1-877-872-0540

National Drug Abuse Hotline and Treatment Locator Service

Higher Ed Center is dedicated to helping those individuals who are struggling with drug and alcohol abuse. We provide a free treatment locator service with over 10,000 facilities broken down by state and city to help those in search of treatment. Higher Ed Center also provides free and confidential services for those individuals who would like to speak with a counselor about treatment options.



You can call to speak with a certified counselor who will guide you through finding a good treatment center that meets your needs.
Get Help Now

National Drug Abuse Hotline and Treatment Locator Service

Higher Ed Center is dedicated to helping those individuals who are struggling with drug and alcohol abuse. We provide a free treatment locator service with over 10,000 facilities broken down by state and city to help those in search of treatment. Higher Ed Center also provides free and confidential services for those individuals who would like to speak with a counselor about treatment options. You can call 1-877-872-0540 to speak with a certified counselor who will guide you through finding a good treatment center that meets your needs.

Effective Strategies for Drug and Alcohol Abuse Prevention

Research studies show that there is no single universal approach that can be used to prevent all cases of drug and alcohol abuse. However, there are some effective strategies for drug and alcohol abuse prevention that you can use.

Most of these strategies are based on research. However, you need to understand that the best approach to take for a particular segment of the population would require that you select the best form of intervention based on their protective and risk factors.

Importance of Addiction Prevention

Unfortunately, most of the highly marketed family and school prevention strategies do not lead to the best outcomes. A better approach would be to start early so that you can reduce all emerging emotional and behavioral problems among the youth.

You should also focus on long lasting effects by tailoring the drug and alcohol abuse prevention strategies on changing family, community, and school environment conditions. By so doing, you will be able to reduce the risk factors that promote and/or maintain substance abuse problems among the youth.

Effective Prevention Strategies


While it might not always be possible to prevent someone from taking these substances, there are some things that you can do to reduce the risk factors. These include but are not limited to:

Treat Mental Illness


Research studies show that you might have a high risk of abusing drugs and drinking alcohol if you have a mental health disorder. This is because substance abuse and mental illness tend to go hand in hand.


In particular, having a mental illness could compel you to turn to alcohol and drugs in a bid to self-medicate the symptoms of your condition. This is because of the pleasurable effects of these substances on the brain.


If you suspect that you might have a disorder like post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, or sleep disorder, it is recommended that you seek help for it. By getting this condition treated, you may be able to reduce your risk of getting involved with addictive substances.

Reduce Risk Factors


Another effective drug and alcohol abuse prevention strategy would be to ensure that your lifestyle is well balanced. This is because many people who abuse drugs do so when things are not going well in their personal lives, when they encounter certain daily challenges, or when they feel unhappy about how their lives are turning out.


To this end, you can reduce your risk of substance abuse and addiction by ensuring that you have a well-balanced life. This means that you should plan for the future, keep your priorities in order, and work hard to achieve your goals. Doing so could distract you from thinking that your life is disorganized, or that you need drugs to feel better about yourself.

Reduce Risk Factors


Addiction treatment professionals now understand that there are certain risk factors that could increase your susceptibility to substance abuse and addiction. You might want to talk to one of these professionals so that they can examine and uncover all your physical, environmental, and biological risk factors.


Examples of these risk factors include:

  • Living in social settings that glorify the use of drugs and alcohol
  • Having experimented with drugs and alcohol earlier on in your life
  • Having a close member of your family who has a substance abuse problem
  • Coming from a family where people were abusing these substances


By understanding your risk factors, you will be able to come up with new ways to counter their effects in your life. In the long run, this could reduce your risk of getting involved with addictive substances.

Manage Peer Pressure


Many people start abusing drugs and drinking alcohol because of the pressure they feel from their friends and the people they spend most of their time with. However, this risk factor mostly applies to teenagers and young people.


The power of peer pressure is particularly strong because human beings are social animals. To this end, you might not want to be left out of the activities that your friends engage in - even if these activities are harmful, such as drug abuse.


You may also feel an incredible need to try and fit in. this could compel you to start doing the things that the people you look up to are doing. Sooner or later, you will soon come to regret this decision especially if it involves drugs and alcohol.


To this end, it is important that you learn to manage peer pressure. Understanding that it could cause you to start abusing addiction substances is a good way to have a plan in mind for when you find yourself in a compromised position.


For instance, you need to have a good plan or excuse ahead of time. This way, when your friends try to influence you to drink alcohol or take drugs, you will know the exact steps that you need to take to avoid doing so.

Treat Mental Illness


Living in the modern world can feel overwhelming. This is why you may want to have a reward or a break from time to time. However, you need to understand that life is a struggle that it often comes with pressure and stress from time to time.


Although you might want to manage it with alcohol and drugs, you should keep in mind that these substances will only come with stresses of their own. For instance, you may end up losing your friends and family, health, finances, and even your source of income if you become addicted.


IInstead, you should look for other ways to manage your stress and unwind after a tough day. You can, for instance, start exercising, find good books to read, use your time to volunteer for the less fortunate, learn how to create anything, and so much more.


As long as your activities are relaxing and positive - and they are able to take your mind off alcohol and drugs - you should be able to manage just fine. Eventually, you will find that you don't even need the thrill of addictive substances to make yourself feel better after a stressful day.

Additionally effective strategies for drug and alcohol abuse prevention that you can use today include:

Strengthen your self-esteem

Resist all pressure to engage in drug taking or alcohol drinking

Learn to manage your anxiety

Improve your decision-making skills

Improve your communication skills

Getting Help

If these drug and alcohol abuse prevention strategies do not work and you find yourself struggling with a substance use disorder, the best thing you can do is check into a drug rehab program. This way, you will get the help that you need to overcome your addiction and stop taking intoxicating substances in the long term.

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