Preventing and Treating Substance Abuse
Substance abuse is a significant problem in the United States. Communities use different approaches to prevent and treat substance abuse on the persons affected by the problem. Some societies have more resources than others and would implement prevention activities based on their abilities. With guidance and a positive approach, a community can succeed in implementing plans to prevent substance abuse (Villani et al. 2019). However, depending on the substance abused and the person affected, different programs can work effectively. Nonetheless, various prevention programs are effective in treating substance abuse.
The most effective program is prevention and education. This is a two-way approach that teaches the participants essential social skills. Prevention education is effective in the sense that the teachings include techniques don how to reduce peer pressure and equips an individual to develop other abilities that they can use to make informed choices. Additionally, disseminating information is a good preventive measure in the sense that it increases understanding and empowers people to make informed choices. Disseminating information through teachers or media campaign.
Another crucial preventive strategy is community-based practices. This approach seeks to empower different institutions within the community and develop coalitions with the aim being to prevent substance abuse (Brick, Redding, Paiva & Velicer, 2017). Community-based approaches are effective in the sense that it increases the ability of society to deliver the best and effective prevention and treatment measures. It also empowers the community to plan to organize and network, which goes towards increasing effectiveness (Snijder et al. 2020).
Another program is identification and referral service. This involves determining when the individual involved in substance abuse require education, guidance or the use of other intensive intervention programs (McBride, 2016). However, combining all the programs together leads to improved outcome. For instance, implementing the legal age that one can be allowed to buy products such as alcohol.
Brick, L. A., Redding, C. A., Paiva, A. L., & Velicer, W. F. (2017). Intervention effects on stage transitions for adolescent smoking and alcohol use acquisition — the psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 31(5), 614.
McBride, D. (2016). Families, Mealtimes, and Resilience to Prevent Substance Abuse (Doctoral dissertation, Andrews University).
Snijder, M., Stapinski, L., Lees, B., Ward, J., Conrod, P., Mushquash, C., … & Newton, N. (2020). Preventing Substance Use Among Indigenous Adolescents in the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand: a Systematic Review of the Literature. Prevention Science, 21(1), 65-85.
Villani, J., Ganoza, L., Sims, B. E., Crump, A. D., Godette, D. C., Hilton, M. E., & Vargas, A. J. (2019). Substance use prevention research funded by the NIH. Drug and alcohol dependence, 107724.