Substance Abuse Prevention and Intervention Programs

There are many different approaches to interventions and preventions, including programs that blend together approaches and focus.₁₂

School-Based: These programs work to raise youth awareness about the risks of substance use and set a normative standard that it is not acceptable.
- Programs that focus solely on increasing awareness are ineffective.
- Effective programs address social pressures, include peer-led components, provide teacher training, include norm-setting, and are interactive.
- These programs may be inadequate for high-risk individuals.
- School policies (consistent enforcement of sanctions and consequences) and culture (fostering positive student connections) are other school-based avenues for intervention.
Family-Based: These programs focus on educating parents and promoting safe and enforced rules.
- Consistent and well-communicated rules and expectations are crucial.
- Family conflict increases the likelihood of substance use.
- Family-based programs train parents to change the environment, creating individual- and environmental-level intervention.
Macroenvironmental: These programs take a community-based approach and focus on reducing access or making the costs of substance use higher as a deterrent.
- Includes increased enforcement of existing laws including minimum legal drinking age.
- Increases the social cost of alcohol use through stiffer penalties for violations.
- Increases server and retail salesperson training to reduce access.
- Institutes compliance checks in sales outlets.
Multicomponent/Comprehensive: These programs combine school, family, and environmental approaches.

Next, review resources for Substance Abuse Prevention.