What types of public messages are most likely to deter drug and alcohol abuse or dissuade people from engaging in risky behavioral activities? A foreign study shows that negative public messages are not an effective means of dissuasion. Through a virtual game study, researchers found that groups of drug-dependent people did not respond positively to negative messages that could cause them to fail, and may even cause worse outcomes, causing the drug-dependent people involved in the game to take more risky moves. This experiment revealed that drug-dependent people have lower levels of activity in brain regions responsible for risk assessment compared to normal people, so the two groups of participants processed information differently, especially in response to negative messages that emphasized the reduced odds of losing or winning. It was noted in the study that the government spends a lot of money each year to educate and persuade drug-dependent people, and many advertisements emphasize the dangers of drug dependence but are not as effective, or could be replaced with a positive approach that emphasizes the benefits of maintaining a healthy life to help substance abusers change their behavior.