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Substance Abuse - Wikipedia

Substance abuse

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Substance abuse refers to the use of any legal or illegal substance when that use is causing damage to the user's physical and/or mental health and causes the person legal, social, financial or other problems including endangering their lives or the lives of others. The phrase "problematic substance use" is a newer term for "substance abuse" that is gaining acceptance.

When science began to study addictive behavior in the 1930s, substance abusers were thought to be morally flawed and lacking in willpower. Those views shaped society's responses to substance abuse, treating it as a moral failing rather than a health problem, which led to an emphasis on punitive rather than preventative and therapeutic actions.^[1]

According to the US National Institute on Drug Abuse, abuse and addiction to alcohol, nicotine, and illegal substances cost Americans upwards of half a trillion dollars a year, considering their combined medical, economic, criminal, and social impact. Every year, abuse of illicit drugs and alcohol contributes to the death of more than 100,000 Americans, while tobacco is linked to an estimated 440,000 deaths per year.^[1]

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Best Practices Checklist: Youth Substance Abuse Prevention

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List of Twelve-Step groups

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

AA - Alcoholics Anonymous
ACA - Adult Children of Alcoholics (also abbreviated as ACOA)
Al-Anon/Alateen - For friends and family members of alcoholics.
AAA - All Addi

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Common Slang Terms for Drugs

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Substance Abuse Outreach Programs: Comparative Effectiveness

Gottheil et al (1997) examined the effects of an outreach program designed to engage substance abuse clients who failed to attend their initial appointment. An outpatient treatment facility attempted to contact by phone clients who did not show up for their first appointment. Overall, 36% of clients showed up for their initial appointment. The clinic was then able to contact and reschedule 44% of the clients who failed to show. Out of this group, 49% kept their appointment. By instituting this simple outreach program, the clinic was able to increase the percentage of patients engaged in treatment from 36% to 46%.

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Substance Abuse Prevention

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Prevention Activities for Your Faith-Based Organization

SUBSTANCE ABUSE RESOURCE

Prevention Activities for Your Faith-Based Organization

Excerpted from Pathways to Prevention: Guiding Youth to Wise Decisions (National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, 2003, pp. Y-1-3 and Y-7-10). Used with permission.

The first activity, “About Peer Pressure,” helps children to identify how peer pressure affects them and builds their skills for saying no to harmful behaviors. It is appropriate for kids in late elementary to middle school. The activity includes directions for the adult facilitator, a listing of needed materials, and the lesson plan.

The second activity, “This We Believe,” helps youth to consider their own beliefs about drug, alcohol, and tobacco use, learn the facts about the level of such drug use among their peers, and understand what their religious tradition teaches about substance use. It is geared toward youth in middle and high school. The activity includes directions for the adult facilitator, a listing of needed materials, and the lesson plan.

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Parents: The Antidrug

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Parents: The Antidrug

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Summary:

This site, sponsored by the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign, provides information about teen alcohol and drug use and the ways that parents, teachers, and faith leaders can work to prevent it. Resources for faith leaders include online articles on making prevention a priority and spreading the word as well as advice on media literacy, community outreach, and faith activities. Additional helpful information on the site includes:

descriptions of drugs and their dangers,
how to know if a child is using, and
advice about how to prevent use.

Why does FASTEN recommend this resource?

Faith leaders, parents, and teachers will find the resources available on this site helpful in starting effective prevention programs. Not only does this site provide prevention activities geared toward youth from late elementary school through high school, it also provides a free downloadable Media Tool Kit for Community Action. In addition, faith leaders may subscribe to Faith News to receive regular email updates.

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	Characteristics of Effective After-School Prevention Programs

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	Pathways to Prevention: Guiding Youth to Wise Decisions

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	Drug Strategies
	Teen Challenge

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Alternate Routes: An Alcohol Diversion Program

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Alternate Routes: An Alcohol Diversion Program

by Laura Burney Nissen (Hazelden Foundation, 2002)

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Summary:

This alcohol diversion program is intended to be an early intervention course for youth who have been referred to the courts because of an alcohol citation. It is designed to help adolescents think about who they are, what their lives look like, and how they envision their lives in the future. By working through the sessions, they learn about direction and create a plan for success in the future. The workbook contains twelve sections and a conclusion geared towards challenging youth to build a map for the future that fits their life. Sections include:

Changes: What do you want to change in your life?
Identity: What are you all about? Who do you want to be?
Responsibility: Whom do you count on? Who counts on you?
How Alcohol Got You Here: What got you here and what can you do about it?
Relationships: To whom are you connected? Are you satisfied with your relationships?
Your Vision: What do you hope for most in your life?
Reaching: What positive risks do you need to take to get what you want in life?
Spirituality: What is your fuel for living?
Justice: What does fairness mean to you? What have you seen or experienced that is unfair? What can you do about unfairness?
Your Gifts: What is most special about you?
Having Fun: How do you let loose and relax? What are natural highs and how do you get them?
Staying Focused: What are your most important commitments? How do you keep on track?
Conclusion—Your Plan for Success: What is your alternate route?

Why does FASTEN recommend this resource?

This workbook is published by the Hazelden Foundation, one of the most respected educators about alcohol use and abuse. The question format is simple and easy to follow yet can generate productive introspection about the direction a youth’s life is going. It is flexible and suited for use in a variety of settings, such as detention centers, probation programs, recovery programs, and faith-based intervention programs.

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	You Can Make a Difference: Characteristics & Skills of the Effective Prevention Teacher
	A Matter of Balance: Personal Strategies for Alcohol and Other Drugs