The Drug Education Forum
The Drug Education Forum
Podcast Description
The Drug Education Forum brings together drug education providers, educators and practitioners from across the UK as a Community of Practice.
Visit us: https://drugeducationforum.org.uk/
We believe that every young person in the UK should have access to excellent, evidence-based, age-appropriate drug education, to enable them to make choices about drugs that are informed, independent and will prevent or reduce risk and harm.
The Drug Education Forum is led by the DSM Foundation, bringing together drug education providers, educators and practitioners from across the UK who are committed to ensuring this happens.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The podcast emphasizes the importance of evidence-based drug education, airing episodes that delve into topics such as the challenges of misinformation in media, effective strategies for engaging young people, and the role of community in drug education. For instance, the inaugural episode covers navigating information overload and empowering educators and parents with collaborative resources.
The Drug Education Forum brings together drug education providers, educators and practitioners from across the UK as a Community of Practice.
Visit us: https://drugeducationforum.org.uk/
We believe that every young person in the UK should have access to excellent, evidence-based, age-appropriate drug education, to enable them to make choices about drugs that are informed, independent and will prevent or reduce risk and harm.
The Drug Education Forum is led by the DSM Foundation, bringing together drug education providers, educators and practitioners from across the UK who are committed to ensuring this happens.
Why are young people with ADHD 4–5 times more likely to develop problematic relationships with drugs? Host Paul North is joined by Joe Elliott, who shares his journey from using cannabis at 13 to self-regulate an undiagnosed ADHD brain, through addiction, to recovery and a late diagnosis that changed everything.
They explore what dysregulation really feels like, why ADHD brains have a lower dopamine baseline, the “20,000 more negative comments” statistic, rejection sensitivity dysphoria (RSD), behavioural addictions like gaming and short-form content, and practical, shame-free ways parents, teachers and professionals can respond when drug use is discovered.
To be clear: cannabis is not a way for young people to manage ADHD. This conversation is about understanding what drives problematic use, so adults can address the underlying need and connect young people with healthy support.
About our guest: Joe Elliott, Founder of Elevate Up Neurodiversity Consultancy, shares lived experience of ADHD and addiction, with powerful insights for professionals working in drug education, harm reduction, and early intervention. Joe draws on his personal journey and professional expertise to highlight how neurodivergence can impact risk-taking, emotional regulation, and substance use, and what this means for those supporting young people. Find Joe at https://elevate-up.org/ — including free neurodiversity talks for schools and colleges: https://elevate-up.org/social-purpose/
In this episode:
(00:00) Welcome: neurodiversity and problematic drug use (00:42) Joe’s story: cannabis at 13 to self-regulate (04:57) Focus on the underlying problem, not the drug (07:01) Why ADHD raises addiction risk: dopamine explained (14:20) Dysregulation and 20,000 more negative comments (19:49) 4–5x addiction risk and behavioural addictions (23:40) Short-form content, TikTok and dopamine (27:01) What professionals can do (37:04) The strengths of ADHD (40:38) Rejection sensitivity dysphoria (RSD) (46:22) Where to find Joe and Elevate Up
The Drug Education Forum brings together drug education providers, educators and practitioners from across the UK, and is led by the DSM Foundation. We host free webinars with expert speakers — sign up at https://drugeducationforum.org.uk/sign-up/
Learn more: https://drugeducationforum.org.uk/ All episodes: https://drugeducationforum.org.uk/defpodcast/ Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/drug-education-forum Contact: [email protected]
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