Provides practitioners with the information they need to prepare their communities for prevention programming & to select & implement drug abuse prevention strategies that effectively address the needs of their local communities. The target audience for this document includes prevention program administrators, prevention specialists, community volunteers, community activists, parents, teachers, counselors, etc. Contents: intro. to selective prevention; intro. to & key elements of the strengthening families program; & implementation of the strengthening families program. Appendixes on skills training programs for parents, children & families.

The history of drug abuse prevention campaigns suggests limitations in producing measurable changes in behavior. In the past, there was concern over the possibility of such publicity actually encouraging interest in drug use, rather than discouraging such behavior. Although little or no scientifically sound empirical evidence has been found to support such a view, several social science textbooks still refer to this as something of which to be wary. Reviews of early research appear to indicate inadequate methods and a lack of rigor in theory testing. In recent years, however, research in communication and its uses in drug abuse prevention has become considerably more sophisticated, and communication is being used far more effectively. In this book, the editors bring together some of the most successful drug abuse prevention researchers in the country -- along with other experts in this field or in persuasive communication -- to address use and effects of both mass media and interpersonal strategies. This collection illustrates just how far the study of public influence through mass media has come, especially regarding such a vital, relevant issue as drug abuse prevention.

Provides practitioners with the info. to prepare their communities for prevention programming and to select and implement drug abuse prevention strategies that effectively address the needs of their local communities. The audience includes prevention program administrators, prevention specialists, community volunteers and activists, parents, teachers, counselors, and others who have an interest in drug abuse and its prevention. Contents: intro. to universal prevention; intro. to project STAR (a communitywide universal prevention program); key elements of project STAR; project STAR training require.; and implementation of project STAR.

Includes: Drug Abuse Prevention through Family Based Interventions: Future Research; Familial Factors and Substance Abuse: Implications for Prevention; Family-Focused Substance Abuse (SA) Prevention: What Has Been Learned from Other Fields; Scientific Findings from Family Prevention Intervention Research; A Universal Intervention for the Prevention of SA: Preparing for the Drug-Free Years; Selective Prevention Interventions: The Strengthening Families Program; Parental Monitoring and the Prevention of Problem Behavior: A Conceptual and Empirical Reformulation; and Family Measures in SA Prevention Research.

Provides an overview of the theory and research on which community-based substance abuse prevention programs are based. Intended for use by prevention practitioners who vary in training and experience in the field but who are interested in developing prevention programs in their communities. Includes a definition of prevention, descriptions of substance abuse risk and protective factors and a discussion of the key features of three prevention strategies -- universal, selective, and indicated -- that have proven effective. Also explains how prevention efforts can be strengthened by using knowledge gained through research.

Proceedings of a conference sponsored by the Nat. Institutes of Health in Wash., DC, Sep. 19-20, 1996. Research and community practitioners worked together to review the research on drug abuse prevention; explored its ramifications for individuals, families, and communities; and developed recommendations for future collaborations and applications of this knowledge in settings across the country. Keynote addresses were given by Donna E. Shalala, Ph.D., Sec. of Health and Human Services, and Gen. Barry Barry R. McCaffrey, Dir. of the Office of National Drug Control Policy. Includes a list of conference speakers and panel and work group participants.

Ever since the Shanghai convention in 1909, the threat posed to human well-being by drug abuse has led countries around the world to take action to deal with their drug problems. There are wide variations in the policies pursued, but most countries try to reduce both the supply of and the demand for drugs. Unfortunately, there is little research consensus on the respective merits of these two approaches or about the best ways to pursue them. Consequently, control and prevention policies are mostly driven by political considerations, economic realities and cultural expectations, though research has played an important part in formulating and evaluating treatments for drug addiction. This volume reviews studies on drug abuse prevention and treatment strategies under five main areas: 1. Reducing supply - strategies to control the flow of drugs from production to retail distribution; 2. Reducing demand - prevention of drug use at all stages of involvement and consumption levels; 3. Reducing harm - promoting situational risk reduction practices for regular users, addicts and recreational users; 4. Reducing addiction - drug treatment options for various groups in various settings; and 5. Drug policies and prescriptions - focused on debates about prohibition and legalization.