Diocese of Lansing | Bishop's Council on Alcohol & Other Drugs

Prevention

Prevention Services listed by Region in the Diocese of Lansing

Genesee
Jackson
Lansing
Lenawee
Livingston
Washtenaw

What Can I Do? Let's Talk About Prevention.

The abuse of alcohol and other drugs is a problem made up of many parts. It affects all aspects of the way we live. It is influenced by all aspects of our society. Because the problem is complex, the steps to prevent it must also include many parts. These efforts can include all aspects of our society.

But changes begin when each person does what he or she can do to help. Whether you are an adult or young person, you can help prevent drug problems.

What Does "Prevention Mean?
Prevention efforts help make sure that people do not develop problems with alcohol and other drugs in the first place, and will reduce the chances that people will suffer from someone else’s abuse of alcohol and/or drugs.

Prevention occurs in many ways. "Universal" prevention efforts help all people develop: strong attitudes that favor being safe and healthy; healthy life skills to solve problems, resist pressure, and relate with others in safe and positive ways; knowledge that will help them avoid problems with alcohol or other drugs

Prevention includes a wide array of efforts that affect all of us throughout our communities:

laws and other rules that discourage or control problems with alcohol and other drugs.

community wide attitudes and norms that encourage people to avoid these problems

"Selective" prevention targets groups that are at an increased risk for a particular substance abuse problem. "Indicated" prevention includes efforts to help individuals who show high risk behavior. Prevention also means making changes in our own lives to help reduce the risk to ourselves or others. Our actions can help.

Youth
Alcohol, tobacco, and other drug problems occur at all ages, but we direct special efforts at youth. Alcohol and other drugs interfere with their normal development. Problems can progress quickly to very serious levels. Young people who stay free of alcohol and other drug problems are less likely to develop them when they grow older. There are many ways to be helpful to young people.

As a parent:
Help your children learn to think carefully about their actions, to believe in health and safety in general, and to make sound decisions about alcohol and other drug use.

Spend time with your children. Listen to them. Share with them.

Set reasonable but firm limits on your children’s behavior. Tell them clearly that you expect them not to use illegal drugs, alcohol, or tobacco. Teach them responsibility for their actions, in the area of alcohol and other drugs as in other areas.

Talk with other parents, especially the parents of your children’s friends. Work together to help your children stay free of alcohol or other drug problems.

Set an example of moderation or abstinence in your own use of drugs that are legal for adults. Refrain from illegal use. Encourage other adults to model safe and healthy behavior, thus setting a good example for all children.

As a person working with youth - teacher, recreation worker, youth group leader:
Model safe and healthy behavior. Help young people make the choices they face growing up. Support their choices not to use alcohol and other drugs.

Clearly convey your expectation that children will not use illegal drugs, tobacco, and alcohol.

Work to be sure that young people receive a thorough, planned sequence of prevention programs in school and other settings. Ensure that all youth receive a full rage of prevention services including:

basic information and education,

life skills to make choices and get along with others, and

skills to resist pressures to use alcohol and drugs.

Promote efforts to provide special programs for youth who are at greater risk due to family chemical dependency or other problems. Support programs that identify and help users at an early age.

As a citizen:
Help your community offer activities which help young people grow up without alcohol and other drugs. Programs that provide fun, the challenge of new experiences, or being with friends all have a place in prevention. Include activities in which young people take the lead, and those in which young people take part with adults. Events for the whole family give parents time to be with their children.

Adult modeling is important. Individual adults set examples, but the community as a whole also sends many messages to young people. For instance, community events which do not include alcohol show that adults do not use this drugs on every occasion. This creates a positive community norm and an environment that discourages alcohol and other drug use.

Efforts can come from all parts of the community. Actions to reduce availability influence whether a drug maybe obtained at all. Reducing accessibility affects how easy it is to obtain a drug. Changing acceptability influences how much the community approves of alcohol and other drugs.

If you want to help a friend:

Listen when your friend has a problem. Try to provide accurate and helpful information about the risks of alcohol and other drugs. Tell about sources of help for those with a drug problem. Don’t treat drug abuse issues lightly, or joke about them. Don’t help a friend with a problem hide it or make it seem less than it really is.

Alcohol and other drug problems can be very stubborn. There are many pressures over which we have little control. But parents, friends, school and communities as a whole can help people be informed, discover their potential, and choose safe and healthy behaviors.

Adults
Prevention efforts directed at adults’ behavior are also important. They can take many forms, including increasing awareness of alcohol and other drug problems, involving adults in prevention efforts, and developing skill such as communication and parenting.

Setting guidelines for adults’ low risk use of legal drugs is one helpful step. Adults can be encouraged not to smoke tobacco or use chewing tobacco, to use medicine properly, and to refrain from using illegal drugs.

Low risk limits for alcohol use include:
Not drinking alcohol is always an acceptable choice. No alcohol is the only safe level for people who are driving or boating, in recover from dependency, pregnant or planning to become pregnant, taking certain medications, under the legal drinking age, or operating machinery.

No use is also a wise choice for people who are at greater risk to develop alcohol problems because a parent or other family member is an alcoholic.

For those adults who choose to drink, the guidelines set a maximum of two standard drinks per day for men and one drink per day for women.

A standard drink is twelve ounces of beer, five ounces of wine or wine cooler, or 1.5 ounces of 80-proof liquor. Each of these drinks contains about the same amount of the drug ethyl alcohol. Finally, adults can help other adults - employees, family members, or friends - choose healthy, low risk behavior regarding alcohol and other drugs. This not only benefits adults, it sets an example for others, including young people.

Changing Our "Alcohol and Other Drug Environment" - Close to Home
Changes in the ways that alcohol and other drugs problems are viewed and treated in our communities can help to reduce the risks that people will develop these problems. Such changes go beyond the important steps being taken through laws and helping agencies. They involve all of us. Strong, clear messages and signals from all parts of the community can have a strong effect on people’s beliefs and actions. For example:

Community-wide awareness campaigns help people learn about both problems and solutions. They provide people with the facts and encourage helpful actions.

Business, religious organizations, schools, service clubs, media, and other groups can help to reduce alcohol and other drug problems. They can speak out. They can support and take part in others’ prevention actions. They can also take steps to reduce risks in their own organization or system.

Changing the social environment to encourage safe and healthy behavior is an important part of prevention. There is a role in this task for everyone. When the message to prevent problems with alcohol and other drugs comes from many sources, its effects is much stronger.