October is National Substance Abuse Prevention Month (Prevention Month). As substance abuse and drug prevention service providers, we will observe this national campaign and help create awareness by sharing prevention resources, articles and services with you throughout the month.
During Prevention Month, we invite youth, families, schools, and businesses to participate with us in the month-long observance by promoting substance abuse prevention programs and activities within their communities. We have listed several resources below and encourage you to get involved as much as you can to help us spread the word.
Did You Know Substance Abuse and Addictions Are Preventable?
Science demonstrates that addiction is a disease of the brain—a disease that can be prevented and treated, and from which people can recover. Sharing the message that substance abuse and addictions can be prevented is the essence of substance abuse awareness campaigns. It may seem like a difficult task, but prevention is the key to saving youth and adults from the consequences of drug abuse.
The Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) wants everyone to know that Preventing drug use before it begins—particularly among young people—is the most cost-effective way to reduce drug use and its consequences. In fact, recent research has concluded that every dollar invested in school-based substance use prevention programs has the potential to save up to $18 in costs related to substance use disorders.
More About National Substance Abuse Prevention Month
A national initiative, the observance of Substance Abuse Prevention month in 2011, with President Obama making an official proclamation in 2012. Here is an excerpt from that proclamation:
By stopping drug use before it starts, we can prevent the disease of addiction and create stronger neighborhoods across our country. My Administration has placed prevention at the heart of our National Drug Control Strategy, promoting a balanced approach that advances evidence-based public health and safety reforms. We have invested in outreach programs that empower young Americans with the facts about substance abuse, and we have worked to stem the tide of prescription drug abuse through education, monitoring, proper disposal, and enforcement. We have also worked to develop a nationwide, community-based prevention system that joins stakeholders at every level of government with local organizations that can deliver local solutions. – President Barack Obama (Click here to read the full proclamation)
For more information and to get involved, visit the following advocates and supporters:
Take the Prevention Pledge (click here to download and share the pledge)
Prevention resources for coalitions and professionals (SAMHSA)
Prevention resources for individuals (SAMHSA)
The Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP)