Prevention:   Why we need it

For most children, research has shown that the vulnerable periods are transitions, when they grow from one developmental stage to another, or when they experience difficult life changes, such as moving or divorce. Exposure to risks can start even before a child is born; this is one reason that mothers are advised to abstain from drugs during pregnancy.

The first big transition for children is when they leave the security of the family and enter school. When they advance from elementary school to middle school or junior high, they often face social challenges, such as learning to get along with a wider group of peers. It is at this stage, early adolescence, that children are likely to encounter drug use for the first time.

Later on, when they enter high school, young people face social, psychological, and educational challenges as they prepare for the future, and these challenges can lead to use and abuse of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs.

When young adults go on to college or get married or enter the workforce, they again face new risks from alcohol and other drug abuse in their new adult environments.

Prevention is...

Prevention Domains

Prevention Principles

Model Prevention Programs