NCJ Number
130993
Date Published
1989
Length
565 pages
Annotation
This volume is designed to help communities adopt a comprehensive systems approach to substance-abuse prevention.
Abstract
The chapters cover the impact of alcohol and other drug use and the importance of prevention, a systems approach to alcohol and other drug use and implications for prevention, a prevention planning guide, and case studies of comprehensive community prevention efforts. The systems approach profiled is based on the finding that prevention programs do not work in isolation. There must be a continuum of clear, concise, and unambiguous messages that occur regularly in all parts of a community, i.e., in its schools, workplaces, media, religious institutions, public and private sectors, legal and judicial systems, and families. Additionally, because the causes of alcohol and other drug use are multiple, a variety of approaches is needed, all of which should be integrated across community institutions. This volume discusses how various tools for preventing substance abuse can be integrated in a comprehensive program that encompasses every part of the community, provides many strategies, and addresses the needs of all populations. The manual intends to help program planners and others to develop an effective systems approach for fighting the war against alcohol and other drug use among youth in their communities. Appended supplementary information and 72 references