News Release

SAMHSA Unveils New Guide To Effective Substance Abuse Prevention Programs

Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson said:  "The new volume clearly shows how the risk and protective factors involved in curbing drug abuse also affect engagement in other damaging behaviors, such as alcohol abuse, smoking, teen pregnancy, gangs and crime, and even suicide.  By building on the models in this volume we can reduce risk for destructive behaviors and increase opportunities for safe passage from childhood to adulthood."

Science-based Prevention Programs and Principles: Effective Substance Abuse and Mental Health Programs for Every Community was released by SAMHSA Administrator Charles G. Curie in Pittsburgh, at the PRIDE conference that promotes safe and drug free youth.  The volume summarizes more than two decades of research on prevention programs.  It delineates the broad range of influences that can lead to substance abuse or other potentially dangerous behaviors and presents practical, community-based ways to curb the risk factors for these behaviors.  Effective interventions are identified at the individual, family, peer group,  school, community and society level.

John Walters, Director of National Drug Control Policy, said: “Preventing drug use before it starts is a key component of the President’s National Drug Control Strategy.  SAMHSA’s new report provides the theory, methods, and programs that can guide communities in developing effective prevention programs.  These principles can protect our families and neighborhoods from the public health and safety threats that result from substance abuse.”

SAMHSA Administrator Curie said that "Findings from our work detailed in this volume not only bring us closer to realizing the full potential of substance abuse prevention, but also to achieving healthy communities nationwide.  Clearly, success in the field of substance abuse prevention can be used to advance other areas of health promotion and disease prevention, to create a national strategic framework for prevention."

Science-Based Prevention Programs and Principles 2002 highlights 34 substance abuse prevention and mental health promotion programs that are making important differences every day in the lives of children and youth, families and communities.  Models are catalogued by the risk and protective factors they are designed to address, the population to be served, and specific program benefits.  Contact points for each model are provided to enable community substance abuse prevention programs to learn first-hand about these effective program models and to adapt and adopt relevant models to meet their community's specific needs.

Programs included in this volume have met stringent criteria, including that the program utilizes scientifically rigorous evaluations and consistently achieves positive outcomes.  Over 3 years of designating model programs, 779 have been reviewed, and 50 have been enrolled in SAMHSA's National Registry of Effective Prevention Programs.

Community leaders and interested organizations can access information on model programs and services available at www.modelprograms.samhsa.gov.  Copies of the volume can be ordered online or from SAMHSA=s National Clearinghouse on Alcohol and Drug Abuse Information at 1-800-729-6686.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, a public health agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is the lead federal agency for improving the quality and availability of substance abuse prevention, addiction treatment and mental health services in the United States. Information on SAMHSA's programs is available on this website, www.samhsa.gov. 

 

This page was last updated on 14 April, 2003
SAMHSA is An Agency of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services