Importance of Drug Use Prevention
Statistics show that many drug users begin abusing drugs as young as 12 years old, but this could be prevented by the early implementations of drug prevention programs in schools. Determining effective prevention programs based upon community demographics could significantly decrease future drug use in communities. Adolescence is a time of transition from dependence on parents and family to self-actualization. During this transitional period, many adolescents turn to experimentation with drug use. According to a study conducted by Duncan, Palamar, and Williams (2014), 45.5% of high school seniors have reported using marijuana and 4.5% have reported using cocaine. However, while this time of transition is ripe for drug use, it is also the perfect time to focus on prevention. By teaching youth prevention techniques such as, how to say no when faced with peer pressure, explaining the consequences of drug abuse and crime, and providing youth with community resources to cope with the turmoil of adolescence, reducing drug abuse is possible.
In …show more content…
A one size fits all approach is not effective in combating drug abuse. Gewin and Hoffman (2016) state that infusing dominant cultural values into prevention programs result in more effective drug prevention programs. Specifically, focusing on collectivism versus individualism, family connectedness, and norms concerning substance use. Many cultures place greater emphasis on family and community, therefore, tailoring programs to reflect the importance of avoiding drug abuse in relation to the family and community is more effective. When a drug prevention program takes into account the variations in demographics such as, urban versus rural settings, cultural differences and age groups the chances of success can increase thus reducing drug abuse and drug related
Statistics show that many drug users begin abusing drugs as young as 12 years old, but this could be prevented by the early implementations of drug prevention programs in schools. Determining effective prevention programs based upon community demographics could significantly decrease future drug use in communities. Adolescence is a time of transition from dependence on parents and family to self-actualization. During this transitional period, many adolescents turn to experimentation with drug use. According to a study conducted by Duncan, Palamar, and Williams (2014), 45.5% of high school seniors have reported using marijuana and 4.5% have reported using cocaine. However, while this time of transition is ripe for drug use, it is also the perfect time to focus on prevention. By teaching youth prevention techniques such as, how to say no when faced with peer pressure, explaining the consequences of drug abuse and crime, and providing youth with community resources to cope with the turmoil of adolescence, reducing drug abuse is possible.
In …show more content…
A one size fits all approach is not effective in combating drug abuse. Gewin and Hoffman (2016) state that infusing dominant cultural values into prevention programs result in more effective drug prevention programs. Specifically, focusing on collectivism versus individualism, family connectedness, and norms concerning substance use. Many cultures place greater emphasis on family and community, therefore, tailoring programs to reflect the importance of avoiding drug abuse in relation to the family and community is more effective. When a drug prevention program takes into account the variations in demographics such as, urban versus rural settings, cultural differences and age groups the chances of success can increase thus reducing drug abuse and drug related