As the nation's drug crisis has deepened, public and private agencies have invested huge sums of money in prevention efforts. Are the resulting programs effective? What do we need to know to make them more effective? This book provides a comprehensive overview on what we know about drug abuse prevention and its effectiveness, including

• Results of a wide range of antidrug efforts.
• The role and effectiveness of mass media in preventing drug use.
• A profile of the drug problem, including a look at drug use by different population groups.
• A review of three major schools of prevention theory--risk factor reduction, developmental change, and social influence.
• An examination of promising prevention techniques from other areas of health and human services.

Preventing Drug Abuse will be indispensable to anyone involved in the search for solutions, including policymakers, antidrug program developers and administrators, and researchers.

Contents

• COMMITTEE ON DRUG ABUSE PREVENTION RESEARCH
• [The National Academies]
• Preface
• Executive Summary
• 1. Illicit Drug Use in the United States
  • Diagnosing Drug Problems
  • Trends In Drug Use
  • Disaggregation Of Special Populations
  • Summary
  • References
• 2. Concepts of Prevention
  • Introduction
  • Studies Of Risk And Vulnerability
  • The Developmental Approach
  • Social Influence And Social Learning
  • Summary
  • References
• 3. Evaluating Prevention Program Effects
  • Meta-Analyses Of Prevention Interventions
  • Three Programs Meeting Tobler's Criteria
  • Do Large-Scale Social Influence Programs Work?
  • Dare
  • Research In Progress
  • Mass Media And Drug Abuse Prevention
  • Conclusions And Research Needs
  • References
• Appendix Community Settings and Channels for Prevention

This project was sponsored by the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.

This report has been reviewed by a group other than the authors according to procedures approved by a Report Review Committee consisting of members of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine.