NCJ Number
223043
Date Published
May 1997
Length
1 page
Annotation
This paper outlines the findings of drug prevention research regarding what specific programs are effective, what approaches they use, and with which populations they are effective.
Abstract
For younger children and adolescents, prevention approaches that emphasize personal-skills development and task-oriented skills training have been consistently effective in reducing alcohol and drug use. For adolescents at significant risk for problem behaviors, professional individual and family counseling has been effective in countering long-term risk factors while strengthening protective factors related to drug use and alcohol abuse. For adults, prevention approaches that change the community environment, in combination with interventions that target specific individuals, have been effective in reducing problem behaviors related to drug and alcohol abuse. As a general principle, programs that are sensitive to and reflect the cultural values of the targeted group are more effective. In addition to programs whose strategies are tailored to targeted populations, some general strategies are important in providing a constructive context for the community as a whole. These general strategies include the development of community settings that protect and promote drug-free living; educational, workplace, and social settings that impact and reinforce accurate drug information and “no-use” attitudes; and social sanctions and rewards that discourage drug use and other serious risk behaviors. Two resources are listed.