Prevention Practices: Effective substance abuse prevention programs rarely use one prevention strategy exclusively. Programs typically contain a range of prevention approaches and strategies which may include one or more of the following:
1.   factual information about drugs, drug use, media literacy, related crime, and health information;
2.   life skills training, including resistance skills training and social and personal skills development;
3.   alternative activities to drug use, such as sports, dance, and theater;
4.   exercises to increase self-perception and confidence;
5.   family development, including parent training and advocacy;
6.   individual and peer group counseling;
7.   student, school, and community management practices;
8.   stress management;
9.   spiritual and cultural enhancement; and
10. antidrug/anticrime advertisements and media messages.

While there may not be a simple solution for preventing Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) use, there is consensus among professionals in the prevention field that multicomponent programs are likely to produce the most positive effects for the greatest number of participants.  The following list includes 9 drug abuse and related crime prevention program elements that have been proven effective by the prevention research literature:

• Peer programs and multimodal approaches, particularly those with skill-building and peer program components, are effective in preventing alcohol and other drug (AOD) use (Bangert-Drowns, 1988; Tobler, 1986);

• Programs emphasizing life and peer refusal skills impact attitudes toward AODs and AOD use (Botvin, Schinke, Epstein, and Diaz, 1994; Flay, 1985; Hurd et al., 1980; Johnson et al., 1990; McAlister, Perry, Killen, Slinkdard, and Maccoby, 1980; Murray, Johnson, Luepker, and Mittelmark, 1984; Perry et al., 1983);

• Life skills training approach has been shown to impact an individual’s behavior up to 6 years after the intervention, provided the program is properly implemented and booster sessions are administered in subsequent years (Botvin, Baker, Dusenbury, Botvin, and Diaz, 1995);

• Parenting skills development and increasing parent-child attachment are effective strategies in preventing substance use among young people (Andrews et al., 1993; Barrera, Li, and Chassin, 1993; Brook, 1993; Byram and Flay, 1984; Dielman, Butchart, and Shope, 1991; Ensminger, Brown, and Kellam, 1982; Hamburg, Kraemer, and Jahnke, 1975; Hundleby and Mercer, 1987; Podell, 1992);

• Strategies to change parental attitudes toward AOD and parental AOD use impact child AOD attitudes and use (Andrews et al., 1993; Barrera et al., 1993; Weinberg, Dielman, Mandell, and Shope, 1994);

• Academic mentoring and tutoring strategies are effective in reducing and preventing AOD use (Crum, Heizer, and Anthony, 1993; Thomas and Hsiu, 1993; Wiebusch, 1994);

• Early prevention interventions targeting AOD attitude formation are effective in reducing and preventing AOD use (Grube and Wallack, 1994; McGee and Stanton, 1993; Pfeffer, 1993; Towberman and McDonald, 1993; Whittaker, 1993);

• Anti-AOD advertising is effective in changing both attitudes and use among children (Grube and Wallach, 1994; Van Reek, Knibble, and van Iwaarden, 1993; Zastowony, Adams, Black, Lawson, and Wilder, 1993); and

• Tax and increased price policies for alcohol are related to reduced consumption among adolescents (Lockhart, Beck, and Summons, 1993; Nettles and Pleck, 1993).

Additional Resources: For information on substance abuse prevention contact: National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information P0 Box 2345 Rockville, MD 20847-2345 (800) 729-6686 (800) 487-4889 TDD www.health.org