Preventing Substance Abuse and Addiction

Abstract

Beyond the obvious social benefits of preventing substance abuse among teenagers, studies have shown that substance abuse costs America hundreds of billions of dollars per year, and implementing effective prevention programs would save an estimated $18 to the nation for every dollar spent on prevention programming. There is a great deal known about prevention of substance use, substance abuse, and substance use disorders; however, there is often a disconnect between what is known and what is actually enacted in communities, agencies, and other practice settings. One major problem is the difficulty implementing evidence-based programs either in their entirety or faithfully, given pragmatic constraints. However, principles learned from prevention research can help actual programs increase the likelihood of effectiveness. The focus on risk and protective factors has permeated the theoretical and practical literature on prevention programming, as it has yielded some of the most positive and promising results. While some risks are genetic and not so amenable to psychosocial intervention, many are personal and either teachable or remediable (such as specific social and life skills), social, or cultural. Understanding those factors that pose risks for problems and those factors which protect youth against them directly informs prevention programming. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)