NCJ Number
175416
Date Published
1998
Length
20 pages
Annotation
This paper discusses the extent of drug use by adolescents, strategies for drug prevention, and promising approaches for preventing drug abuse by adolescents.
Abstract
With little research available on effective strategies for drug prevention programs, practitioners can identify common factors across effective prevention programs. Two major approaches have the attention of practitioners: the "protective factor" model and a "harm minimization" model. The protective factor model identifies those factors that promote resiliency in adolescents, such that they have the capability of avoiding the dangers of alcohol and other drug abuse. When work within families, schools, and community environments provides adolescents with caring and support, creates high expectations, and provides opportunities to be active participants in their family, school, and community life, they tend to resist drugs as a threat to their preferred lifestyle. The harm minimization approach typically has six components: factual information about drugs; self-examination of attitudes about drugs and drug users; assistance in understanding people who experience drug problems so youth can develop a caring attitude; avoiding the harmful consequences of drugs by explaining secondary prevention strategies; increased awareness of the legal, health, and social implications of their own drug use; and an understanding of the role of drug use in past and present societies and cultures. 36 references and 7 tables