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Preventing Drug Abuse: The Best Strategy

Drug abuse is one of the hardest diseases to deal with, because it is so complex and multifaceted. Issues from many years ago can be at the root cause of the addiction, or it can be something extremely recent that pushes someone into drug abuse. Each case is unique, and different. But there is one thing that is always a constant, and that is the best strategy for handling drug abuse – prevention. If we can prevent people from using drugs, we can greatly reduce the chances that they will become drug addicts.

  Who is at the Highest Risk?

When people are in change, or periods of transition, they are at the highest risk for drug abuse. For adults, this is often during divorces, losses of jobs, and major medical problems. People use drugs to cope with the stress, and become addicted to the feelings of the euphoria that can often accompany drug abuse. In teenagers, however, which are one of the highest risk groups, the changes and transitions that can trigger drug abuse are different. Changes in the social and personal relationships in their lives from going from children to young adults, and all of the physical changes that comes along with that put them at a very high risk. These risks are accentuated by peer pressure to explore drugs and alcohol, feelings of rebellion, and problems with family life.

  Prevention Methods

The best ways to prevent drug abuse, is to begin as early as possible. There are three main overarching strategies in preventing drug abuse in youths 0 universal, selective, and indicated research based strategies. Universal programs are used to address schools as a whole, in one large group. Popular “Say No To Drugs” rallies and assemblies in schools use this method of prevention, telling kids as often as possible that drugs are bad for them. The specific things that are told to children vary depending on the age, but the message remains fundamentally the same – say no to drugs.

  The next method is known as selective strategies. These are focused on the teens that are most at risk. School counselors are typically the leaders of these strategies, knowing their students more intimately, and whether or not they have problems which make them specifically at risk for drug abuse. Steps should be taken to speak to these teens personally and individually, with attempts at some form of therapy to teach them how to properly handle their stress and problems without turning to drugs. Teaching these teens to say no to peer pressure and drug use is also vital to these strategies.

  Finally, there are the indicated strategies. These focus on teens and young adults who are already using and abusing drugs. Prevention strategies join with treatment strategies, to pull teens out of the need for drugs before the addiction is able to sink its hooks in too deep. Support for these teens is critical, as isolation will only drive the addiction further.