
Your certificate
Minister Destiny Testimony Schools Certificate of Completion — Addictions
This certificate is presented by Muslim Ordained Minister Destiny Marie Morgan
Awarded to: ______________________________ (write your name here after you download — your name is never collected or stored by this school)
Date completed: ______________
Congratulations. You learned to protect your future and help a friend without shame. — Minister Destiny Marie Morgan
This is a certificate of educational completion from Minister Destiny Testimony Schools. It is not a state license, a government certification, or legal training for representing anyone.
What's next: Return to the Topic Library for your next Year 1 Foundations unit.
Sources
- Psychology 2e — OpenStax (https://openstax.org/books/psychology-2e/pages/index) — Sections 4.5 and 16.4 on substance use and addictive disorders, syllabus anchor.
- National Helpline — Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (samhsa.gov) — SAMHSA Helpline 1-800-662-4357, the referral line named here.
- Robinson v. California, 370 U.S. 660 (Supreme Court of the United States 1962) — punishing the status of addiction is cruel and unusual punishment; conviction reversed.
- 42 C.F.R. Part 2 (Code of Federal Regulations) — confidentiality of substance use disorder patient records.
Your Progress — On Your Device Only
- Learning outcomes: On completing this unit, the student can:
- explain a substance use disorder in plain, person-first words
- describe why a developing brain is more vulnerable, at an educational level
- use refusal lines, a code word or text, and an exit plan under pressure
- recognize a worrying pattern in a friend and involve a trusted adult
- state the Robinson idea that a condition is not a crime in itself
- list protective habits and name emergency and support help lines
- Study time: Approximately 0.75 hours — an estimate covering reading, activities, and the test. Students move at their own pace.
- Assessment: A 10-question test drawn only from this unit's lesson. 80% or higher passes and earns the unit certificate. Answers are not shown; your score is saved only in your own browser on this device, and retakes are allowed.
- Level: Topic Library — Year 1 (Foundations) · Youth school · working rank on completion path: Freshman → Sophomore.
- Version: Version 1.0 — October 2026.
Minister Destiny Testimony Schools — Youth. Educational information only, not legal advice. Help lines: 911 · 988 (call or text) · Crisis Text Line (text HOME to 741741) · Childhelp 1-800-422-4453.