Prevention Programs That Work

SAMHSA, through its Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP), plays a critical role in developing and applying knowledge and best practices in alcohol and drug use prevention among adolescents. Prevention programs address factors that have been shown to either protect youths against alcohol and drug use or decrease the risk of substance use. Protective and risk factors, which also impact on health and social problems other than substance use, occur within adolescents’ “web of influence,” or the environments that influence their behavior: the individual, peer group, family, school, community, and society. Prevention programs have shown that the most positive impact on adolescents is made by enhancing protective factors to help youth overcome the risks to which they are exposed.¹

Findings of What Works in Prevention

Highlights of alcohol prevention findings from SAMHSA/CSAP national cross-site evaluations and grantee evaluations include:²

• Building caring and supportive relationship between youth and people from least one of their spheres of influence decreases problem behavior and increases young people’s ability to refuse alcohol and drugs.³



• Prevention programs that encourage change in adolescent behavior patterns that often lead to substance use may break the link to substance abuse.⁴



• Parents and caregivers play an important role. Their intense involvement in children’s lives through the teen years is critically important to youths’ ability to avoid alcohol and drug use and other risky behaviors.⁵



• Alcohol and drug prevention programs that concentrate on the family unit and emphasize the active involvement of family members can improve parenting skills and family relationships.⁶



• Alternative activities – such as involvement in sports, the arts, or outdoor activities – are popular approaches to prevention. However, it is the positive adult interaction that the youth experiences, rather than the activity, that acts as a protective factor against alcohol and drug usse.⁷



• Prevention programs can be effective in changing individual characteristics that predict later substance abuse.⁸



• Prevention programs can reduce delinquent adolescent behavior associated with alcohol and drug use and drug-related crime.⁹



• Teaching life skills to adolescents as part of prevention programs – such as decision making, problem-solving, resisting peer pressure, and social and communication skills – reduces the occurrence of substance abuse.¹⁰

Effective Programs for Preventing Alcohol and Drug Use Among Youth

Seven SAMHSA-funded programs have been identified as scientifically defensible model prevention programs. These programs are being promoted for adoption/adaptation in communities around the Nation.¹¹

• The Across Ages program is a research-based mentoring initiative in Philadelphia that successfully improved adolescents’ social competence and enhanced their ability to resist alcohol, tobacco, and drug use. The unique and highly effective feature of Across Ages is the pairing of older adults with middle-school-age children to provide the children with positive, nurturing role models.



• The Child Development Project is a research-based school improvement initiative designed by the Developmental Studies Center of Oakland, California. By transforming elementary schools into “caring communities of learners,” the project significantly reduced children’s use of alcohol and illicit drugs while dramatically increasing the children’s resilience to substance use.



• Creating lasting Connections is a 5-year demonstration project in Louisville, Kentucky, and six surrounding counties. It scientifically demonstrates that youth and families in high-risk environments can be assisted to become strong, healthy, and supportive families, thereby increasing children’s resilience to substance use. CLC provides parents and children with strong defenses against environmental risk factors by teaching appropriate skills for personal growth, family enhancement, and interpersonal communication.



• The Dare To Be You program is a 5-year demonstration project that, by dramatically improving parent and child resiliency factors – particularly in the areas of communication, problem-solving, self-esteem, and family skills – significantly lowers the risk of future substance abuse and other high-risk activities. This multilevel prevention program is an adaptation of the Dare To Be You community and school training programs.



• The FAN Club directly involves parents of youth participating in Boys and Girls Clubs of America’s SMART Moves program, including the SMART Leaders booster program. The FAN Club strengthens families and promotes family bonding, thereby increasing the resistance of youth to drug use.
• The Residential Student Assistance Program is a 5-year demonstration project in Westchester County, New York. It is adapted from the county’s highly successful Student Assistance Program, similar to the Employee Assistance Program, similar to the Employee Assistance Programs that are effectively used by industry to identify and aid employees whose jobs and lives have been harmed by substance use.



• SMART Leader is a 2-year, sequential booster program for youth who have completed Stay SMART, a component of Boys and Girls Clubs of America’s SMART Moves program. Evaluation results show the effectiveness of this multiyear approach in promoting refusal skills and creating drug-free peer leaders.