Adolescent Substance Abuse Education Prevention Strategies

Substance use disorder happens to be a major mental health problem among adolescents in the society. Which education strategies would be effective in preventing and reducing drug addiction among adolescents? According to Mayo Clinic (2017), substance abuse affects a person’s behavior and brain leading to uncontrolled use. It would be prudent to note that affected individuals tend to have an intense focus on certain drugs which are inclusive of, but they are not limited to; heroine, gasoline, paint thinners, phencyclidine, molly, cocaine, nicotine, marijuana, and alcohol (Mayo Clinic, 2017). The most commonly abused drugs among teenagers are marijuana, tobacco, and alcohol. The said drugs are highly addictive and people consume them despite their harmful effects. Some of the common side effects of drugs include, but they are not limited to; severe intoxication, impaired judgment, aggressive behavior, increased heart rate and blood pressure, coma or even death (Mayo Clinic, 2017). Most interventions for treatment of substance use disorder focus on treating the said disease while neglecting the fact that education plays a significant role in preventing substance use. It would also be prudent to note that most teens and adults abuse drugs owing to lack of knowledge about drugs and their effects. Therefore, coming up with meaningful education strategies would significantly reduce the rate of substance use and thus reduce the negative side effects of substance use disorder. This is more so the case given that drug addiction can be influenced by many factors.

In the article “Evidence-Based Interventions for Preventing Substance Use Disorders in Adolescents,” authors Griffin and Botvin suggest that education strategies are effective at training the youth in schools and teaching parents on effective ways of communicating and monitoring their children, and training the community. The education strategies suggested by the authors for the youths are school-based. One such strategy happens to be normative education which involves activities and contents that are aimed at wrong perceptions concerning the frequency of substance use (Griffin and Botvin, 2010). The authors further suggest programs based in competence enhancement whereby the youth are taught key life skills. This is more so the case owing to the fact that drug use among adolescents is a social learning process. The family-based education strategy involves a process whereby parents are taught on parenting skills. The other strategy involves training both the child and the parent together whereby family skills are taught (Griffin and Botvin, 2010). Community-based interventions are provided to the whole community whereby interventions such as community trials intervention are used to alter the patterns of alcohol use in the community. In this strategy, community awareness is created through environmental strategies.

In the article “Adolescent Substance Use Treatment Effectiveness: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis,” the authors Tanner-Smith et al. suggest the use of motivation enhancement therapy (MET), group counseling, psychoeducation therapy, pharmacological therapy program, MET/CBT programs, family therapy, Cognitive behavioral therapy, behavioral management, and assertive continuing care programs (Tanner-Smith et al, 2016). From the said interventions, family therapy which involves training communication skills, parenting skills and family functioning happens to be the most effective in preventing substance use. The critical mandate in substance use disorder would be to educate the adolescents on substance use. Addressing the said question as a quality improvement initiative is important in healthcare. This is more so the case given that providing the said education strategies requires training and resources. Training mental health workers and providing them with the required resources would significantly improve the quality of interventions provided. Training would be provided by academic institutions while resources will be provided by funders (World Health Organization, 2003).