how to control drug addiction
The following are protective factors you need to fight drug use and abuse:
* Loving and caring family
* Involvement in sports
* Positive outlook in life
* Positive self-image
* Caring and supportive friends
* A sense of worthiness and achievement
* Always having the right attitude
* Ability to cope with stress and depression
* Having responsible adult role models
* Active participation in sports or recreation
* Participation in school clubs and activities
* Consultation with responsible adults like parents, teachers, counselors regarding problems,concerns and queries in life
* Development of talents and skills
Which of the protective factors are within your control? Beyond your control?
Several broad prevention strategies can be applied to most substance use issues. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has identified six strategies that can help shape your prevention plans:
• Information dissemination increases knowledge and changes attitudes through communications.
This method of learning is mainly one-way, such as classroom speakers or media campaigns.
• Prevention education is a two-way approach to teaching participants important social skills. These skills can include resisting pressure to use drugs, looking at the intent behind advertising, or developing other skills used in making healthy choices.
• Positive alternatives provide fun, challenging, and structured activities with supervision so people have constructive and healthy ways to enjoy free time and learn skills. These alcohol- and drug-free activities help people—particularly young people— stay away from situations that encourage use of alcohol, tobacco, or illegal drugs.
• Environmental strategies are aimed at the settings and conditions in which people live, work, and socialize. These strategies call for change in policies— to reduce risk factors and increase protective factors—for example, tighter zoning restrictions on alcohol outlets or stronger enforcement to prevent underage purchases of alcohol and tobacco products. As these changes are carried out at the community level, they can have a sweeping impact.
• Community-based processes strengthen resources such as community coalitions to prevent substance use and misuse. Organizing, planning, and networking are included in this strategy to increase the community’s ability to deliver effective prevention and treatment services.
• Identification of problems and referral to services are crucial to the prevention of substance use. This process includes determining when the behavior of people who are at high risk or who are using alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs requires education or other intensive interventions
Combining prevention strategies usually improves results. For example, enforcing the legal age required to purchase alcohol and tobacco products while providing positive activities for youth can both be reinforced by school-based drug education. That combination can do a better job of preventing substance use than any of these strategies alone. Likewise, prevention that blends life skills training with mentoring and with activities to increase parent involvement can be more effective for youths at high risk for using alcohol and other drugs than life skills training by itself.
Drug Abuse Prevention-Education is the Key
Drug abuse prevention begins with education, spreading the word regarding the dangers of drugs to oneself and to the community. These programs are just the beginning. The information provided is most effective when it is followed up with continued support. Drug prevention programs seek to involve the family, community or workplace in the prevention process. To be effective, communities need to sustain the progress. This often requires continued leadership and financial support.
Drug abuse has a pervasive effect on an entire community. Understanding drug use risk factors and spreading the word through prevention programs is the best defense against drug abuse.
• Parental monitoring has been the most effective way to slow the expansion of drugs in family situations.
• School drug prevention programs serve a valuable purpose in first time users aged 12-17.
• Schools with strict compliance rules and counseling support have been successful at reducing usage.
• The National Institute Against Drug Abuse (NIDA) has found that gains resulting from community drug prevention programs far outweigh the financial investment by the community.
• Programs should make sure to address all aspects of drug abuse. This includes underage use of legal drugs such as alcohol and tobacco, illicit street drugs, inhalants and the inappropriate use of legal drugs such as prescription and over the counter drugs.
• These programs must also be tailored to the specific needs of the audience. Having specialized programs for different genders, ages, cultures and ethnicities only make the programs more effective.
Programs for Drug Prevention
As previously mentioned, drug prevention begins with education. This education can take place at a number of levels including:
• Family Based Drug Prevention. The prevention of drug abuse should start inside the family unit as early as possible. There are many obvious benefits of home based drug prevention education including self awareness, and the enhancement of parent-child communication skills and family bonding. Parental supervision and involvement are critical in adolescents. Parents must not only have a plan to educate their children on the dangers of drug use and abuse, but they must also establish and enforce family rules. This includes creating an effective system of monitoring their children’s activities.
• School Based Drug Abuse Prevention Programs. Drug abuse prevention should be addressed as early as preschool. Preschool children can benefit from learning how to handle aggression, solve problems, and communicate better so that they can avoid putting themselves at risk for drug abuse later in life. Middle and high school programs should focus on peer relationships, communication, assertiveness, drug resistance skills and developing anti-drug attitudes. School based prevention programs should be repeated often for the best level of success.
• Community Based Drug Abuse Prevention Programs. Communities that make an effort to come together in the fight against drugs are sure to make an impact in the prevention of drug abuse. There are many places to establish these prevention programs including schools, churches and community based clubs.
5 Ways to Prevent Substance Abuse
While it’s practically impossible to prevent anyone and everyone from using illicit drugs, there are things we can all do to avoid drug and/or alcohol abuse. By sharing this knowledge with those closest to you, you yourself may be able to prevent them from doing drugs, too. Here are the top five ways to help prevent drug use:
1. Effectively deal with peer pressure. The biggest reason teens start using illicit drugs is because their friends utilize peer pressure. No one likes to be left out, and teens (and yes, some adults, too) find themselves doing things they normally wouldn’t do, just to fit in. In these cases, you need to either find a better group of friends that won’t pressure you into doing harmful things, or you need to find a good way to say no. Teens should prepare a good excuse or plan ahead of time, to keep from giving into tempting situations.
2. Deal with life pressure. People today are overworked and overwhelmed, and often feel like a good break or a reward is deserved. But in the end, drugs only make life more stressful — and many of us all too often fail to recognize this in the moment. To prevent using drugs as a reward, find other ways to handle stress and unwind. Take up exercising, read a good book, volunteer with the needy, create something. Anything positive and relaxing helps take the mind off using drugs to relieve stress.
3. Seek help for mental illness. Mental illness and substance abuse often go hand-in-hand. Those with a mental health illness may turn to drugs as a way to ease the pain. Those suffering from some form of mental health illness, such as anxiety, depression or post-traumatic stress disorder should seek the help of a trained professional for treatment before it leads to substance use.
4. Examine every risk factor. If you’re aware of the biological, environmental and physical risk factors you possess, you’re more likely to overcome them. A history of substance abuse in the family, living in a social setting that glorifies drug abuse and/or family life that models drug abuse can be risk factors.
5. Keep a well-balanced life. People take up drugs when something in their life is not working, or when they’re unhappy about their lives or where their lives are going. Look at life’s big picture, and have priorities in order.
* Loving and caring family
* Involvement in sports
* Positive outlook in life
* Positive self-image
* Caring and supportive friends
* A sense of worthiness and achievement
* Always having the right attitude
* Ability to cope with stress and depression
* Having responsible adult role models
* Active participation in sports or recreation
* Participation in school clubs and activities
* Consultation with responsible adults like parents, teachers, counselors regarding problems,concerns and queries in life
* Development of talents and skills
 |
| source |
Which of the protective factors are within your control? Beyond your control?
Several broad prevention strategies can be applied to most substance use issues. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has identified six strategies that can help shape your prevention plans:
• Information dissemination increases knowledge and changes attitudes through communications.
This method of learning is mainly one-way, such as classroom speakers or media campaigns.
• Prevention education is a two-way approach to teaching participants important social skills. These skills can include resisting pressure to use drugs, looking at the intent behind advertising, or developing other skills used in making healthy choices.
• Positive alternatives provide fun, challenging, and structured activities with supervision so people have constructive and healthy ways to enjoy free time and learn skills. These alcohol- and drug-free activities help people—particularly young people— stay away from situations that encourage use of alcohol, tobacco, or illegal drugs.
• Environmental strategies are aimed at the settings and conditions in which people live, work, and socialize. These strategies call for change in policies— to reduce risk factors and increase protective factors—for example, tighter zoning restrictions on alcohol outlets or stronger enforcement to prevent underage purchases of alcohol and tobacco products. As these changes are carried out at the community level, they can have a sweeping impact.
• Community-based processes strengthen resources such as community coalitions to prevent substance use and misuse. Organizing, planning, and networking are included in this strategy to increase the community’s ability to deliver effective prevention and treatment services.
• Identification of problems and referral to services are crucial to the prevention of substance use. This process includes determining when the behavior of people who are at high risk or who are using alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs requires education or other intensive interventions
Combining prevention strategies usually improves results. For example, enforcing the legal age required to purchase alcohol and tobacco products while providing positive activities for youth can both be reinforced by school-based drug education. That combination can do a better job of preventing substance use than any of these strategies alone. Likewise, prevention that blends life skills training with mentoring and with activities to increase parent involvement can be more effective for youths at high risk for using alcohol and other drugs than life skills training by itself.
Drug Abuse Prevention-Education is the Key
Drug abuse prevention begins with education, spreading the word regarding the dangers of drugs to oneself and to the community. These programs are just the beginning. The information provided is most effective when it is followed up with continued support. Drug prevention programs seek to involve the family, community or workplace in the prevention process. To be effective, communities need to sustain the progress. This often requires continued leadership and financial support.
Drug abuse has a pervasive effect on an entire community. Understanding drug use risk factors and spreading the word through prevention programs is the best defense against drug abuse.
• Parental monitoring has been the most effective way to slow the expansion of drugs in family situations.
• School drug prevention programs serve a valuable purpose in first time users aged 12-17.
• Schools with strict compliance rules and counseling support have been successful at reducing usage.
• The National Institute Against Drug Abuse (NIDA) has found that gains resulting from community drug prevention programs far outweigh the financial investment by the community.
• Programs should make sure to address all aspects of drug abuse. This includes underage use of legal drugs such as alcohol and tobacco, illicit street drugs, inhalants and the inappropriate use of legal drugs such as prescription and over the counter drugs.
• These programs must also be tailored to the specific needs of the audience. Having specialized programs for different genders, ages, cultures and ethnicities only make the programs more effective.
Programs for Drug Prevention
As previously mentioned, drug prevention begins with education. This education can take place at a number of levels including:
• Family Based Drug Prevention. The prevention of drug abuse should start inside the family unit as early as possible. There are many obvious benefits of home based drug prevention education including self awareness, and the enhancement of parent-child communication skills and family bonding. Parental supervision and involvement are critical in adolescents. Parents must not only have a plan to educate their children on the dangers of drug use and abuse, but they must also establish and enforce family rules. This includes creating an effective system of monitoring their children’s activities.
• School Based Drug Abuse Prevention Programs. Drug abuse prevention should be addressed as early as preschool. Preschool children can benefit from learning how to handle aggression, solve problems, and communicate better so that they can avoid putting themselves at risk for drug abuse later in life. Middle and high school programs should focus on peer relationships, communication, assertiveness, drug resistance skills and developing anti-drug attitudes. School based prevention programs should be repeated often for the best level of success.
• Community Based Drug Abuse Prevention Programs. Communities that make an effort to come together in the fight against drugs are sure to make an impact in the prevention of drug abuse. There are many places to establish these prevention programs including schools, churches and community based clubs.
5 Ways to Prevent Substance Abuse
While it’s practically impossible to prevent anyone and everyone from using illicit drugs, there are things we can all do to avoid drug and/or alcohol abuse. By sharing this knowledge with those closest to you, you yourself may be able to prevent them from doing drugs, too. Here are the top five ways to help prevent drug use:
1. Effectively deal with peer pressure. The biggest reason teens start using illicit drugs is because their friends utilize peer pressure. No one likes to be left out, and teens (and yes, some adults, too) find themselves doing things they normally wouldn’t do, just to fit in. In these cases, you need to either find a better group of friends that won’t pressure you into doing harmful things, or you need to find a good way to say no. Teens should prepare a good excuse or plan ahead of time, to keep from giving into tempting situations.
2. Deal with life pressure. People today are overworked and overwhelmed, and often feel like a good break or a reward is deserved. But in the end, drugs only make life more stressful — and many of us all too often fail to recognize this in the moment. To prevent using drugs as a reward, find other ways to handle stress and unwind. Take up exercising, read a good book, volunteer with the needy, create something. Anything positive and relaxing helps take the mind off using drugs to relieve stress.
3. Seek help for mental illness. Mental illness and substance abuse often go hand-in-hand. Those with a mental health illness may turn to drugs as a way to ease the pain. Those suffering from some form of mental health illness, such as anxiety, depression or post-traumatic stress disorder should seek the help of a trained professional for treatment before it leads to substance use.
4. Examine every risk factor. If you’re aware of the biological, environmental and physical risk factors you possess, you’re more likely to overcome them. A history of substance abuse in the family, living in a social setting that glorifies drug abuse and/or family life that models drug abuse can be risk factors.
5. Keep a well-balanced life. People take up drugs when something in their life is not working, or when they’re unhappy about their lives or where their lives are going. Look at life’s big picture, and have priorities in order.
COMMENTS