New VR initiative uses interactive simulations to raise addiction awareness

CAIRO - 27 June 2026: The Fund for Combating and Treating Addiction and Substance Abuse implemented various awareness activities and initiatives within sports clubs to raise awareness about the dangers of drug use, coinciding with the start of the summer vacation.

 

This was part of a series of events to commemorate the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.

 

 

Among the Fund's activities at the 6th of October City Sports Club was the implementation of a new initiative entitled "See It... Before You Try It," using virtual reality (VR) technology to provide simulations of drug use and addiction.

 

This initiative, coordinated with Dr. Abdel Latif Sobhy, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the 6th of October City Sports Club, aiming to raise awareness among young people about the dangers of drug use and addiction.

 

 

Providing Simulations of Drug Use and Addiction to Raise Youth Awareness  

 

The initiative, through the use of virtual reality technology, aims to provide educational and interactive simulations that introduce users to the dangers of addiction and teach them skills to refuse drugs in a safe environment.

 

The goal is to enhance awareness and build the ability to make sound decisions. It also exposes users to peer pressure situations to train them to say "no" to drugs.

 

 

 

The implementation of this initiative comes within the framework of the Drug Control Fund's development of prevention tools to keep pace with the evolving problem of addiction and to raise awareness of the dangers of drug abuse among youth and university students.

 

This is part of the implementation of the National Strategy for Combating Drug Abuse and Reducing the Risks of Substance Abuse and Addiction, launched under the auspices of the President of the Republic and being implemented in coordination with relevant ministries and agencies.

 

Dr. Amr Othman, Director of the Drug Control and Treatment Fund, explained that the Fund has begun using virtual reality (VR) headsets in its prevention programs. These headsets interactively and effectively demonstrate the physical, mental, and social consequences of addiction.

 

They also provide training on how to confront the dangers of drugs without actual exposure to harm, in addition to developing the necessary social and psychological skills for prevention, especially among adolescents and young adults.

 

Othman added that the initiative aims to immerse young people in an interactive experience where they witness the full spectrum of drug use, from the initial curiosity to experiment with drugs and their effects on the body, to the devastating consequences of losing family, work, and health.

 

This contributes to raising awareness about the dangers of drugs and fostering a culture of resistance against drug use among young people.

 

The initiative will also be implemented within prevention clubs in youth centers, in cooperation with the Ministry of Youth and Sports as a first phase, as well as in the "volunteer houses" affiliated with the Addiction Control Fund within several Egyptian universities during the study period, as part of the activities implemented by the Fund. 

 

This initiative also includes holding various events, such as "learning through play" through the "wheel of information," which is a circle that includes a set of information about misconceptions and false beliefs about narcotics, and through which a number of questions are posed, such as: "What is the relationship between smoking and distorting a woman's beauty?", and "What is the relationship between drugs and the weakness of sexual ability in men?", in addition to raising awareness of the danger of synthetic drug use and the harms resulting from it, and correcting misconceptions, such as that drugs make you witty, and that they increase focus, physical strength, or self-confidence, and other misconceptions.