Alcohol and Drug Problems: Prevention

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Flavio F. Marsiglia ◽  
David Becerra ◽  
Jaime M. Booth
Keyword(s):  
Substance Abuse ◽  
Drug Abuse ◽  
Substance Abuse Prevention ◽  
Newborn Health ◽  
The United States ◽  
Abuse Prevention ◽  
Effective Prevention ◽  
Prevention Interventions ◽  
Alcohol And Drug Abuse ◽  
Drug Problems

Prevention is a proactive science-based process that aims to strengthen existing protective factors and to diminish or eliminate other factors that put individuals, families, and communities at risk for substance abuse. Prevention is important because alcohol and drug abuse are a leading cause of morbidity, mortality, and health expenditures in the United States. Alcohol and other drug abuse is also associated with infectious diseases, chronic diseases, emergency room visits, newborn health problems, family violence, and auto fatalities. The comorbidity of drug and alcohol abuse with mental health disorders and HIV adds urgency to the development, evaluation, and implementation of comprehensive and effective prevention interventions. The social work profession plays a key role in substance abuse prevention, as it not only targets the use and abuse of alcohol and other drugs but also aims at reducing the related negative health and psychosocial outcomes and economic burden they produce on individuals and society at large.

opportunities. Yet, statistics suggest that adolescent girls have ironi-cally found a way of achieving parity with their male counterparts. It is through their entry to the use and abuse of chemicals. It could be stated that drugs have become an artificial means of achieving em-powerment. • Since 1991, there is little difference in the rate of alcohol and il-licit drug use among eighth grade girls and boys. For some drugs, eighth grade girls have even higher rates of usage (e.g., inhalants and stimulants. (1995 Monitoring the Future Survey) (MTFS). • Heavy drinking has increased significantly among young, employed women over the last 40 years in the United States. As many as 16% of these women may be consuming three to five drinks per day (CASA, 1996; US Dept. of Health & Human Ser-vices, Office for Substance Abuse Prevention, 1991). • In 1995, nearly one-tenth of eighth grade girls were current smokers, the same rate for eighth grade boys (CASA, 1995). • Young women between the ages of 16 and 22 are more likely to smoke cigarettes than their male counterparts (US Dept. of Health & Human Services, Office for Substance Abuse Prevention, 1991). • From 1991 to 1995, the rate of past-month marijuana use among eighth grade girls has risen slightly faster than the rate among boys during the same period, (MTFS, 1995). • Today's daughters are 15 times likelier than their mothers to be-gin using illegal drugs by the age of 15 (CASA, 1996, p. 2). The rise in the statistics for females is compelling in relation to the prevention dollars that have been spent in the last 20 years. Drug Use as a Metaphor of Independence and Dependence However, to view use of a substance as a solution to a problem casts a different shadow upon our understanding of the motivating forces to use and abuse chemicals in our society. This in turn presents a whole new interpretation of risk and prevention. In a profound twist, sub-stance abuse can be seen as a symptom that is "socially useful" or functional in our society. The symptom is a metaphorical expression of and response to cultural ailments. Addiction is an attempt at its remedy (Barrett, 1992). It can be best understood as an adaptation to one's environment (Peele, 1989), albeit a poor one. In this framework,

2013 ◽  
pp. 45-60
Keyword(s):  
Substance Abuse ◽  
Drug Use ◽  
Substance Abuse Prevention ◽  
Heavy Drinking ◽  
The United States ◽  
Eighth Grade ◽  
Abuse Prevention ◽  
Monitoring The Future ◽  
New Interpretation ◽  
Metaphorical Expression

A Review of Substance Abuse Prevention Interventions for Young Adolescent Girls

2001 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 294-324 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan M. Blake ◽  
Hortensia Amaro ◽  
Pamela M. Schwartz ◽  
Laura J. Flinchbaugh
Keyword(s):  
Substance Abuse ◽  
Adolescent Girls ◽  
Substance Abuse Prevention ◽  
Young Adolescent ◽  
Abuse Prevention ◽  
Prevention Interventions ◽  
Young Adolescent Girls

Twelfth Grade Follow-up of the Effectiveness of a Middle School-Based Substance Abuse Prevention Program

1998 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 185-197 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean T. Shope ◽  
Laurel A. Copeland ◽  
Mary E. Kamp ◽  
Sylvia W. Lang
Keyword(s):  
Substance Abuse ◽  
Repeated Measures ◽  
School Health ◽  
Substance Abuse Prevention ◽  
Sixth Grade ◽  
Abuse Prevention ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Effective Prevention ◽  
Twelfth Grade

A twelfth-grade follow-up afforded the opportunity to assess the long-term effects of substance abuse prevention delivered in sixth and seventh grades. A social pressures resistance skills curriculum implemented by classroom teachers had been evaluated with short-term positive results previously reported. Students completed self-administered questionnaires at sixth grade pre- and posttests, and at seventh and twelfth-grade posttests. Curriculum group students received lessons on alcohol, tobacco (cigarettes and smokeless), marijuana, and cocaine, which were later incorporated into the Michigan Model for Comprehensive School Health Education. This evaluation used data from 262 students who completed all four questionnaires and who received the complete two-year intervention or no intervention. Repeated measures analyses of variance demonstrated that significant effects evident at seventh grade for alcohol use and misuse, as well as cigarette, cocaine, and other drug use were generally not maintained through twelfth grade. Ongoing reinforcement of effective prevention is recommended.

Developing a Data Resource to Support State Substance Abuse Prevention Planning: Approaches Used in Implementing CSAP's Strategic Prevention Framework

2009 ◽  
Vol 36 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 387-407 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert L. Flewelling ◽  
Johanna Birckmayer ◽  
Renee Boothroyd
Keyword(s):  
Substance Abuse ◽  
Illicit Drugs ◽  
Substance Abuse Prevention ◽  
National Level ◽  
The United States ◽  
Abuse Prevention ◽  
Data Resource ◽  
Level Data ◽  
Planning Processes ◽  
State And Local

A number of data collection systems designed to monitor selected substance abuse behaviors and consequences are in place in the United States. Some of these systems provide only national-level data, while others provide data disaggregated by state and in some cases by sub-state units such as counties or communities. Less progress has been made in identifying a key set of epidemiologic indicators across the three major substance categories (i.e., alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drugs), and assembling them in a manner designed to effectively support substance abuse prevention planning at the state and local levels. A recent federal initiative funded by the U.S. Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP) seeks to accelerate progress in this area through its Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF). The framework is intended to stimulate the prudent use of available data, and the development of additional data resources, for: 1) identifying statewide priorities for substance abuse prevention, 2) informing resource allocation decisions, 3) monitoring state and local trends in substance abuse and related consequences, and 4) evaluating state and local prevention efforts. This article describes the underlying rationale and issues considered in developing the database, some of the challenges and limitations in applying the data to prevention planning processes, and current strategies employed by CSAP to guide states and communities in effectively using the data in their substance abuse prevention planning and monitoring efforts.

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