Scientifically Assigned Prevention Strategies
- 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)