About Us
Natural High is a drug prevention nonprofit that inspires and empowers youth to
find their natural high and develop the skills and courage to live life well.
8 MILLION STUDENTS
50 STATES
43,000+ EDUCATORS
Our Method
We engage influencers, educators, and peer groups to help young people discover those core activities in their lives that uplift, inspire, and motivate them — to find their ‘Natural High’ rather than use alcohol or drugs.
We provide content and action steps that are easy, fun, and effective. We share materials for free and encourage our community to use us as an ongoing resource with no associated costs. Our curriculum meets Common Core standards. Six basic principles guide everything that we do.
The Issue
America is facing an addiction epidemic. According to The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse, 3 out of 4 adolescents have already used addictive substances. Half of these youth have used addictive substances in the past month. Furthermore, 9 out of 10 addictions begin in the teen years.
Research shows that if young people are directly engaged around the issue in a compelling way by people they look up to and trust, they are much less likely to choose drugs and alcohol. In fact, if middle schoolers choose not to consume drugs and alcohol, they are 14x less likely to ever become addicted.
At Natural High, we know that the change we want starts with engaging young people on their terms — through compelling stories told by people who they look to as examples. We are committed to telling these stories and to providing resources so that youth are empowered to make good choices and live life well.
Watch a short video about why Natural High exists.
Founder’s Story
Natural High was founded by entrepreneur Jon Sundt, who lost both of his brothers to drug addiction. After the loss, Jon became determined to turn this experience into positive change and made the decision to spend the rest of his life helping young people make better choices. He realized that simply shifting the way we engage youth could dispel the myth around drugs and alcohol. He began traveling to schools with local influencers and a slide projector at his side, hoping that his story could help save even one life.
Today, Natural High reaches young people around the country. What started in tragedy has now grown into a movement bringing hope and positive results to thousands of families. Two decades of youth are now thriving and choosing their Natural High over drugs and alcohol — all through the power of storytelling and positive example.
Natural High In Action
Natural High works to fight youth drug and alcohol abuse through
school, families, and our community. Our important mission is helped
in part by the organizations and students around the country using
Natural High’s curriculum.
FAQs
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Why is Natural High’s prevention program important for youth?
We know that kids today are experiencing more stress than ever before, and we also know what the research says — that finding a spark, or a passion, can help to engage kids in healthy coping strategies. They can find the relief they need in a natural high that they may otherwise seek in drugs or alcohol. Finding a natural high is a key coping strategy in the prevention of drug abuse. Our program strives to teach kids they have a choice and we support them in their choice-making skills.
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What does Natural High’s drug abuse prevention program consist of, and how do I use it?
We offer a variety of videos and tools that can be used to support you in your prevention of drug abuse efforts. The Natural High program has three easy steps to implementation: 1. Watch a video. Explore our Storyteller library and Playlists for educators and parents. We have pre-packaged Playlists, or you can pick and choose your own storytellers, questions, and activities if you prefer. 2. Discuss as a class or family using our discussion guides to facilitate a thoughtful conversation. 3. Go deeper with an engaging activity. Each video has specific activities tied to the story that naturally follow the discussion. Our content is all aligned to Common Core and National Health Educator Standards.
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Is Natural High effective in the prevention of drug abuse?
Yes – our program is effective in the prevention of drug abuse. A few years back we conducted a rigorous and broad review of our program, looking at a variety of feedback from thousands of kids and educators across the country. Some of the most striking information we found was that over 80% of kids said that having a natural high would help them fight the temptation to turn to substance abuse, and 84% said that after participating in our program, they intended to make better decisions. Almost 83% of educators said that exposure to Natural High led to a positive change in students’ perception of substance abuse.
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Is there any cost to use Natural High?
No, we never want cost to be a barrier to you in your prevention of drug abuse efforts. Natural High is free to all educators, students, and parents. We are a nonprofit and depend on fundraising to keep our content free and available. We welcome contributions of all sizes.
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Who can use Natural High?
Anyone can use our content, and we would love to know how you’re using it! We’ve worked with teachers, school counselors, youth program leaders, community advocates, parents, and student leaders. Check out how our content is being used in different settings all over the country.