Alcohol and Drugs: Preventing Misuse
Community-based organizations, schools and other organizations that work with youth can help prevent or delay substance misuse through strategies based on scientific research. These strategies include using prevention interventions that can create a more supportive and healthier environment for youth.
Young people are more likely to misuse alcohol and drugs if they are exposed to certain risk factors.
Risk Factors
Risk factors are behaviors, attributes, characteristics or exposures that increase the likelihood of substance misuse. Such risk factors include:
- Parents who misuse substances
- Poor impulse control
- Receiving harsh discipline
- Rejection from peers
- Easy access to alcohol
Protective Factors
Community groups and organizations can promote protective factors in order to prevent substance misuse in their communities. Such protective factors include:
- Work and school opportunities that appeal to a young person's interests
- Clear expectations from their family about acceptable behavior and values
- Strong peer relationships and an ability to make friends
- Physical and psychological safety
Types of Interventions
Organizations can choose among the following types of prevention interventions based on their capacity to respond to community needs. Each intervention type aims to reduce risk factors while increasing protective factors within the population it is serving.
Many popular strategies have not been proven to actually lower substance misuse. Be sure you choose a prevention intervention based on scientific evidence.
Universal Prevention Interventions
This type of prevention intervention seeks to address risk factors across a large population with broad changes to their environment, through:
- Enacting and enforcing laws, regulations and policies
- Media messaging
- Changing cultural attitudes toward substance use
- School-based programs that build social and emotional skills
Selective Prevention Interventions
Selective interventions focus on groups that experience risk factors. Examples of this kind of intervention include:
- Programs that develop life skills for youth who are exposed to multiple risk factors
- Peer support groups for adults who have a history of substance misuse
- Parenting classes for families that have experienced domestic violence or homelessness
Indicated Prevention Interventions
This type of intervention is focused on people who are already using substances. Mentoring and brief counseling are forms of indicated prevention.
Additional Resources
- Wondering How to Talk to Your Child or Teen About Alcohol and Other Drugs? (PDF)
Other Languages: Español | Русский | 繁體中文 | 简体中文 | Italiano | Polski | বাংলা | Kreyòl ayisyen - Fentanyl Fact Sheet (PDF)
Other Languages: Español | Русский | العربية - Applying the Strategic Prevention Framework
- Principles of Substance Abuse Prevention for Early Childhood
- Guide to Community Preventive Services
- Drug Use among Youth in New York City Public High Schools, by Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity, 2015 (PDF)
- Alcohol Consumption among Youth in New York City Public High Schools, by Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity, 2015 (PDF)