Drug Abuse and Prevention

Addiction to drugs and alcohol has taken epidemic scale in the recent decades, the number of people affected by this disease has been increasing steadily and the age of drug and alcohol use initiation has sadly been decreasing, children as young as 12 years old are reported as addicts. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) estimated that 22.5 million Americans aged 12 and older self-reported needing treatment for alcohol or illicit drug use in 2014. Drug abuse and mental health disorders are commonly seen as coexisting conditions. They are among the top conditions that cause disability and carry a high burden in society.

By educating people, particularly young people, about the harmful nature of drug abuse, we can only hope they get the message and simply choose not to become participants. The Best Guard Against Drug Abuse As you can see, how to stop drug abuse is a daunting question. The reality is we can't stop it. What we can do is provide high levels of treatment for the people who get caught in the cycle of addiction.

Drugs create a problem for people everywhere. “It’s important not to downplay teenage drinking or drug abuse.” Let your teen know how you feel about drugs and alcohol. The world needs more effective drug programs, Now how do we create a good drug prevention program that works for all types of people? Many people struggle with drug use and it is sad to watch them go through it. Programs around the country and the world are trying to figure out what technique is the most effective for drug users. Many people who have a drug problem have been abusing drugs since they were younger. That can make it harder for them to stop using drugs because they have used it for so long and their bodies have become tolerant to the drug.

Even the most severely addicted individuals can participate in treatment; in the hopes of reducing their drug and alcohol use. Treatment programs with the higher success rates offer a combination of treatments. I will explore substance abuse prevention programs in this paper. I will summarize their goals, funding, and effectiveness.

In 2010 there were 23.5 million people in the United States addicted to drugs or alcohol, but only 11 percent of them received treatment for their addiction, leaving the remaining 89 percent of addicts not getting help with their addiction (“New Data Show Millions” 2010). This is clearly a problem that the government has to address and fight. There are really two ways of going about fighting drug addiction, the traditional approach of fighting the supply of drugs and being hard on crime or try to rehabilitate people using rehabilitation. Each of these tactics is usually more focused on by one of the major parties/administrations of republicans and democrats, and by either president Trump or Obama. Either of these strategies may work on its

With such a high cost to the nation, and so many people left untreated, there remains a large gap that needs to be addressed. Because substance abuse disrupts so many aspects of life, treatment is very complex. An effective program requires cessation of the drugs, maintaining a drug-free lifestyle, and being a productive, functioning member of society, as well as close follow up (NIDA, 2009).

Prevention programs should address every form of drug abuse, alone or within combination which include underage legal drugs, the use of illegal drugs, and the effects of inappropriate use of legally obtained substances, prescription medications and over the counter (Johnston et al. 2002).

Intense enforcement can support both prevention and treatment by serving as a deterrent to first drug use and leverage for treatment

Tertiary prevention includes treating diseases and illnesses and preventing complications. Establishing more needle exchange programs is one example. This helps in the prevention of HIV and hepatitis. Linking individuals with a drug and alcohol abuse program is another example of a tertiary

There are three levels of intervention in Substance Abuse Prevention. The three levels are primary, secondary, and tertiary. The primary level focuses on various populations that have had little to no exposure to drugs. The secondary level focuses on populations whose drug experience has not yet revealed long term problems. The tertiary level focuses on populations who have entered treatment. The primary goal of the tertiary level is to ensure that the enrollees don’t resort back to their original condition.

Research efforts must focus on understanding how to improve the effectiveness of primary drug abuse prevention programs. Furthermore, these programs must become more prominent throughout the country to prevent the development of addiction. Although the goal is to completely prevent abuse of prescription drugs, treatment services must be available to those who have abused or are currently abusing these drugs. Therefore, demand reduction strategies must ensure that there is an adequate supply of substance abuse treatment programs and mental health professionals to provide these services (American Public Health Association, 2015).

As a group, we decided we wanted to incorporate the preventive strategies listed in the health promotion textbook because it is essential for people to understand. The question is how can we prevent drug and alcohol abuse? It starts with primary prevention which is defined as “prevention for those who have not used tobacco, alcohol, or other drugs. The goal is to prevent exposure to and experimenting with drugs.” (Maville & Huerta, 401). The textbook presents information about how many programs in school are taught from any early age to keep young people away from drugs and alcohol. (Maville & Huerta, 401).This prevention strategy is targeting the kids who have never tried any drug, and the goal is to keep it that way. Secondary prevention

In addition, there should be secondary prevention strategies aimed primarily at those who have begun alcohol/ drugs use but have not become chronic abusers and have not suffered significant physical or mental impairment.

workers whose mental faculties are dulled by chemicals. Prevention is also the most cost-effective approach to the drug problem, sparing society the burden of treatment, rehabilitation, lost productivity, and other social pathologies, costs estimated at $160 billion per year.” In other words, if prevention efforts were effective, there should be a reduction in the social, personal, familial, societal, and economic harm of drug abuse and addiction. However, it is reasonable to disagree with this statement and the effectiveness of programs already put in place due to no evidence of reduction in the consequences of drug addiction in past years.

After reading the module, the two things that I will use in the future are the “current” prevention intervention classifications (universal, selective, and indicated), and the Domains and Associated Risk and Protective Factors chart. Each prevention technique will educate the client on the harms of drug and alcohol use. Prevention programs are more cost effective that can reduce negative risks factors, while increasing protective factors among clients. Prevention programs can help change the attitudes and behaviors with clients who are associated with alcohol and substance use