For the prevention from drug addiction a healthy environment must be created where the problem occurs.
The immunity of the individual has to be strengthened in addition to reduction in drug supply.
If that happens the demand will automatically reduced. Hence, to create a drug-free environment, prevention programme from macro to micro level is necessary.
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In order to make drug prevention programmes effective, it is essential to identify risk groups in the first instance.
Similarly the risk factors need to be identified. We shall discuss the issue on these lines:
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Public Health Model of Prevention:
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Public Health is viewed as a triad composed of Host, Agent, Environment and the Vector.
Host:
This relates to the potential drug users. Between the ages 15-40, most people must be considered as potential drug users.
Many ups and downs confront the individuals during this period. One has to keep himself mentally as well as physically healthy to be able to cope up with these stresses.
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The Agent:
The drug is the agent against whom prevention strategies have to be modelled as there is a continuous push and pull to use more and more drugs.
The Environment:
This plays a very determining role. It is the easy availability of drug that needs to be checked to make a programme of public health effective.
The Vector:
It is the drug distribution network. It includes the large mafias down to the local pusher.
Levels of Prevention
Primary Prevention:
It involves measures to check the growth of the disease forming process.
Thus, there have to be programmes for promotion of general health as well as for providing specific protection against drug abuse.
Secondary Prevention:
This involves early detection of the problem. The cases detected have to be provided the necessary treatment.
Secondary prevention relates to only such cases that have not yet become hard addicts. Drug users who do not have serious problems and have not come to the stage of being “dysfunctional” are covered in this category.
Tertiary Prevention:
These programmes are aimed at preventing the negative effects of drug abuse through treatment (Tx.) and rehabilitation of addicts in whose cases the problems have been identified.
Tertiary programmes include creating a body of informed and enlightened citizens and opinion leaders in the society.
This is possible where the educational system in corporate within itself awareness to harmful effects of drugs. The awareness needs to be developed from early childhood in a manner that it does not provoke contra-suggestion.
In the light of the Public Health Model it is necessary that preventive measures are taken at community, school, workplace and family levels.
Prevention at Community Level:
For the prevention from drug addiction the role of community may be very important. Its first efforts may be to identify the risk group.
This group may be the poor youth that are living in areas cut off from the mainstream. These could be unemployed youth or the idle rich.
Then there are risk localities that are more prone to include slums, lonely spots, or even the schools and colleges where westernisation in the name of modernisation is replacing the Indian values.
Apart from these there could be other problems affecting the community which might work as a barrier in preventing drug abuse.
These could be social and economic problems, such as illiteracy etc. Community may also launch a media campaign against the menace.
The programmes relating to the prevention of the menace may not get any substantial success at the community level unless the same is backed with developmental activities.
The community must provide positive avenues such as recreational programmes, educational activities etc.
Teenagers must be involved in the Drug Prevention Programmes as their enthusiasm and idealism will develop confidence in people who are prone to drugs.
Prevention Programmes at the Workplace:
Drug abuse affects the total work culture of the organisation. The addicts drift into absenteeism often for physical, emotional and even financial reasons.
This is not good for the whole of the organisation.
Prevention programmes at workplaces have to start with stricter enforcement of disciplinary rules. In the private sector, where rule are strictly enforced, no employee can dare to take drinks during working hours.
But in government offices it is sometimes notices in some form or others. But the position in public dealing offices is especially bad.
Therefore, a stricter enforcement of rules in the organisation is a must in this regard.
Prevention at Family Level:
Most of the addicts are from families that do not have a normal life pattern. There is an acute correlation ship between drug addiction and disturbed family relationships.
Therefore prevention programmes should base on identifying these fractured systems and should have an access with such cases inside the family atmosphere to weed out any potentiality of aloofness in the individuals that belong to such families that might be vulnerable to drug addiction.
Prevention at College Level:
The school system includes a close supervision of the students’ activities. Schools have programmes that include all children. Children are kept in a thorough vigil and discipline at the school level.
But as they enter the college, they often try to rebel against something they were prevented at the school level. This drives a strained atmosphere in his life.
This leads to a type of emotional vacuum and the youths are tempted towards a rebellious mood often adapting to drug abuses.
The inside parameters of these basic things may be taken into consideration while launching any prevention programmes at the college level.
For this purpose information sharing, group discussions, creative activities might be of great help.
A drug prevention programme at college level may include the following:
(a) Drug Prevention Centres
(b) Drug Prevention as a part of Guidance Centre
(c) Drug Prevention through strong volition
(d) Preventing Boredom through Fewer Passive Entertainments.