Page 17 - Focus on Prevention: Strategies and Programs to Prevent Substance Use

FOCUS Strategies That Work

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Depending on the substance being misused and the
groups affected, various circumstances can prompt
people to take action. Local concerns about alcohol
being available to middle-schoolers may appear
to be very different from the problems posed by
meth production in rural make-shift laboratories.
Indeed, your community’s search for solutions may
seem unique.
However, several broad prevention strategies can be
applied to most substance use issues. The Substance
Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
(SAMHSA) has identified six strategies that can help
shape your prevention plans:
• Information dissemination increases knowledge
and changes attitudes through communications.
This method of learning is mainly one-way, such as • Community-based processes strengthen resources
classroom speakers or media campaigns. such as community coalitions to prevent
substance use and misuse. Organizing, planning,
• Prevention education is a two-way approach to and networking are included in this strategy to
teaching participants important social skills. These increase the community’s ability to deliver effective
skills can include resisting pressure to use drugs, prevention and treatment services.
looking at the intent behind advertising, or developing
other skills used in making healthy choices. • Identification of problems and referral to services
are crucial to the prevention of substance use.
• Positive alternatives provide fun, challenging, and This process includes determining when the
structured activities with supervision so people behavior of people who are at high risk or who are
have constructive and healthy ways to enjoy free using alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs requires
time and learn skills. These alcohol- and drug-free education or other intensive interventions (see
activities help people—particularly young people— Focus On Prevention Theory on the subject of
stay away from situations that encourage use of matching prevention activities with risk levels).
alcohol, tobacco, or illegal drugs.
Combining prevention strategies usually improves
• Environmental strategies* are aimed at the settings results. For example, enforcing the legal age required
and conditions in which people live, work, and to purchase alcohol and tobacco products while
socialize. These strategies call for change in policies—
to reduce risk factors and increase protective
factors—for example, tighter zoning restrictions on Even a proven strategy calls for
alcohol outlets or stronger enforcement to prevent
underage purchases of alcohol and tobacco products careful evaluation to see how
(see Focus On Risk and Protection). As these changes well it worked in your community
are carried out at the community level, they can have
a sweeping impact. and what adjustments
* The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s might be needed.
Strategic Prevention Framework (see Focus On The Strategic Prevention
Framework) breaks environmental strategies into two categories—
policy and enforcement.

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