Assignment: Prevention

In the ideal world substance abuse would not exist as many other debilitating diseases. However, we know we do not live in an ideal world of nonexistence. Substance abuse is just that a debilitating disease that is not just an individual disease but also a family disease. In prevention the key factors are identifying the risk factors and promoting protective factors and with that the critical age to target is youth. By substance abuse being a learned behavior, the best prevention method is to provide the tools and techniques for the youth not to look at the risk around them that can drive them to using, but to ensure nonuse.

In protecting the youth from the possibility of substance use and turning into abuse, the primary level of prevention is to be utilized. In primary prevention as stated “the human services is designed to prevent a disorder, disability, or dysfunction from occurring in the first place.” (Burger, 2011) As stated above, part of the primary prevention level would be to educate on how to protect oneself from the possible risk factors that exist around the individual. This could be self esteem, emotional, friendships, peer pressure, decision making, and so on that can live youth the environment of negativity and poor learned behavior. In an act of providing the primary level of prevention with substance abuse it’s to learn how to build the self esteem, the differences between emotions, what to look for in friends, the difference between positive and negative peer pressure, and how to make healthy decisions.
In order to meet those points of providing primary prevention by way of education, the strategy to use would be both passive and active. In utilizing both prevention strategy styles a broader audience can be reach and one can reach all points of the human service goals I have come to connect with educate, advocate, and transform. In educating, the first step is to become a certified prevention specialist, which requires training by SAMSHA and in curriculums based on scientific research. Active prevention strategies are working with small group populations with identified risk factors can open the youth up to learning things not only about them selves but also about each other and their environment. For younger generations working within the classroom will help to set precedence. Passive prevention strategies are the many organizations that are set up around the country in regards to billboards, commercials, and fairs that encourage nonuse like above the influence. These options blanket the youth with a fair amount of information at both a universal level but an individualistic level as well.
Advocating comes with the territory of preventing the youth from the use of substances. Apart of the avocation is bringing the idea that substance use is not just an individual disease but a family, community, societal disease. As stated in the comprehensive approach to drug prevention, “Preventing drug use before it begins is the most cost-effective, common-sense approach to promoting safe and healthy communities. Research shows an association between drug use and traffic crash deaths, lost productivity and poorer academic performance. Illicit drug use also contributes to HIV-transmission rates and puts children at risk for abuse and neglect. If we can prevent substance use and dependence before it ever begins, we can save lives and cut costs related to healthcare and criminal justice.” (Office of National Drug Control Policy).
The White House recognizes the importance of prevention and prevalence of contributing to the primary level and strategies in which it takes to reduce or eliminate the problem of substance abuse. The suggested solution is to continue on with the efforts of education through the universal, selective, and indicated programs being utilized by providing more funding and training for such programs. This may be affected budgetary due to the grants being cut or transferred to other items. This level of prevention can also be affected by the upcoming and pending laws in regards to legalizing some of the illicit substances, i.e. Marijuana in both Washington State and Colorado. Obstacles in implementing can be addressed by community and grassroots organizations starting up coalitions to help in the education process. Financially, the state and governmental taxes that are charged for the legal substances, such as, alcohol and tobacco can be utilize to fund the education programs. I don’t for see new programs being need just continuation or start up of the programs in areas that do not have them. With this we can begin to see the transformation.
Prevention is described by SAMSHA as “an art in which you get to help paint the picture by adding your own interest, creativity, passion, and talents.” The art of prevention for the human service field becomes the passion that drives the purpose for education, avocation, and transformation.

Works Cited
(2011). Prevention in Human Services. In W. R. Burger, Human Services in Contempoary America (8th Edition ed., p. 307). Cengage Learning.

Office of National Drug Control Policy. (n.d.). A Comprehensive Approach to Drug Prevention. Retrieved February 26, 2014, from www.whitehouse.gov