The Private Sector: Taking a Role in the Prevention of Drug and Alcohol Abuse for Young People

For many years the main support of the private sector for drug abuse prevention programs came through money resources channeled through general agencies of community assistance, such as the United Way. In the 1970s, the approach began to change and diversify as the negative social impact of drugs became more visible and far-reaching. Throughout all strata of society and within the workplace itself, more lives than ever before were affected by the abuse of drugs. A national problem was identified, highlighted by deaths due to overdose of celebrities, respected community members, and/or their children. The abuse of dangerous drugs, no longer confined to the nation's slums and minority communities, proliferated with the more tolerant social attitudes of the 1960s and 1970s. It soon became evident that not to take a stand would only make the problem worse, and that prevention would be far less costly in both human suffering and financial funding than trying to treat problems after the fact. On a different front, studies of manpower productivity revealed that the abuse of chemicals by employees was costly, and not to acknowledge and do something about it even costlier. In response, some companies designed and implemented Employee Assistance Programs, while others insisted on broader insurance coverage to support the in- and out-patient treatment of chemically dependent employees and their families. Still others looked for ways they could become involved in preventing the problem in the first place. Employee health or fitness centers were one result of this growing interest. Active support of projects designed to prevent drug use among young people was another.