Children's experience at home is the largest single factor in whether or not they will have a drug or alcohol problem early in life. The best prevention program for many people at risk is to make sure their addicted family member receives appropriate treatment. Several steps need to take place to enhance the family's role in preventing alcohol or…

This handbook presents guidelines and the rationale for creating a school violence committee. The committee is composed of Washington Education Association (WEA) members and addresses issues related to school safety. The committee defines the problem, sets goals for reaching solutions, and implements an action plan. Members may also review…

Community organizing can encompass coalition building or community development, each of which represents steps in getting something done in a community. Before undertaking a project, it is important to figure out the exact problem the community is trying to address. From there, it can be determined how to address it, who else will be involved, and…

The crux of energy-related issues goes beyond technological matters to the political, economical, cultural, geographical, and historical aspects of human society. Accordingly, this manual presents background information and lessons that are designed to help secondary school social studies classes examine several facets of energy problems and…

Media advocacy is an environmental strategy that can be used to support alcohol and other drug prevention and policy development efforts. It helps shift the focus from understanding public health issues as individual problems to understanding them as social conditions that require collective behavior changes. Successful media advocacy uses the…

Prevention is the ultimate key to reversing the upward trend in the use of drugs and to empowering communities to address their drug problems. An essential factor is the development and implementation of initiatives to prevent illicit drug use. A goal of prevention for youth is to provide them with a set of skills and tools to help them resist the…

Treatment is one component of a strategy to reduce substance abuse. It can include detoxification; inpatient counseling; outpatient counseling; therapeutic communities; and self help groups. Referrals can take place in settings such as emergency rooms; employee assistance programs; churches; and physicians' offices. Unmet treatment needs can cause…

"Welfare to work" is an issue in the substance abuse field because of the high number of people on welfare who have a substance abuse problem. One-fourth of women on welfare either abuse or are addicted to alcohol or other drugs. For women ages 18-24 the incidence is as high as 37%, according to the Center on Addiction and Substance…