Center for Civic Partnerships

Alcohol and Other Drug Related Problems Prevention

Top Tips

Community Involvement

Encourage public dialogue on the dangers of alcohol and drug use
Educate local leaders about the problems and convince them to work with you to create solutions
Involve family and parents, youth, schools, workplaces, criminal justice and enforcement, media, faith community, recreation centers, health care organizations, and community and civic associations
Deter alcohol and drug use through legal action
Create opportunities for youth and families to engage in positive community activities

Planning, Implementation and Evaluation

Follow a structured plan that includes a community needs assessment, planning, implementation, evaluation and refinement (involve the community in these processes)
Develop measurable goals and objectives based on needs assessments and community resources
Use alliance building strategies to organize new partnerships to create lasting change
Build long term commitment by integrating prevention activities into existing organizations
Use media and education strategies to increase public awareness and support
Take a comprehensive approach that has components for the individual, the family and institutions
Address the needs of different age and cultural groups

Educational Strategies

Help youth recognize pressures that influence them to use alcohol and drugs
Develop skills to resist these pressures
Use normative education to teach that NOT "everyone is doing it"
Provide information about short and long term effects of using drugs and alcohol
Engage youth in interactive activities like role playing and small group work
Involve the family and community
Include teacher training and support
Develop material that is culturally relevant to the families and communities served
Provide opportunities for youth to produce solutions to issues that affect their lives

Support policies that . . .
(Adapted from Save Lives!, Join Together 1995 Update)

prevent drunk driving
promote a tax increase on alcoholic beverage sales
hold retail outlets that provide alcohol to minors liable
advocate for media attention to health risks associated with alcohol consumption
require local government officials to assess and determine how to best reduce teen access to alcohol in their communities

Online Resources and Tools

Florida Alcohol and Drug Abuse Association
www.fadaa.org

Join Together Online
www.jointogether.org
Join Together supports community based efforts to reduce, prevent, and treat substance abuse across the nation. Join Together offers a "resource center" website, reports, newsletters, toolkits, a national leadership program, public policy panels, technical assistance, and survey tools.

Marin Institute for the Prevention of AOD Problems
www.marininstitute.org
The Marin Institute for the Prevention of Alcohol and Other Drug Problems takes a public health approach to prevention by protecting communities from harmful influences, supporting individuals and groups taking action to improve their communities, holding accountable those who profit from harmful conditions, working with policy initiatives, and disseminating research and information as a catalyst for solutions oriented action.

Mothers Against Drunk Driving
www.madd.org
Mothers Against Drunk Driving is a non-profit grass roots organization with more than 600 chapters nationwide. MADD is not a crusade against alcohol consumption. Its focus is to look for effective solutions to drunk driving and underage drinking problems, while supporting those who have already experienced the pain of these senseless crimes.

National Clearing House for Alcohol and Drug Information (NCADI)
www.ncadi.samhsa.gov
The National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information is the information service of the Center for Substance Abuse and Prevention of the Substance and Mental Health Services Administration in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NCADI is the world’s largest resource for current information and materials concerning substance abuse.

National Families in Action (NFIA)
www.nationalfamilies.org
National Families in Action is a national drug education, prevention, and policy center based in Atlanta, Georgia. Its mission is to help families and communities prevent drug abuse among children by promoting policies based on science.

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Publications/Databases
www.niaaa.nih.gov
Alcohol Alerts, Alcohol Health & Research World journal, research database, bulletin board on useful facts.

National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
www.nida.nih.gov/NIDAhome.html#Communications
NIDA’s mission is to lead the Nation in bringing the power of science to bear on drug abuse and addiction. This charge has two critical components: The first is the strategic support and conduct of research across a broad range of disciplines. The second is to ensure the rapid and effective dissemination and use of the results of that research to significantly improve drug abuse and addiction prevention, treatment, and policy.

Partnership Against Violence Network
www.pavnet.org

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
www.mentalhealth.samhsa.gov
SAMHSA is the Federal agency charged with improving the quality and availability of prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation services in order to reduce illness, death, disability, and cost to society resulting from substance abuse and mental illnesses.

Web of Addictions
www.well.com/user/woa
Web of Addictions is a website dedicated to providing accurate information about alcohol and other drug addictions. Web of Addictions was developed for several reasons. The developers are concerned about the pro drug messages in some websites and in some use groups. They are also concerned about the extent of misinformation about abused drugs on the internet, particularly on some usenet news groups. They provide a resource for teachers, students and others who need factual information about abused drugs.

Young Adults Educating Responsible Drinking (YAERD)
www.yaerd.org/alcohol-abuse-alcoholism.htm
YAERD is an organization that was setup to help young adults educate EVERYONE about the dangers of drinking and driving.