YOUTH. KNOWLEDGE. POSSIBILITY.
Addiction can be hard to talk about.
Let’s start with curiosity.
We’re Inform Addiction. We use games and approachable education to help young people understand addiction, build awareness, and know where to turn for support.
The cookie demo is not our full game.
AHS i4 LaunchpadWinner
Helios & Cumming School of MedicineResearch Innovation Award winner
OUR PARTNERS
01 / UNDERSTAND THE PATTERN
Addiction is a health issue, not a label for someone’s character. Understanding it is a starting point for safer choices and better conversations.
Addiction can involve strong cravings, difficulty controlling use, and continuing despite harm. With substances, it can affect health, relationships, school, and everyday life. Enjoyment by itself is not addiction.
There isn’t one reason it happens. A person’s biology, stress, experiences, and surroundings can all matter. Support and treatment can help; people do not have to work it out alone.
Learn more with CAMH ↗Growing up brings new independence, relationships, and pressures. It’s also a time when patterns can take shape. The people, opportunities, and support around you help make a difference.
Being informed means knowing the risks and knowing you can ask for help—even before something feels like a big problem.
Youth & substance use: PHAC ↗Vapes can deliver nicotine, which can cause dependence and addiction. For young people, nicotine can make concentrating, learning, and managing emotions harder. Vaping aerosol can also contain harmful chemicals.
Cravings and feeling irritable when you can’t vape can be signs of nicotine withdrawal. Struggling to quit is a reason to get support, not a reason to feel ashamed. A health professional can help you find an appropriate quitting plan.
Health Canada: risks of vaping ↗Youth guide to quitting ↗Alcohol can affect attention, judgement, coordination, and memory. Drinking a lot at once can cause alcohol poisoning. Repeated heavy use can harm physical and mental health and may lead to alcohol use disorder.
Not drinking is a valid choice. You don’t owe anyone an explanation. If you’re worried about your own use or a friend’s, a trusted adult or health professional can help you decide what to do next.
Health Canada: alcohol risks ↗Making a choice about alcohol ↗Cannabis can affect memory, attention, coordination, and decision-making. Youth and young adults are more vulnerable to some harms. Starting young and using frequently can increase the risk of dependence and mental health problems.
People can react differently. Feeling anxious or having trouble with school or everyday tasks is worth taking seriously. If use feels hard to change, talk with a health professional. Avoid driving or riding with someone who is impaired.
Health Canada: cannabis & your health ↗A high score or loving a game does not mean you have an addiction. The WHO describes gaming disorder as difficulty controlling gaming, gaming taking priority over other activities, and continuing despite negative consequences, with significant effects on everyday life.
It affects a small proportion of people who play. Notice if play is consistently crowding out sleep, school, or relationships. A stopping plan and a conversation with someone you trust can be useful first steps.
WHO: understanding gaming disorder ↗Using more than planned, repeated difficulty cutting back, giving up things you care about, or continuing despite problems are reasons to check in. These signs can have different causes; they aren’t a diagnosis.
Find someone to talk to →02 / LEARN THROUGH PLAY
Our vision for Inform Addiction is a story-driven, explorable game where young people can encounter choices, talk to characters, and reflect on the pressures and supports around them.
A block-built setting with places to discover and characters to meet.
Explore scenarios around peer pressure, coping, rewards, and asking for help.
Connect moments in the game to real-life questions, relationships, and support.
A SMALL TASTE OF THE IDEA
This is a brief demo—not our actual Inform Addiction game.
Build a cookie bakery, collect upgrades, and notice what makes “one more” appealing. When you choose End & reveal, see how rewards, surprises, and moving goals influenced the experience.
The demo illustrates a few reward-loop ideas. It does not recreate addiction, assess your risk, or represent the full story-based game.
Play the brief demo03 / YOUR NEXT MOVE
You don’t need all the answers before you start a conversation. Support can begin with one person and one honest sentence.
Notice what’s happening around an urge: stress, boredom, a place, a notification, or certain people. Naming it can help you describe what support you need.
Choose someone you trust—a caregiver, teacher, counsellor, coach, or health professional. Ask for help with a next step that fits your situation.
Make room for friendships, rest, movement, and activities that matter to you. Connection and supportive environments are part of prevention.
WORRIED ABOUT A FRIEND?
Choose a calm, private moment. Share something you’ve noticed instead of a label: “You’ve seemed overwhelmed lately. Want to talk?” Listen, ask what would help, and offer to find support together.
You are not responsible for fixing someone else’s substance use. Keep your own boundaries and involve a trusted adult when safety is a concern.
Kids Help Phone: talking with a friend ↗04 / FIND SUPPORT IN CANADA
Whether you’re curious, concerned about someone, or ready for a change, these services can help you take a next step.
Talk with a counsellor or reach a trained crisis responder. Support is available for anything you’re going through.
Call 1-800-668-6868 ↗Text CONNECT to 686868 ↗Explore Kids Help PhoneIf you’re thinking about suicide or worried about someone who is, call or text for support. You can reach out even if you’re unsure what to say.
Call 9-8-8 ↗Text 9-8-8 ↗About the Suicide Crisis HelplineTalk about your concerns and get advice on finding support through Health Link.
Call 1-866-332-2322 ↗AHS service information (PDF)Explore provincial, territorial, and community resources through the Government of Canada.
Health Canada’s “I quit for me” guide offers youth information and support for quitting smoking or vaping.
These are independent services, not Inform Addiction helplines. Information checked September 2026; see each provider for current service details. Outside Canada, use local health and emergency services.
05 / ABOUT INFORM ADDICTION
We’re here to help youth understand the risks of addiction—and feel more comfortable asking questions about them.
Inform Addiction brings together game-based learning, approachable information, and pathways to support. Our aim is to make education something young people can explore, discuss, and connect to their own lives.
We believe curiosity opens a conversation. Clear information helps it grow. And no game replaces the people and professional support someone may need.
RECOGNITION
University of Calgary
About the award ↗A FEW GOOD QUESTIONS
About the project, the demo, and getting support.
No. Cookie Lab is a brief, standalone demonstration of reward-loop ideas. It is not our actual Inform Addiction game, and it does not represent the full story-based experience.
No. Enjoying a game, feeling an urge, or earning a high score does not establish addiction. Ongoing loss of control and significant harm matter. A qualified professional can assess concerns. Read the WHO explanation.
No. You can talk to someone because you have questions, want to make a change, or are worried about a friend. Kids Help Phone supports young people with a wide range of concerns. Explore the support options.
No. This is an educational project, not a clinical service or a diagnostic tool. The demo has not been presented as a validated prevention or treatment program. A health professional can help assess your needs and discuss care.
The demo includes a grown-up guide and a reflection at the end. Agree on a stopping point, make participation optional, and discuss what participants noticed. Avoid comparing scores as a measure of self-control. Open the brief demo.
YOUR NEXT MOVE CAN BE A CONVERSATION.
