Drug Prevention Tips That Work At Any Age
The risk of drug use significantly increases during transition times. For a teenager, these risky times include changing schools, parents’ divorce, or changing residences. Even changes in the body.
For adults, these risky times include job loss, divorce, or death of a loved one. When kids move from elementary to middle school, they are also faced with new academic, familial, or social challenges. It is often during this period that children are exposed and are vulnerable to addictive substances like alcohol and cigarettes for the very first time.
The moment kids enter high school, they encounter even greater amounts of addictive substances. Aside from this, they also get to meet older teens who also abuse drugs and join social activities where illicit substances are abused, even substances like steroids. All these are reasons why many parents and institutions are looking for drug abuse prevention tips before it will be too late for their loved ones.
Drug use at an early age actually increases the individual’s risk of becoming addicted. Drugs alter the brain and such alteration can lead to other serious problems including addiction. Given this, it is therefore important to prevent early alcohol and drug use with drug abuse prevention tips to reduce these risks significantly.
The more important question though is how do we prevent addiction? Are drug abuse prevention tips enough? It’s easy to say we have to prevent drug abuse but the truth of the matter is, it’s challenging to come up with schemes and drug abuse prevention tips that can be 100% effective.
The difficulty of such a challenge is especially felt by parents who find it hard to communicate openly and to track down the activities of their teenagers. Then again, the repercussions of drug use and addiction far outweigh the difficulties that might be encountered by parents in educating their young ones.
The significance of Substance Use Disorder Education
Drug prevention initiatives and drug abuse prevention tips are geared at providing support and education essential to lessen instances of drug dependency within the workplace, schools, and communities. Drug use and drug abuse prevention tips have become important primary steps in educating specific individuals on the harms of addiction, on effective prevention techniques, and in finding recovery help when necessary.
Education is the key to curbing drug abuse. Prevention of drug abuse starts with education, disseminating information on the possible harm of drug abuse to the individual and to the community. These initiatives are mainly preliminary drug abuse prevention tips. The information shared to the people is most effective if paired with continuous support and follow-up. Programs related to drug prevention aim to involve the workplace, the community, and the families in the drug prevention process.
For it to be effective and sustainable, the communities should also sustain its progress. This phase of the program often necessitates financial support and unrelenting leadership.
The following are some principles citing the importance of substance use disorder education and of drug abuse prevention tips:
- In the Social Impact of Drug Abuse report published by the United Nations International Drug Control Program (UNDCP, it was pointed out that substance use disorder has an all-encompassing effect on all the people within a community. As such, it is vital to understand the risk factors of drug use. Information dissemination through prevention programs and drug abuse prevention tips are a few of the most effective defenses against substance use disorder.
- According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse Redbook, parental monitoring is the most effectual drug abuse prevention tips in slowing down drug expansions in family situations.
- In the Alcohol and Drug Review written by Richard D.B. Velleman, et.al., it was stated that drug prevention programs and drug abuse prevention tips initiated by schools are important and helpful in informing and curbing potential drug abuse among children aged 12 to 17 years old. Conversely, it was also observed that schools which are strictly complying with the counseling support and with compliance rules have better results in reducing drug usage.
- According to the National Institute Against Drug Abuse, the benefits that can be reaped from collaborative drug prevention efforts and drug abuse prevention tips outweigh the community’s financial investment.
- Also according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse Redbook, these prevention programs should also address all drug abuse aspects like inhalants, improper use of over the counter and prescription drugs, illegal street drugs, and underage use of tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drugs.
- Lastly, according to the Lessons from Preventive Research published by NIDA, these drug prevention efforts and drug abuse prevention tips must be customized to the needs of a specific audience. Specialized and customized programs based on ethnicities, cultures, ages, and genders make the initiatives more effective.
Drug abuse prevention tips: Maintaining Good Mental Health
Whether it’s for drug prevention or for drug recovery, developing, nurturing, and maintaining good mental health is crucial. No one is immune from difficulties and problems. From time to time, all of us go through challenging times, however, having good mental health can help us stay in control and bounce back when the going gets tough.
Having a good mental state enables us to keep healthy relationships as well as healthy physical well-being. On top of these, we can also make better life choices for our good and that of those around us. Keeping good mental health does not essentially mean the lack of mental illnesses like bipolar disorder, PTSD, schizophrenia, depression, and many more. It is essentially characterized by the following conditions:
- Possessing the ability to gain knowledge
- Have the capacity to express, feel, and control a range of negative and positive feelings and emotions
- Have the ability to make and keep meaningful relationships with other people
- Possessing the capacity to manage and cope with uncertainty and change
Drug abuse prevention tips: Try Holistic Therapies
In substance use disorder addiction, holistic therapies are one of the many methods used to treat the person struggling with addiction.
Here, it’s not only the individual’s addiction that is being treated. In fact, everything referring to his body, spirit, and mind are given attention. This approach is divided into three parts and all these parts are designed to address the person’s spiritual, emotional, and physiological needs.
A technique often linked to holistic therapies is acupuncture. In the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine published in March 2019, it was shared that numerous empirical researches were conducted and the majority of the results revealed individuals feeling better after an acupuncture practice.
Aside from acupuncture, other holistic therapy practices include yoga, meditation, exercise programs, and many more. Individuals who were subjected to holistic therapies were said to have shown positive changes to their overall attitude.
Though many would argue that the effects of holistic therapies are attributable to the placebo effect, many studies still support the claim that it can yield positive results not only to the body but to the mind and spirit.
Drug abuse prevention tips: Enjoy hobbies and pursue passions
Having a purposeful life and keeping oneself busy are two important things that can help a person stay away from illicit substances. Pursuing one’s passions can bring pleasure and enjoyment to the person, and these can be vital factors in keeping his mental and physical health.
One of the major reasons why recovering addicts from drug rehab in California fall into relapse is because of boredom, most especially those who did not engage in any activity.
This lingering feeling of not having something important to do, or that there’s something hindering them from doing what they want, can make even them feel frustrated. As a result, they will feel disappointed with the life they have after getting out of dual diagnosis treatment centers or holistic addiction treatment. This feeling could tempt them to succumb to old patterns or shun away from drug addiction help.
Having enjoyable things to do during can give a person real meaning to his life. These can also spur conversations with their peers and with family members.
All these can help them refocus their mind and their energy on something that they’re passionate about, instead of something that can suck the energy and the life out of them. Aside from that, a hobby that one enjoys can also relieve his stress.
Drug abuse prevention tips: Maintain a healthy social life
Aside from pursuing one’s passion, one thing that can keep an individual away from illicit substances is by maintaining a healthy social life.
Most psychological studies point to the fact that socializing with one’s peers can help him keep and maintain his long-term mental health. Human beings are social creatures. This means that contact with his peers is critical, even for those people who like spending time alone and those who value their privacy.
Though socialization can be hard for some, this skill, however, just like any other skills, can be worked on.
Choosing a pet could be a great start since this can give the person a reason to get out and mingle with those who share a common interest. Volunteering in some cause-oriented groups and activities can also be an avenue to meet new people and exchange pleasantries with those who have the same common interest.
All of us need someone to accompany us, to listen to us, to talk with, and to offer empathy. Sometimes, sharing our worries and our struggles can help us lighten our load and feel less burdened.
Whether you are a parent looking out for your kid, or a friend wanting to keep a loved one away from drugs, knowing the right things to do to prevent addiction can not only save your relationships, but it can also save a life.
It always pays to be well-informed.
