Prevention Education Sessions: Healthy Choices

Recently, UNIS Hanoi welcomed Prevention Education specialists who delivered engaging and evidence-informed sessions to help students make informed, healthy decisions regarding alcohol, nicotine, cannabis, and other substances. This initiative stems from our commitment to respect students as independent decision-makers and to equip them with the knowledge they need to confidently navigate real-life situations.

Programme Highlights

Our guest experts introduced a range of important concepts to parents and students. Here are some of the highlights:

• Student Agency: Encouraging students to view themselves as independent decision-makers who can make healthy choices.
• Understanding Risk: Teaching that not all risks are the same—students learned how to accurately determine the level of risk in different situations.
• Overdose Response: Practical information on what to do in case of alcohol overdose.
• Addiction Defined: Using the WHO definition, addiction is “an individual’s repetitive, compulsive use of a substance or behavior despite negative consequences.”
• FACTS Risk Factors:

                  - Family history
                  -  Age of first use (waiting until college lowers risk of addiction by 48%)
                  - Cravings
                  - Tolerance
                  - Surroundings
                  - Stress (and the importance of finding healthy ways to manage stress)

• Peer Norms & Real-Use Data: Addressing the misconception that “everyone is doing it”—data shows that substance use is often overestimated among peers.
• Nicotine & Vaping: Latest research on vaping (including smokeless products like Zyn), addiction risk, cardiovascular effects, and concerns for oral health.
• Cannabis Potency: Drastic increase in THC content over the decades, with today’s cannabis being much stronger (average THC levels 23–26%, up to 99% in concentrates), leading to higher risks of addiction and mental health issues.
• Unknown Substance Risks: Ingesting unknown or untested substances is the highest-risk behaviour.

Key Risk Facts: What Parents Should Know

• Nicotine products (including Zyn pouches) are highly addictive and can cause increased heart rate, high blood pressure, and oral health problems.
• Cannabis today is much stronger: THC levels have increased by over 650% since the 1960s.
• Early use matters: Delaying substance use until college makes addiction half as likely.
• Real-use data: Most students overestimate how many peers use substances—the actual numbers are lower.
• Healthy stress strategies: Learning positive ways to manage stress reduces the risk of substance use.

Student Voice: Feedback and Growth

After attending Prevention Education sessions:

• Students reported feeling better equipped to make healthy choices.
• Surveys showed clear improvement in students’ understanding of the risks associated with alcohol, nicotine, and cannabis.

Student reflections:
> “It was useful and helped me understand about drugs.”
> “The explanation was really interesting and easy to understand.”
> “I now feel more prepared to handle situations around substances.”
> “The personal stories made the risks feel more real.”

Students suggested more interactive or visual activities in the future, and some appreciated learning about topics that are not often openly discussed in school.