Previously, prevention programs focused on spreading awareness and warning about substance abuse through media campaigns, with modest results in changing negative behaviors leading to abuse and addiction.
However, with the advancement of science and the comprehensive understanding of addiction disease, more effective methods of prevention have emerged.
Modern prevention strategies have enabled us to work with different groups:
Families (parents)
Children
Young people and adolescents
adults
Women
The overall goal of drug prevention should be broader than preventing drug use and other negative behaviors to include:
The healthy and safe development of children and youth
To develop their talents and achieve their goals
Building active members in their societies
For this reason, the most important strategies of scientifically supported prevention programs have become focused on:
Preventing and treating addiction risk factors and negative behaviors
Motivating the protective factors that contribute to preventing them
Prevention levels:
The first level (prevention of negative behaviors and avoidance of abuse)
The second level (treatment of abuse, concomitant disorders, and relapse prevention).
The third level (addiction treatment and prevention of serious complications)
