Prevention

Preventing substance use in youth is key to healthy emotional, physical and social development. The brain continues to grow and develop into the early- to mid-twenties. Introducing drugs to the brain when it is still developing may cause serious changes in memory, attention, and learning that can last a long time. Students who use substances have a higher risk of failing or dropping out of school, which can lead to higher rates of unemployment. If youth develop a substance use disorder, changes in the brain circuits involved in reward, motivation, and self-control may compel them to look for and use that substance despite negative consequences.

Families and caring adults play a crucial role in determining how youth handle the lure of alcohol, cannabis, e-cigarettes, prescription drugs, and illegal substances. Parents and guardians (and adults influential in a young person's life) who speak to their children about the issues and have dinner with them on a regular basis, have children with a lower rate of use and abuse. 

An important goal of substance use prevention is to enhance the effects of protective factors and reduce risk factors. Some examples of protective factors include:
• Family, school, and community norms that communicate clear and consistent expectations about not using alcohol and other drugs 
• Parents, teachers, peers, and community members providing recognition for effort and accomplishments to motivate individuals to engage in positive behaviors in  the future
• Attachment and commitment to, and positive communication with, family, schools,  and communities
• Developmentally appropriate opportunities to be meaningfully involved with the family, school,  or community 

Evidence-based prevention programs are designed to prevent substance use and related negative outcomes. Most strategies are designed to be delivered in specific settings, to specific age groups, and to specific populations. Prevention programs may aim to:

• Reduce risk factors and enhance protective factors.
• Help people avoid or delay the onset of drug use.
• Stop substance use from progressing into higher-risk substance use or a substance use disorder.
• Reduce harms related to substance use and misuse, such as injuries or infections.

Prevention programs can be categorized as universal (broad approaches for the public or for everyone in a certain setting); selected (for individuals or groups with a known risk factor for substance use disorders), or indicated (for individuals with behaviors that indicate they may be at risk for substance use disorders). 

Sources: National Institute on Drug Abuse. 2023, September. Prevention. Retrieved from https://nida.nih.gov/research-topics/prevention on 2024, October 1.
Talk.They Hear You. 2024, May. Retrieved from https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohols-effects-health/alcohols-effects-bodyon on 2024, October 1.
Get Smart About Drugs. 2024, August. Growing Up Drug Free: A Parent's Guide to Substance Use Prevention. Retrieved from https://www.getsmartaboutdrugs.gov/publication/growing-drug-free-parents-guide-substance-use-prevention on 2024, October 1.

Parents and caring adults can explore information on substance use prevention at:

• Talk.They Hear You
• Growing Up Drug Free: A Parent's Guide to Substance Use Prevention
• The Partnership to End Addiction

Resources for Prevention professionals include:

• SAMHSA
• The Prevention Technology Transfer Center (PTTC) Network
• Strategic Prevention Technical Assistance Center

Prevention Resources in Connecticut:

• Connecticut Clearinghouse
• Connecticut Association of Prevention Professionals (CAPP)
• Center for Prevention Evaluation and Statistics
• Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services Prevention Unit
• Governor’s Prevention Partnership
• Local Prevention Councils
• Prevention Training and Technical Assistance Service Center
• Regional Behavioral Health Action Organizations (RBHAOs)
• State Education Resource Center

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