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A Comprehensive Approach to Methamphetamines

Methamphetamine can feel like a “larger than life” issue and trying to address the problem can feel even more overwhelming. That is why it is so important to approach the problem from a variety of fronts and with an arsenal … read more

A Generation At Risk: Applying Prevention Concepts to the Elderly

Older people are less likely to abuse substances, except perhaps prescription psychoactive medications. However, aging bodies are more susceptible to the effects of alcohol and other drugs. Very few treatment programs or public health initiatives are directed at older populations, … read more

A Paradigm Shift in Selecting Evidence-Based Approaches for Substance Abuse Prevention

This publication reviews the designation of “evidence-based” to describe prevention approaches; examines the evolution of the use of evidence-based in the National Registry of Effective Programs & Practices (NREPP); explores how the recent changes to NREPP have impacted the process … read more

Ain’t No Mountain High Enough: Taking Your Prevention Program and Evaluation Design to the Next Level

This prevention brief is designed to support prevention providers in advancing program sophistication. It aims to build capacity in prevention program best practices by enabling programs to initiate steps towards the sustainable advancement of Safe and Drug-Free School and Community … read more

Community Organizing for the Next Millennium

It used to be easy to gather community support to protest an offensive ad campaign, but how do you counteract the new marketing trend of “real life experiences”? How do you counteract traveling, alcohol-industry produced, one-time events? We need to … read more

Community Prevention: New Opportunities to Create Impact through Collaboration

This publication in the Power of Prevention Series takes a closer look at Community Prevention and how substance abuse prevention, which has a long history of working closely with the community, can use these relationships and experiences to further their … read more

Creating a Policy to Manage Donations

We are again seeing a new wave of unease with industry ads displayed at local, community events such as fairs, fundraisers, and festivals, especially where children and families are in attendance. In light of these concerns, government bodies and community-based … read more

Cross-Sector Collaboration

The California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS), in alignment with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), is prioritizing integration and coordination of prevention services in public health, mental health, … read more

Culturally Responsive Environmental Prevention

The goal of this Tactic is to assist professional prevention providers, grassroots citizen groups, prevention coalitions, and others who aim to change substance use and abuse patterns on a community scale by illuminating what culturally responsive selection, implementation, and evaluation … read more

Digital After-School Programming as Prevention: Positive Outlets for Youth Expression in an Increasingly Hi-Tech World

Digital after school programs can provide positive outlets for youth who face higher risks of delinquency and substance abuse. Participation in such programs generally increases youth safety, promotes development of interest and skills, reduces drop out rates, improves academic performance, … read more

Healthcare Reform: The Role for Substance Abuse Prevention

Federal health reform, with its emphasis on disease prevention and wellness, offers new opportunities to prioritize substance abuse prevention efforts within clinical practices. More importantly, health reform stands to expand substance abuse prevention’s influence and knowledge into the broader dialogue … read more

How Communities Adopt Change

This article is about turning ideas into action. What are the nuts and bolts that constitute change mechanisms? What are the evidence-based interventions that support the theory of change? This Tactic explores how community norms on alcohol and drug use … read more

Know the Facts: Staying the Course of Data-Driven Prevention Planning

A major accomplishment in the field of substance abuse prevention has been the professionalization of the field through the effective use of data. With such scarce resources for prevention, it’s vital that planning efforts be focused on those substances and … read more

Meet My Needs: Defining Selective and Indicated Services for Populations At-Risk

As alcohol and other drug (AOD) prevention programs gain maturity through continued implementation of evidence-based services, these initiatives positively impact an increasing number of California communities. Typically, this expanding pool of participants is described in terms of recruitment, retention, and … read more

Mini-Grants: A Community Approach to AOD Prevention

One often overlooked funding source for AOD prevention is mini-grants. These are small grants made to community organizations to implement specific AOD prevention activities. This Tactic gives advice about how to find and apply for mini-grants, and offers suggestions for … read more

Moving Towards a Continuum of Services: Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) Screening and Referral

This Prevention Tactic provides background about the integration of prevention screening as part of a continuum of services. It examines common definitions of AOD screening, discusses prevention screening and referral strategies, and suggests implementation and management strategies.

New Approaches to Prevention: Aligning Interventions between Substance Abuse and Mental Health

In an effort to illuminate the research-to-practice application, this Power of Prevention document focuses on how substance abuse prevention efforts can more strongly align with the institutions and organizations that concern themselves with mental health.

Performance Enhancement in the Academic World

The purpose of this publication is to assist prevention professionals in developing policy strategies to address the problems associated with high-risk and underage drinking in their communities. This paper provides an overview of policy strategies, current research on their effectiveness, … read more

Policy Panels: Creating Effective Public Policy

Local policy panels are powerful tools to assist California communities in addressing alcohol and other drug-related problems, such as youth access to alcohol. Policy panels also serve to mobilize new community organizations and leadership in the service of progressive prevention … read more

Prescription Drug Abuse and Youth

This Prevention Tactic focuses on the intentional abuse of prescription drugs among teens. First, the prescription medications commonly abused are identified. Secondly, the prevalence and accessibility of prescription drugs among teens is explored. Finally, effective strategies for preventing and addressing … read more

Preventing Substance Abuse Among Youth in Foster Care

Many youth who experience the foster care system struggle with substance use and abuse. By understanding these complex needs and underscoring the context prevention in which services are provided, substance abuse prevention providers can adapt their service models to effectively … read more

Preventing Substance Abuse in Military Members and Their Families

The focus of this Tactic is to examine the challenges that military members and their families experience that may result in an increased risk for substance abuse. The Tactic will also highlight best practices, prevention programs, and resources that specialize … read more

Prevention Strategies for Adolescent Girls and Young Women

How do the lives of girls and young women differ from those of boys and young men? What alcohol and other drug prevention strategies have been found to be especially effective with girls and young women? What kinds of prevention … read more

PREVENTION WORKS! The recent National Cross-Site Evaluation of High-Risk Youth Programs reveals the ‘how’ and ‘why’ of prevention

The findings of the National Cross-Site Evaluation have important implications in prevention design and implementation. This Tactic highlights the study’s key findings to illustrate how and why prevention works, and what practitioners and policymakers can do to make prevention work … read more

Providing Effective Prevention Services to Youth in Foster Care

Reaching a Bend in the Road: Strategies for Sustaining Your SDFSC Program

Faced with recent funding cuts and difficult economic times, many prevention programs are struggling to identify and compete successfully for increasingly limited resources. Potential federal budget cuts make this particularly true for the Safe and Drug-Free School and Community grantees. How … read more

Restaurants that “Morph” into Bars and Nightclubs in California Communities: What’s the Problem and What Can Be Done About It?

This Policy Brief provides historical background describing how morphing restaurants have emerged over several decades to become a growing problem; reviews what the California ABC can and cannot do to help local jurisdictions address problems with morphing; and describes steps … read more

Selecting and Implementing Evidence-Based Prevention through the Strategic Prevention Framework

This paper aims to: 1) introduce evidence-based practice and its application to community-based interventions; 2) guide the application of criteria and procedures for selecting evidence-based policies, programs, and practices appropriate to your community-based prevention plan; and 3) outline the tactical … read more

Social Determinants of Health: A Common Language for Collaborating Across Sectors

This tactic will help prevention professionals employ the language of social determinants of health (SDH) as a means of grounding substance use disorder prevention work in the broader cross-systems prevention dialogue. This tactic defines SDH and explains how this terminology … read more

Substance Abuse Prevention: Benefits Outweigh Costs – Spreading the Message Where It Counts

Many social science fields embrace taking the long view when addressing problems, seeing prevention as the cornerstone of effective problem solving. This publication focuses on the cost/ benefits of substance abuse prevention and how to support these essential efforts in … read more

Targeting Prevention: Alcohol and Other Drug Screening and Referral

This Prevention Brief reviews the definition and role of AOD screening as part of an overall framework of substance abuse prevention services. It examines and explores the dynamic processes of screening, brief intervention, and referral that advances participants towards the … read more

The California Healthy Kids Survey: The Case for Continuation

This Prevention Tactic discusses how this decline in the CHKS participation stymies prevention efforts throughout California. It also provides strategies that stakeholders can pursue to ensure that they have the fiscal, administrative, and community support needed to continue the administration … read more

The Crossover between Substance Abuse Prevention and Schools

There is significant cross-over with the school climate model and current efforts to prevent, reduce and mitigate harm related to substance use during adolescence. Programs and interventions that address drug and alcohol use approach the issue in ways that promote … read more

The Elderly and Prescription Drug Misuse and Abuse

Elderly individuals are particularly vulnerable to prescription drug misuse. Prescription drug abuse is present in 12% to 15% of elderly individuals who seek medical attention. In addition to the toll on individuals and families, abuse places a heavy financial toll … read more

The IOM Model : A Tool for Prevention Planning and Implementation

This Tactic (a) provides a brief history of the development of the IOM model and its application to prevention, and (b) outlines applications of the IOM model that will strengthen prevention planning, implementation and outcomes.

The Power of Substance Abuse Prevention: Why Invest in Prevention

Given today’s economic conditions, it is critical to measure the worth of programs, services, and policies that stand to reduce the costly effects of substance abuse. The purpose of this document is to provide an overview of the cost-effective and … read more

Tip Sheet – Digital Storytelling and Participatory Evaluation

Think teen drinking is just a “right” of passage? New research shows that alcohol affects a teenager’s developing brain differently than adults. Memory, learning and impulse control can be seriously impaired and the risk of addiction goes up significantly.

Underage Binge Drinking

This Tactic explores the issue of underage binge drinking—what it is, its significance, and the numerous harms afflicting youth and communities as a result of it. As a prevention specialist, it will provide you with ways to raise awareness of … read more

Using Data to Establish Needs: Using the SPF Planning Process

This publication emphasizes the importance of setting boundaries for community-based planning processes; identifies the importance of agreeing on criteria in advance for analyzing and interpreting data to guide decision making, and suggests questions that will help to identify these criteria. … read more

Video and Digital Storytelling

Many Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities (SDFSC) grantees are interested in using digital stories or videos to capture the heart of their programs, to market their success stories, or to communicate with funders and community members. But before venturing … read more