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What Is It?
Substance
abuse prevention refers to targeted efforts by individuals,
agencies and communities to eliminate, reduce and minimize
the abuse of harmful substances and also reduce the negative
consequences of substance abuse. Prevention strategies usually
consist of three approaches.
- Primary prevention attempts to
prevent harmful substance use altogether or delay the onset
of substance use.
- Secondary prevention efforts are directed
at the early stages of substance misuse prior to development
of serious substance abuse problems.
- Tertiary
prevention is focused on preventing serious harm to individuals
who have already become addicted to substances.
Why We Need It?
Public health law requires development of regional and community health plans with goals and objectives that are specific and measurable and address personal, social and environmental health concerns. These goals and objectives address changes in behavioral risk factors associated with health, including violence and substance abuse.
Muskegon County Health Department’s Substance Abuse Prevention Program provides information for various community collaboratives and committees to assure efforts are not wasted on proven ineffective activities. This is critical for several reasons:
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Good Prevention Practice Works! Properly designed, implemented and evaluated prevention efforts are demonstrated to reduce the incidence of substance misuse problems.
- Prevention is the Solution: Substance misuse can lead to addiction. Addiction is a chronic disease and like many chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes, prevention is a key part of the solution.
- Prevention is LONG-RANGE Planning: Good prevention programming forms a critical part of any long-range health strategy.
- Prevention Provides the BIGGEST BANG for the Buck: Prevention is much more cost effective than treating addiction and dealing with the resulting problems.
For more information about prevention, click here or call (231) 724-6350.
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