FAQ

Your teen or young adult can get access to ZenithShield in the next 5 minutes. Detailed instructions:

1. When you click the “Get for My Family” button, you’ll be directed to check out and complete your purchase. This is where you will provide your young adult’s email address to sign them up.

2. Your teen or young adult will automatically receive an email from DopaGE notifying them that they now have access to the ZenithShield training game.

3. Your teen or young adult will click the button included in the email to guide them to the Portal where they will create their password and sign in for the first time.

4. Your teen or young adult completes the training at their own pace, over 1 or multiple sessions, until they earn their Certification in Overdose Prevention and Response.

To log in at any time, your teen or young adult can go to https://train.dopa.ge/ or go to the “For Me” menu item above and click “Learner Log In.”

Learners have access to the DopaGE Training Portal for 12 months from the date of purchase.

Throughout this time, students have access to all of the primary learning materials, in addition to:

• the DopaGE Good Samaritan Law database for all US states and Canada

• instructions on how to use Fentanyl Test Strips

• How to safely dispose of a Fentanyl-contaminated substance

• Access to their Certificate of Achievement

• Review of all primary learning materials after achieving course completion

The game takes about 60 minutes to complete. It can be finished in a single session or multiple, at the learner’s preference.

Upon successful completion, learners receive their Certificate of Achievement.

ZenithShield does not encourage substance use, nor does it tell learners “don’t do drugs,” “just say no,” or similar abstinence-only messaging that have been shown to be ineffective.

The training includes scenarios where characters use substances for the purpose of demonstrating the physical and psychological effects during and after use. This supports learners in:

• Developing specific reasons for why they do not want to participate in substance use — creating individualized defenses against peer pressure.

• Reducing the perception of novelty and curiosity, a top-reported factor in young adults’ choices to experiment with substance use.

• Learning “non-negotiables” for risk reduction in the event substance use experimentation does occur, and thereby creating logical barriers to substance use.

• Understanding that, while substance use can be viewed as socially acceptable in some scenarios, social acceptance does not change the risks associated with substance use.

Substance Literacy curriculum is grounded in decades of data demonstrating that comprehensive training — addressing both risks and perceived benefits — is more effective in preventing substance-related consequences than abstinence-only programs.

All learning materials are based on peer-reviewed or federally-published data sources.

Research and development of ZenithShield has been ongoing since 2020.

Substance Literacy curricula are sourced exclusively from peer-reviewed, journal-published literature and authoritative government sources, such as the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), by neuroscience and public health researchers. All materials are subject to review and approval by the DopaGE Clinical Board.

Research trials on the training’s efficacy are ongoing, with statistically significant positive results shown. Connect with our team to learn more, or review a preliminary manuscript here.

ZenithShield is played on computers and tablets to optimize learning efficacy on devices less prone to distractions.

ZenithShield prevents multitasking by pausing progress whenever the focus of a learner’s device is moved away from the training session and only resumes once they return.

Selection is based on a risk assessment framework that identifies the highest-threat substances young adults are most likely to encounter in real-world situations.

Analysis considers both harm potential and experimentation likelihood. For example, while cannabis is widely used, it very rarely causes life-threatening harm. Conversely, a substance like heroin poses extreme danger but is rarely a young adult’s choice for experimentation. The curricula focus on substances at the critical intersection of high risk and high probability of encounter.

These are substances regularly glamorized in popular culture and commonly encountered by young adults in social settings and online, including Cocaine, MDMA (molly/ecstasy), and prescription depressants. These substances represent significant threats because they combine social accessibility with life-threatening health risks.

Any of these substances may be adulterated with fentanyl, so learners receive comprehensive training in contamination recognition and overdose response protocols — essential skills for today’s young adults.

Polysubstance use is also covered, particularly the combination of these substances with alcohol. This practice significantly increases fatality risk, so training scenarios target prevention of these diverse combinations.

Every substance included represents a documented risk that young adults face in their environments, such that ZenithShield prioritizes prevention of legitimate threats to health and safety.