Prevention includes Individual, Environmental, Communication, Education and Enforcement

Individual Level Prevention Strategies:

• Focus on life and social skills
• Focus on direct and indirect (social) influences on substance use
• Involve interactions among participants
• Emphasize norms for, and a social commitment to, not using drugs
• Include community components
• Are delivered primarily by peer leaders

Environmental Prevention Strategies

Environmental Prevention strategies take a broader approach.

• Change the conditions within a community, including physical, social, or cultural factors that may lead to substance use.
• Influence community norms by raising awareness and creating community support for prevention.
• Enforcement methods to deter people and organizations from illegal substance use

Treatment and Recovery of Substance Abuse

According to the National Quality Forum (NQF), the three essential phases of substance abuse treatment are:

• Phase One: Screening, diagnosis and assessment of substance abuse
• Phase Two: Active treatment including stabilization, early recovery and management of co-occurring disorders
• Phase Three: Long-term chronic care planning, aftercare

Treatment and Recovery of Substance Abuse:

There are various evidence based, research based or research informed substance abuse treatment programs.  National Registries or clearing houses provide information on these types of treatment programs.  There are also recommendations on how to adapt evidence based, research informed or research based programs to serve similar populations.  The McFarlane foundation does not endorse a specific substance abuse treatment program.  In addition there is a recognized list of services that do not work.  The specific type of treatment or combination of treatments will vary depending on the patient’s individual needs and, often, on the types of drugs they use.  According to the National Institute of Health’s Institute on Drug Abuse, the best treatment programs provide a combination of therapies and other services to meet the needs of the individual patients.

Components of comprehensive treatments include:

• Intake processing/assessment
• Treatment plan
• Pharmacotherapy
• Behavioral therapy and counseling
• Clinical case management
• Substance Abuse Monitoring
• Self-help/peer support group
• Continuing care

Additional services or wrap around support for treatment clients could include:

• Family services
• Child care services
• Vocational Services
• Mental Health Services
• Medical Services
• Educational Services
• HIV/Aids Services
• Legal Services
• Financial Services
• Housing Transportation Services