Substance abuse is a condition involving the excessive or reckless use of mind-altering drugs. Despite its widespread use and easy availability, alcohol also falls under this category, along with prescription and illicit drugs like morphine and cocaine. Substance abuse prevention includes general measures taken to prevent substance abuse in target populations. Understanding the methods and limitations of substance abuse prevention helps parents, teachers and community leaders make the most of their resources.
Types
Substance abuse prevention comes in many forms. While programs like D.A.R.E. often come to mind, we encounter many more subtle preventive methods in our everyday lives. Warning labels on alcohol, cigarettes and prescription drugs serve as a type of abuse prevention by informing people about the potential dangers of a substance. Commercials, billboards and other advertisements urging people to avoid drug use are another important avenue for educating the public. Lessons in health, wellness classes and discussions between parents and their children are other excellent examples of useful substance abuse prevention methods.
Purpose
The purpose of substance abuse prevention is to empower people to make informed decisions by providing accurate information about the risks of drug use. Success is measured by the impact of a given program on the behaviors of a target group. Other purposes include dispelling myths about drug abuse, providing up-to-date information and offering healthy alternatives to substance abuse for at-risk populations.
Methods
The effectiveness of a given substance abuse prevention program depends on the methods used to communicate its messages. According to the International Center for Alcohol Policies, programs that are most successful in preventing substance abuse present realistic expectations, set specific goals and offer age- and culturally-appropriate information.
Misconceptions
The belief that public awareness programs can prevent substance abuse on their own is false. While public campaigns play an important role in changing social attitudes toward substance abuse, awareness begins in the home. According to the Office of National Drug Control Policy, programs that combine education from a variety of sources, such as schools, communities, religious organizations and parents, are most likely to succeed in influencing behaviors.
While many programs rely on scare tactics and exaggerated statistics to affect change, the most effective methods use accurate, verifiable information to educate children and other at-risk groups.
Time Frame
It’s never too early to begin teaching children and adolescents about the dangers of substance abuse. Some types of prevention programs, such as public awareness campaigns and classroom presentations, have a definite starting and stopping point, while others, like parent-child discussions, should be ongoing and occur whenever an opportunity presents itself.
