Make A

Difference

Take

Action

Reach

Out

Red

Ribbon

Your

Community

Focus On Prevention

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

Center for Substance Abuse Prevention
Focus On Prevention

Acknowledgments 

This publication was updated for the Substance 

Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration 

(SAMHSA) by ICF International under contract 

number HHSS2832007000051/HHSS28342001, with 

SAMHSA, U.S. Department of Health and Human 

Services (HHS). Tracy Farmer, M.B.A., served as the 

Government Project Officer.

Disclaimer 

The views, opinions, and content of this publication are 

those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the 

views, opinions, or policies of SAMHSA or HHS.

Public Domain Notice 

All material appearing in this publication is in the 

public domain and may be reproduced or copied 

without permission from SAMHSA. Citation of the 

source is appreciated. However, this publication may 

not be reproduced or distributed for a fee without 

the specific, written authorization of the Office of 

Communications, SAMHSA, HHS.

Electronic Access and Copies of Publication 

This publication may be downloaded or ordered by 

visiting SAMHSA’s Health Information Network 

at http://www.samhsa.gov/shin or by calling 

1-877-SAMHSA-7 (1-877-726-4727).

Recommended Citation 

Focus on Prevention. HHS Publication No. (SMA) 

10–4120. Rockville, MD: Center for Substance Abuse 

Prevention, Substance Abuse and Mental Health 

Services Administration, 2010.

Originating Office 

Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, Substance 

Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 

1 Choke Cherry Road, Rockville, MD 20857. HHS 

Publication No. (SMA) 10-4120. Printed 2010.
Contents

About This Guide ......................................................................... 1

Focus On Topics............................................................................ 3

Community Needs ..................................................................... 4

Issues and Audiences ................................................................. 6

Risk and Protection ................................................................... 8

Community Partners................................................................ 10

Prevention Theory ................................................................... 12

Planning ................................................................................... 14

Strategies That Work ............................................................... 16

Evaluation ............................................................................... 18

Social Marketing ..................................................................... 20

Connecting With Your Audience ............................................. 22

Media & Social Media ............................................................. 24

Event Timeline ............................................................................ 27

Sample Materials ........................................................................ 41

Resources..................................................................................... 51

About This Guide

Abuse of alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drugs is 

a problem throughout the United States. Yet 

communities vary greatly in the specific problems 

they face, the groups affected by those problems, 

and the events that rouse people to take action. 

In addition to having different problems and 

priorities, some communities have more resources 

and experience with locally based prevention 

activities than others. Yet, with a “can do” 

approach and a bit of guidance, any community 

can have success in preventing substance abuse.

This is where Focus On Prevention can help. 

The U.S. Department of Health and Human 

Services (HHS), Substance Abuse and Mental 

Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), 

has developed this guide to help a wide range of 

groups and communities move from concerns 

about substance abuse to proven and practical 

solutions.

Red Ribbon Ties

HHS has long recognized and supported Red 

Ribbon Week. Within HHS, SAMHSA has joined 

its partners over the years to participate in the 

observance of Red Ribbon Week. SAMHSA 

provides information, materials, and technical 

assistance to promote the campaign’s growth and 

effectiveness. 

Because Red Ribbon Week is so well-known, 

SAMHSA is urging more of its national network 

of mental health and substance abuse services—

especially its Drug-Free Communities (DFC) 

grantees—to carry out year-round prevention 

activities that can be promoted and recognized for 

their success during the annual observance. While 

drawing new attention to Red Ribbon, this link 

will give communities a credible brand label that 

can serve as a springboard for continued progress 

in preventing abuse of alcohol, tobacco, and illicit 

drugs.

Getting Started 

Focus On Prevention provides a starting 

point. It offers brief, practical, and easy-toread information that is useful in planning and 

delivering prevention strategies.

Eleven Focus On topics are presented. The first few 

topics are about setting your sights on a prevention 

strategy. The focus then moves to ensuring 

that your prevention strategy is built on a solid 

foundation. The last few Focus On topics discuss 

ways to get the word out about prevention. 

With a “can do” approach and a bit 

of guidance, any community can have 

success in preventing substance abuse.

For each Focus On topic, a two-page summary 

begins by telling why the step is important and 

what it includes. The discussion then moves to 

Starting Points—tips on key tasks, choices, and 

pointers for getting the job done. Each Focus On

topic also includes a highlight box with added 

advice or a diagram to show how the subject matter 

fits into the bigger picture. 

For those users of the Guide already committed 

to organizing Red Ribbon campaign activities, 

a section of specific how-to information and 

examples for working with media add to Focus on 

Prevention’s value as a tool that can be put to work 

right away. The guide ends with a list of resources 

to help community coalitions and other groups 

reach their substance abuse prevention goals. 

About Red Ribbon

Millions of Americans currently participate 

in Red Ribbon Week activities, according 

to the National Family Partnership 

(NFP)—the Red Ribbon campaign’s 

national organizer. The Drug Enforcement 

Administration, a Federal partner in 

Red Ribbon Week, describes it as “the 

most far-reaching and well-known drug 

prevention event in America.” Through 

the efforts of the NFP, other national 

organizations, Federal and State agencies, 

and communities, Red Ribbon Week has 

become more than a call to action. It has 

grown to be a unifying symbol of family 

and community dedication to preventing 

the use of alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drugs 

among youth.

1

Make A

Difference

Take

Action

Reach

Out

Red

Ribbon

Your

Community

Focus On Topics
4Focus On Prevention

FOCUS

ON Community 

Needs

A good needs assessment is a research and 

planning activity that can help you develop a 

substance abuse prevention strategy that best fits 

your community. The results from your needs 

assessment can be a powerful tool for calling your 

community to action. 

Assessment is a basic first step. You must be able to 

identify the “needs” and the resources that already 

exist to address those needs. Only then can you 

create an appropriate prevention effort. 

Assessment leads to design, which leads to 

implementation, which leads to evaluation, which 

in turn leads back to assessment. It helps to think of 

these steps in a circle rather than in a line.

What Can a Needs Assessment Do for You? 

If people in your community are experiencing 

substance abuse problems, why not skip the 

formalities and get to work? Even if you know a 

problem exists, a needs assessment can uncover 

issues or trends that otherwise may be hard to 

detect. It helps us understand things like: Who is 

using drugs? How widespread is the problem? 

What drugs are being used? Why? In what 

situations? How are the drugs being accessed? 

How serious are the consequences? How does your 

community compare with others?

Assessing needs carefully can help prove a problem 

exists. By collecting information and drawing 

conclusions about current conditions, you can make 

a strong case for action. With evidence in hand, 

you can engage organizations and key people in 

addition to those who first became alarmed about a 

substance abuse problem. 

Having facts can help you set priorities.

Presenting needs assessment data, such as studies 

about substance abuse and other risky behaviors 

among local youths, may stir up a great deal of 

emotion. However, a careful presentation can 

The results from your needs assessment 

can be a powerful tool for calling your 

community to action.

minimize extreme reactions while motivating 

community members to get involved.

Having facts can help you set priorities. Parents in 

a community may be concerned about the use of 

club drugs, cocaine, or steroids, but it makes little 

sense to focus prevention efforts on those drugs 

if evidence shows that more young people are 

using tobacco, alcohol, inhalants, pain killers, or 

marijuana. 

Needs assessment can help avoid 

duplication.

Assessment results also may show that delivering 

prevention services to all students could leave 

those at highest risk for substance abuse lacking 

additional help that is more specific to their needs. 

Be flexible—you may find yourself following a 

trail of conditions that are related. Tobacco use 

may have more to do with community norms than 

a lack of understanding the consequences. Alcohol 

use may be driven by availability. A link between 

teen substance abuse and violence may draw your 

attention to family conflict and substance-abusing 

parents. The approaches you take may shift as you 

gain new insight.

Needs assessment can help avoid duplication. 

You may have identified a problem, but what 
5

programs, policies, and other efforts already are in 

place to deal with it? How well are existing efforts 

working? Are there gaps or overlaps in prevention 

activities? How would a new program fit with those 

already operating? 

What attitudes, beliefs, and cultural 

values affect the community’s 

readiness to take action?

By conducting a needs assessment, you can 

determine whether a community or organization 

is ready, willing, and able to address the problem. 

Which organizations are willing to devote attention 

or resources? Which community leaders are willing 

to take a stand and support change? Does anyone 

have the necessary skills to carry out prevention 

activities? What attitudes, beliefs, and cultural 

values affect the community’s readiness to take 

action?

A needs assessment gives you baseline data you 

can use later to evaluate your program’s impact. 

For example, if you collect needs assessment data 

from your local police about the number of arrests 

for teen violence or for possession of alcohol, you 

can track changes in these numbers over time to see 

if your efforts to reduce alcohol and violence reflect 

fewer arrests.

However, be careful about comparisons. Make sure 

that the police department’s high initial numbers 

weren’t a fluke—for instance, numbers resulting 

from multiple arrests at a rally or concert. You also 

want to be certain that something other than your 

program did not cause the numbers to go down, 

such as another intervention or a reduction in the 

population of young people.

A needs assessment gives you 

baseline data you can use later to 

evaluate your program’s impact. 

Only compare groups that match. For example, 

compare baseline data on a group of kids to data 

on the same kids after they take part in prevention 

activities. Or, look at later data on kids who are 

similar to the baseline group—for example, teens 

from the same schools or areas—to see how your 

strategy is affecting a certain target audience over 

time. 

Starting Points 

The following checklist can help you put needs 

assessments to work in planning your substance 

abuse prevention activity: 

What To Find Out

Your initial reasons for conducting needs 

assessments may be to gauge substance abuse 

problems. To be thorough, however, needs 

assessment activities also should look at the 

attitudes, beliefs, behaviors, and conditions in the 

community that promote or condone substance 

abuse. You also will need to find out what already 

is being done about the issue, how the efforts are 

targeted, and whether efforts could be expanded. 

Your priorities may shift accordingly.

Where To Look

Reach out to people who know the community, its 

needs, and the available resources. Key sources 

include public officials, health and youth-serving 

agencies, schools, parent groups, law enforcement, 

clergy, businesses, and members of possible 

target audiences to focus your strategy on, such as 

students or residents. 

How To Get Information

Basic needs assessment methods include asking 

people about their substance abuse-related views 

or behaviors using indepth interviews, focus 

groups, or questionnaires. Interviews and focus 

groups are easier and cheaper than conducting a 

survey but only reflect the views of a few people. 

Surveys—typically door-to-door or by phone—can 

provide hard numbers and details; however, surveys 

require choosing the right amount of participants 

and exercising care in selecting them to ensure that 

results reflect community problems.

You also can use public records and reports. For 

example, you could look at counts of drug and 

alcohol offenses or emergency room visits related 

to alcohol or drug use. To learn more about persons 

at high risk for substance abuse, look at records 

showing the characteristics of people already 

receiving substance abuse-related services. See 

Focus On Evaluation on page 18 for more on the 

collection and use of information. 

Who To Involve

Members of your substance abuse prevention 

planning team can handle much of the needs 

assessment, but consider inviting members of your 

target audiences to help shape and conduct the 

assessment. Their input can help ensure that you 

are asking the right questions and engage people 

who otherwise might not participate. Finally, be 

sure to involve the people who will evaluate your 

strategy. The needs assessment may require their 

research skills, and the results will help to shape the 

evaluation.

Community Needs
6Focus On Prevention

FOCUS

ON Issues and

Audiences

Care in choosing a specific prevention issue and 

a target audience are keys to a winning substance 

abuse prevention strategy.

Prevention targets can be defined in 

terms of places as well as personal 

characteristics.

Alarm about illicit drug use may center on certain 

substances such as marijuana, methamphetamine, 

inhalants, or nonmedical use of painkillers. Alcoholrelated problems may involve underage and binge 

drinking, alcohol-related car crashes, or conditions 

that affect alcohol availability. Tobacco issues may 

have to do with advertising, sales to minors, or 

smoking in public places. Once you set your sights 

on a specific issue, bringing the picture into focus 

requires you to ask who and where:

Whose Substance Use Are You Trying To 

Prevent?

Setting your sights on a substance abuse issue that 

relates to teens or young adults is a start, but your 

strategy may work better by focusing on certain 

groups within these populations. Will you address 

all teens or concentrate on young adolescents? Will 

you use different approaches with girls and boys? 

Will a strategy for young adults be aimed at all of 

them or should it target club-goers, college students, 

or fraternity members?

Who Can Help Influence Your Main 

Audience?

While your goal may be to prevent substance use 

among teens, you may direct your attention to 

parents, educators, or service providers to help 

tackle the issues that make young people more or 

less likely to engage in risky behavior. Alcohol- and 

tobacco-related problems may be addressed through 

policies set by elected officials and adopted by 

sellers.

Care in choosing a specific prevention issue 

and a target audience are keys to a winning 

substance abuse prevention strategy.

Where Are Substance Abuse Problems 

Occurring?

Prevention targets can be defined in terms of places 

as well as personal characteristics. You may give 

priority to certain areas, schools, workplaces, or 

commercial settings.

Answering these types of questions adds insight 

regarding patterns, trends, groups within groups, 

and norms and beliefs that give rise to a problem. 

Such information can confirm opinions, sharpen 

focus, and build support for action.

Learning about prevention audiences does not have 

to be complicated. The experiences and views of 

parents, educators, police, faith organizations, and 

others who work with youth or deal with substance 

abuse-related issues can be gathered without undue 

time or expense. 

Asian youths have the lowest rates of 

marijuana use. 

Going directly to members of the audience—for 

example, conducting focus groups with teens—can 

provide a new outlook. The records and routine 

reports of local organizations, such as high school 

disciplinary reports and emergency room visits, 

also can provide useful information to gauge 

substance abuse problems.
7

Targeting Risks

One way to define prevention audiences is 

to cluster them according to three levels of 

risk for engaging in substance abuse:

1.General population groups with no 

known risks of substance abuse.

Exposes a broad audience to 

prevention strategies that could make 

substance abuse less likely, such as all 

youth in high school.

2.Groups with recognized risks of 

substance abuse. Offers an opportunity 

to focus on those who may have 

a greater than average need for 

prevention activities, such as the 9th 

and 10th grades transitioning into high 

school.

3.Individuals known to be at high risk of 

substance abuse. Allows communities 

to address those with the most serious 

problems and specific needs, such 

as 9th- and 10th-grade students 

transitioning into high school who 

are from low-income families and are 

abused.

Starting Points 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Parents make a difference—teens who say their parents 

would strongly disapprove of teens trying marijuana are 

much less likely to use an illicit drug than those who think 

their parents would not strongly disapprove.

Illicit drug use starts early and spreads quickly—nearly 1 in 

30 youth aged 12 to 13 reports past-month use of an illicit 

drug; among 16- to 17-year-olds the rate is nearly 1 in 6.

Alcohol

Among youths aged 12 to 17 who were heavy drinkers in 

2008, three in five (68.5 percent) also were current illicit 

drug users.

Young adults aged 18 to 22 enrolled full time in college 

were more likely than their peers not enrolled full time 

to report any use, binge use, or heavy use of alcohol in 

2008. However, the rates of current alcohol use and binge 

drinking among full-time college students in the 18 to 22 

age group declined in 2008.

Tobacco

Among pregnant women aged 15 to 44, based on 

combined data for 2007 and 2008, 16.4 percent reported 

using cigarettes in the past month compared to 27.3 

percent of women who were not pregnant. At 5.5 percent, 

the lowest rate of current smoking while pregnant was 

seen among Hispanic or Latina women.

Use of tobacco products varies greatly with age. 

Among youths aged 12 to 17, 11.4 percent reported 

current use of a tobacco product. Young adults were more 

than three times as likely as youths to use tobacco, as 

41.4 percent of those in the 18 to 25 age group reported 

using tobacco in the past month. Tobacco use then drops 

with increasing age.

Marijuana

Asian youths have the lowest rates of marijuana use. 

Inhalants

Lifetime use of inhalants by youths age 14 or 15 is 10.4 

percent. This age group has a higher rate of lifetime use 

compared to 12 or 13 year olds (8.1 percent) and 16 or 17 

year olds (9.3 percent). 

Because inhalants are easy to get, young people often use 

them before tobacco or alcohol.

Prescription Medications

Over two-fifths of those who initiated pain relievers 

nonmedically in the past year were under age 18 when 

they first used. In the past month, girls are more likely than 

boys to use painkillers nonmedically.

Serious Emotional Problems

Young people who have serious emotional problems are 

more likely to use substances and to become dependent 

on them.

Source: 2008 National Survey on Drug Use and Health 

Issues and Audiences
8Focus On Prevention

FOCUS

ON Risk and

Protection

Risk and protective factors—conditions in people’s 

lives that make them more or less likely to use 

alcohol, tobacco, or illicit drugs—play an important 

role in successful prevention strategies.

A community that is alarmed about a substance 

abuse issue may direct most of its attention to risk 

factors—the negative behaviors, experiences, or 

conditions that cause or are associated with the 

problem. For young people, alienation, stress, 

social pressure, poor grades, family problems, and 

curiosity are some of the reasons why they may turn 

to alcohol, tobacco, or illicit drugs. 

While risk and protective factors 

can be complex, they represent 

conditions found in everyday life.

In addition, many messages, attitudes, and 

practices throughout society promote or condone 

the use of harmful substances, such as the casual, 

consequence-free portrayal of drinking, smoking, 

and drug use in popular movies and music. 

Symptoms and sources may draw your attention 

and inspire action. Yet, to get the most out of your 

prevention efforts, it is important to reduce risks and 

to boost protective factors.

While risk and protective factors can be complex, 

they represent conditions found in everyday life (see 

box). You do not have to be an expert to include 

these important elements in your prevention strategy. 

How Do Risk and Protective Factors 

Occur?

Everyone is exposed to both risk and protective 

factors for substance abuse. From early in life, the 

more risk factors a young person has, the more 

likely it is that he or she will use harmful substances 

and face related problems. On the other hand, the 

more protective factors a young person has, the less 

likely it is that he or she will try alcohol, tobacco, or 

drugs.

To get the most out of your prevention 

efforts, it is important to reduce risks and 

to boost protective factors.

Where Do Risk and Protective Factors 

Come From?

Risk factors vary greatly according to age, social 

and psychological development, ethnic/cultural 

identity, and surroundings. Protective factors also 

vary, buffering youth from influences that incline 

them to start or continue substance abuse.

Accent the Positive: 

Protective Factors for Youth

Individual Factors

• 

• 

• 

• 

Positive temperament

Social coping skills (problem solving, 

ability to stand up for beliefs and values)

Positive social orientation (engaging 

in activities that contribute to healthy 

personal development, accepting rules 

and community values, identifying with 

the school, and choosing friends who do 

not use harmful substances)

Belief in one’s ability to control what 

happens and to adapt to change

Family Factors

• 

• 

• 

Unity, warmth, and attachment between 

parents and children

Parental supervision

Contact and communication between 

and among parents and children

Environmental Factors

• 

• 

• 

• 

Positive emotional support outside of the 

family such as friends, neighbors, and 

elders

Supports and resources available to the 

family

Community and school norms, beliefs, 

and standards against substance abuse

Schools characterized by academic 

achievement and students who are 

committed to school
9

Conditions vary from culture to culture and from 

community to community. Youth at high risk 

tend to live in settings where they are exposed to 

numerous risks, such as neighborhoods or peer 

groups where substance abuse is condoned or 

viewed as the norm, and they tend to come from 

families with a range of problems.

How Do Risk and Protective Factors 

Work?

Risk and protective factors interact constantly. 

Their effect on a person depends on features such 

as the number of factors that occur at the same 

time, how intense they are, and how long they last.

Everyone is exposed to both risk and 

protective factors for substance abuse. 

While some factors cannot be changed, their 

influence can be lessened or increased. The more 

risks can be reduced, the less open a child will be 

to health and social problems. For example, some 

children in a distressed neighborhood may have 

fewer behavior problems than others due to strong 

parenting.

What Problems Are Affected by Risk and 

Protective Factors? 

Several risk factors for substance abuse also 

increase the risk of other serious problems—

dropping out of school, pregnancy, violence, and 

crime—in the teen years.

Problem behaviors also tend to be linked with each 

other. For instance, a youth who uses drugs may 

engage in delinquency such as violence, theft, and 

vandalism.

Starting Points 

Take a closer look! There are many ways to 

describe risk and protective factors. A good way 

to begin is to look at three areas of influence:

1. Individual factors include behavior and 

personality as well as genetic and physical 

makeup.

2. Family factors include the way that parents 

and children behave and relate to each 

other.

3. Environmental factors include circumstances 

outside of the family such as school 

experiences, peer influences, and 

community conditions.

Have the greatest impact! To address risk and 

protective factors effectively, look at the big 

picture: 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Focus on young, school-aged children and 

their families—before negative behaviors 

and family problems become deep rooted.

Choose strategies that fit children’s gender 

and level of development.

Develop prevention activities in more than 

one context or setting such as schools, 

cultural life, faith-based groups, and 

neighborhoods. 

Address more than one risk factor at a time.

Reduce exposure to risks while enhancing 

protective factors.

Build on strengths in the individual, family, 

and environment.

Risk and Protection
10Focus On Prevention

FOCUS

ON Community 

Partners

Partnerships are the backbone of nearly every 

successful prevention campaign. Organizing a 

community around a substance abuse issue can take 

a great deal of work, but the effort can have big 

payoffs. 

Building partnerships is a dynamic process that 

changes as participants’ goals, abilities, and 

needs change. Partnerships include a variety of 

arrangements to produce results that one partner 

alone could not achieve. 

Examples include creating units to deliver new 

programs, expanding or improving services, 

fostering social marketing activities (see Focus On 

Social Marketing on page 20), or providing research 

and evaluation services. The table below outlines 

ways organizations can engage partners.

Levels of Partner Engagement1

1.Networking or 

communication 

links

Minimal involvement (mainly 

to share information)

2.Publicity Partners may serve as channels, 

or go-betweens, to help spread 

information

3.Endorsement Partners publicly endorse each 

other’s programs to broaden 

appeal or lend credibility

4.Coordination Partners remain self-directed 

but conduct mutually beneficial 

activities and work together 

with a common purpose

5.Cosponsorship Partners share their resources

6.Collaboration Partners work together from 

beginning to end to create 

a vision and to carry out a 

program

1 Adapted from: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 

Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 

Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity. (1999). Promoting 

Physical Activity: A Guide for Community Action. Human Kinetics: 

Champaign, IL.

Effective partnerships develop mutually rewarding 

and sustainable chemistry. As more than an 

exchange of services, partnership includes:

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Defining a shared mission, vision, and goals.

Maintaining a high level of trust and mutual 

respect.

Making decisions jointly.

Contributing staff time and other resources.

Committing to build knowledge, skills, and 

systems by seeking or offering technical 

assistance.

Staying in close contact with a partner, listening 

carefully to what is communicated, and providing 

regular and consistent feedback, encouragement, 

guidance, and recognition help to sustain 

partnerships. 

The more a prevention strategy represents the 

whole community and shares a common goal, 

the more powerful and respected it will be.

Look Around

Any organization or community advocate 

concerned about substance abuse, public 

health and safety, or the well-being of a 

population can organize a coalition or 

partnership: 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Educational institutions 

Parent and volunteer groups 

Youth organizations 

After-school programs

The faith community 

Health care and mental health providers 

The justice system, including law 

enforcement personnel 

State, county, and local government

Prevention and treatment organizations 

Legal, social services, and other 

organizations serving low-income 

families 

Businesses

Labor unions 

Neighborhood-based social clubs 

Service organizations

Media
11

It is important to establish a broad base of support, 

or buy-in, to address prevention issues. The 

more a prevention strategy represents the whole 

community and shares a common goal, the more 

powerful and respected it will be.

Reaching Diverse Groups

Your best bet is to reach diverse groups of adults 

and youth with prevention messages by engaging 

as many kinds of organizations as possible. For 

example, if your primary goal is to prevent youth 

marijuana use, you may team up with your local 

police force, school counselors, clergy, and even 

the local chapter of Narcotics Anonymous. 

As your substance abuse prevention strategy gets 

underway, roles and responsibilities probably will 

fall into place naturally, with everyone contributing 

what they can. People may help by making a 

financial contribution, providing services without 

charging for them, making facilities available 

for prevention activities, recruiting volunteers, 

volunteering themselves, or participating in boards 

of directors or committees. 

Starting Points 

The following steps can help you make the most of your 

efforts to find and recruit new partners:

Set Your Sights

A partner in substance abuse prevention can be any 

group or individual whose missions, values, goals, or 

resources are in line with your prevention strategy. 

Possible partners may not have a direct or close 

involvement in substance abuse issues; however, values 

and agendas in areas such as better schools, good 

government, public safety, social justice, and economic 

development make them potential allies nonetheless. 

Get Started

Partnering is an ongoing process. It’s never too soon 

to expand your initial circle of partners. You may feel 

that you can’t start tooting your horn before you have 

something to show for your efforts, yet you are more likely 

to sustain your prevention strategy if you reach out to 

possible supporters to get buy-in before you need new 

funding.

Make Contact

Begin by introducing yourself and your prevention 

strategy—mail a brochure, send a news clipping, or invite 

key people to a special event. To create a relationship, 

begin sharing information—materials, “lessons learned,” 

and evaluation results—while stopping short of asking 

for support. To tighten the connection, formally recognize 

somebody who can help through an awards event or 

ask him/her to serve as a keynote speaker or honorary 

chairperson. 

Become Known

Go where the action is: attend receptions, forums, 

conferences, and committee meetings that relate to your 

substance abuse prevention goals. These events provide 

chances to network and share information about your 

prevention strategy.

Be Heard

Some contacts may be brief, but short does tend to 

be sweet. Most listeners will not digest more than a 

few major points. Develop a script; if several people 

are communicating about your initiative, it is vital that 

everyone is on the same page with the same message 

and statistics.

Gain Agreement

All partners need to understand and agree on their roles. 

So, put agreements in writing. They can be formal—for 

example, contracts or letters of understanding—or 

informal, such as follow-up letters or minutes of 

committee meetings that are reviewed and approved by 

partners. 

Join Forces

As you begin recruiting partners, you may discover that 

some local agencies and organizations are involved in 

similar prevention efforts. Because such groups have a 

head start in developing contacts and influence in the 

community, it may be natural for them to have a leading 

role in your prevention strategy. Examples include 

heading a committee, being responsible for certain tasks, 

or serving as a cosponsor. 

Community Partners
12Focus On Prevention

FOCUS

ON

Prevention 

Theory

Engaging in substance abuse prevention means 

that you are trying to affect the way people think, 

feel, and act with regard to alcohol, tobacco, and 

drugs. Your knowledge of local conditions and your 

instincts about what to do are vital. Still, your efforts 

are more likely to succeed if they are informed by 

theories of behavior change and human motivation.

Why Should You Care About Theories?

Theories may seem far removed from your efforts 

to proceed with a prevention strategy, yet prevention 

theories are more than vague thoughts and 

guesswork. Decades of research and expert thinking 

have provided insight about how people think about 

health issues, change their minds, and redirect their 

actions. Being familiar with the main points of these 

theories can help you decide how to shape actions 

that are credible and appropriate. 

How Do Substance Abuse Problems Arise? 

A public health model stresses interactions among:

• 

• 

• 

An agent—alcohol, tobacco, or a drug. 

A host—the individual user.

The environment—the social, cultural, and 

physical context in which use occurs. 

To make a lasting difference, prevention efforts need 

to address all three parts of this model.

What Theories Can Be Used in Substance 

Abuse Prevention Strategies? 

Several behavior change models can be applied to 

affect people’s attitudes and behavior regarding the 

use of harmful substances.

• According to the diffusion of innovations

framework, support for an innovation such 

as a new substance abuse behavior spreads as 

opinion leaders or “trendsetters” talk about it. In 

this model, individuals embrace the innovation 

according to their readiness to accept and try new 

ideas. 

Prevention strategies may direct messages to 

opinion leaders and then engage them to reach 

people who are more resistant to change.

• In the stages of change theory, five stages, or 

steps, are used to alter personal behavior patterns 

and lead to long-term change: 

►

►

►

Precontemplation—being unaware of or 

refusing to acknowledge risks (e.g., believing 

that inhalant use is harmless).

Contemplation—beginning to consider a 

change and weighing the costs and benefits 

(e.g., recognizing the downside of binge 

drinking). 

Preparation—deciding on and planning for a 

change in behavior (e.g., picking a start date to 

quit smoking).

Decades of research and expert thinking 

have provided insight about how people think 

about health issues, change their minds, and 

redirect their actions.

Put It All Together 

By helping us understand what motivates 

people to change, each theory gives us 

another key to substance abuse prevention. 

In general, the following elements must be 

present for a person to perform a change in 

behavior:

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

A strong positive intention or 

commitment to change. 

No conditions in the environment that 

make it impossible for the new behavior 

to occur.

The skills needed to perform the 

behavior.

Belief in one’s ability to perform the 

behavior.

Belief that the advantages of performing 

a behavior outweigh the disadvantages.

More social pressure to perform the 

behavior than not.

A view that performing the behavior is 

more consistent than inconsistent with 

one’s self-image or a feeling that it does 

not violate one’s personal standards.

An emotional reaction to performing 

the behavior that is more positive than 

negative.
13

►Action—implementing a plan to change and 

beginning a new behavior (e.g., using refusal 

skills or changing social patterns).

►Maintenance—reinforcing and making a 

habit of a new behavior (e.g., obtaining social 

support from family members and peers). 

People can move from one stage to the next when 

they receive and process relevant information.

• According to the health belief model, people 

are motivated to change their behavior only as 

much as they value—or worry about—the results 

of their choices (to keep smoking or quit) and 

expect these results (poor health or good health) 

to happen. People also must be confident that 

they can carry out a new action.

Individuals embrace the innovation 

according to their readiness to 

accept and try new ideas.

Incentives for a behavior should build on an 

audience’s motives, needs, values, and selfimage as well as its concerns about health. A 

prevention strategy may, thus, focus on shortterm consequences of substance use such as bad 

breath, loss of friends, and getting in trouble. 

Information on reducing the costs of following a 

course of action and how to overcome obstacles 

also is key. New behaviors can be boosted by 

“cues to action”—for example, when individuals 

know what to do and how to do it, a prevention 

strategy can include simple reminders.

• The Stanford communication/behavior change 

model indicates that changes in behavior occur 

when mass media messages follow a series of 

steps: 

►

►

►

►

►

Raise awareness of an issue.

Change what people know, believe, and think 

about the promoted behavior.

Teach the skills needed to perform the behavior.

Build a person’s confidence in his or her ability 

to perform a specific behavior in a particular 

situation.

Provide support for sustaining a new behavior. 

To apply this model, prevention planners must 

determine where the target audience stands in 

the change sequence. This will provide a starting 

point for a plan to take the audience through the 

remaining steps. 

• Community organization theory stresses 

the active involvement and development of 

communities to address health and social 

problems. Key features include understanding 

the root causes of problems, focusing on specific 

concerns, engaging in effective problem solving, 

encouraging active community participation, and 

gaining the power to produce lasting change. 

For example, a community concerned about 

alcohol-related problems may come together 

to change local laws, regulations, or policies 

regarding the number and concentration of alcohol 

outlets or the hours and days when alcohol is sold.

Starting Points 

The following frameworks can help you fit theories 

into your substance abuse prevention strategy:

• 

• 

A web of influence model identifies the 

following domains, or areas of influence:

▪ 

▪ 

▪ 

▪ 

▪ 

▪ 

Individual

Peers

Family

School

Community

Society

This framework can help you understand how 

risk and protective factors interact and where 

prevention theories may apply.

A continuum of prevention model classifies 

prevention programs according to the 

audiences for which they are suited best 

based on risks for substance abuse: 

▪ 

▪ 

▪ 

Universal programs reach the general 

population such as all students in a school 

or all parents in a community. 

Selective programs target groups such as 

children of substance abusers or those 

who display problems at school and have 

an above-average risk of developing 

substance abuse problems. 

Indicated programs are for those whose 

actions—for example, antisocial or other 

risky behaviors such as truancy, academic 

failure, or hanging out with substanceabusing peers—put them at high risk for 

substance abuse problems.

Prevention Theory
14Focus On Prevention

FOCUS

ON

• 

• 

• 

• 

Prevention is a continuum. It ranges from 

deterring diseases and behaviors that foster them 

to slowing the onset and severity of illnesses 

when they do arise.

Prevention is prevention is prevention. The 

methods of prevention are the same for many 

diseases whether the aim is to prevent or reduce 

the effects of cancer or to prevent or reduce 

the effects of substance abuse. In both cases, 

prevention strategies take aim at how people 

think, feel, and act by focusing messages and 

activities on areas of influence such as the 

individual, family, or community. 

Successful prevention decreases risk factors 

and enhances protective factors. For many 

health issues, the same conditions increase risk 

while other factors can shield people from these 

problems. See Focus On Risk and Protection on 

page 8.

Prevention strategies should use proven 

practices within systems that work. Research 

and experience have produced highly effective 

prevention programs to reduce risk factors 

and promote protective factors. See Focus On 

Strategies That Work on page 16.

Systems of prevention services work better 

than isolated efforts. The best prevention results 

come from partnerships. Without teamwork, even 

the most determined prevention efforts can fall 

short of their goals.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services 

Administration (SAMHSA) developed the Strategic 

Prevention Framework to support effective action to 

promote mental health and to prevent substance use 

in people under age 21.

Substance abuse prevention strategies are driven by 

the needs and urgency of communities throughout 

the United States. Yet, success is more likely when 

action is based on sound procedures, the best 

available information, and a long-range view.

What Does the Framework Include? 

Based on SAMHSA’s vision of “a life in the 

community for everyone,” the Framework applies 

to any prevention planning process that addresses 

substance abuse and mental health issues. It defines 

the essential traits of high-quality prevention 

strategies, lays out guiding principles and action 

steps, and offers tools communities can use to plan 

and build prevention programs that work. 

Through a long list of Federal and national partners, 

the Framework provides communities with broad 

support and access to many resources.

According to the Framework, What Are 

the Essential Qualities of a Prevention 

Strategy? 

The Framework requires:

• 

• 

• 

Accountability—measuring and reporting program 

performance and results.

Capacity—increasing the availability of services.

Effectiveness—improving the quality of services.

What Principles Guide the Framework? 

The Framework is based on several critical 

principles:

Through a long list of Federal and national partners, 

the Framework provides communities with broad 

support and access to many resources.

SAMHSA’s vision is “a life in the 

community for everyone.”

Strategic Prevention Framework Planning Supports Any Prevention Planning Process
15

• 

• 

Sharing information and tools across service 

systems can make prevention efforts more 

accountable and effective. The Framework can 

help Federal agencies, States, and communities 

identify common needs and risk factors, target 

outcomes to be achieved, and adopt tools to 

measure and track results. The Framework calls 

for coordinated funding and development of 

systems.

Substance abuse should be addressed 

comprehensively through multiple strategies 

across multiple sectors with both public- and 

private-sector resources.

The Framework requires accountability, 

capacity, and effectiveness.

What Kinds of Prevention Strategies Does 

the Framework Call For? 

The Framework identifies seven effective 

strategies: policy, enforcement, collaboration, 

communications, education, early intervention, and 

alternatives. (See Focus On Strategies That Work

on page 16.) The Framework adds emphasis on 

environmental strategies by dividing this category 

into policy and enforcement. 

Does the Framework Provide Funding for 

Prevention Activities? 

The Strategic Prevention Framework State 

Incentive Grant (SPF SIG) program is the 

foundation of the Framework that provides funds 

to States and territories to promote partnership. 

Most SPF SIG funds go to communities to prevent 

onset and reduce progression of substance abuse, 

reduce substance abuse problems in communities, 

build State and community prevention capacity and 

infrastructure, and encourage and require the use of 

technical workgroups at the State and community 

level. In addition, SPF SIG places an emphasis on 

underage drinking.

The Framework also promotes substance abuse 

prevention through State block grants and DrugFree Communities’ programs as well as substance 

abuse and HIV prevention grants.

Starting Points 

With the support of State leadership, community 

stakeholders can take five steps to move 

prevention strategies from vision to practice:

1. Profile population needs, resources, and 

readiness to address problems and gaps 

in service delivery.

A substance abuse issue must be assessed 

correctly through the collection and analysis 

of data that show the extent and location 

of a problem, risk and protective factors 

associated with it, community assets and 

resources, gaps in services and capacity, 

and readiness to act.

2. Mobilize and build capacity to address 

needs.

Key tasks include convening leaders and 

stakeholders, building coalitions, and 

training community stakeholders to help 

keep activities going. 

3. Develop a prevention plan.

The strategic plan expresses a vision for 

prevention activities and a roadmap for 

conducting them. It describes policies and 

relationships, incentives for groups to work 

together, and evidence-based actions 

that will be taken. The plan also identifies 

milestones and outcomes for gauging 

performance.

4. Conduct prevention activities.

Supported by training and technical 

assistance, local stakeholders select 

programs, policies, and practices proven 

to be effective in research settings and in 

communities. Culturally competent revisions 

are made without sacrificing core elements 

of the program.

5. Monitor and evaluate results and the 

ability to continue.

Ongoing monitoring and evaluation are 

vital to determining whether the desired 

outcomes are achieved, to assessing the 

quality of service delivery, and to identifying 

needed improvements. Sustaining what has 

worked well should be an ongoing process. 

To learn more about the Strategic Prevention Framework,

visit SAMHSA’s Web site at http://www.samhsa.gov.

Planning
16Focus On Prevention

FOCUS

ON Strategies

That Work

Depending on the substance being abused and the 

groups affected, various events can prompt people 

to take action. Local concerns about alcohol being 

available to middle-schoolers may appear to be 

very different from the problems posed by meth 

production in rural barns. Indeed, your community’s 

search for solutions may seem unique. 

Even a proven strategy calls for 

careful evaluation to see how well it 

worked in your community and what 

adjustments might be needed.

But step back and take another look—several 

broad prevention strategies apply to most substance 

abuse problems. The Center for Substance Abuse 

Prevention (CSAP) has identified six strategies that 

can help shape your prevention plans:

• 

• 

• 

• 

Information dissemination increases knowledge 

and changes attitudes through communications. 

This method of learning is mainly one-way, such 

as classroom speakers or media campaigns. 

Prevention education is a two-way approach 

to teaching participants important social skills. 

These skills can include resisting pressure to use 

drugs, looking at the intent behind advertising, or 

developing other skills used in making healthy 

choices.

Positive alternatives provide fun, challenging, and 

structured activities with supervision so people 

have constructive and healthy ways to enjoy free 

time and learn skills. These alcohol- and drugfree activities help people—particularly young 

people—stay away from situations that encourage 

use of alcohol, tobacco, or illegal drugs. 

Environmental strategies* are aimed at the 

settings and conditions in which people live, 

work, and socialize. These strategies call for 

changes in policies—to reduce risk factors and 

increase protective factors—for example, tighter 

zoning restrictions on alcohol outlets or stronger 

enforcement to prevent underage purchases of 

alcohol and tobacco products (see Focus On Risk 

and Protection on page 8). As these changes are 

carried out at the community level, they can have 

a sweeping impact. 

• 

• 

Community-based processes expand resources 

such as community coalitions to prevent 

substance use and abuse. Organizing, planning, 

and networking are included in this strategy 

to increase the community’s ability to deliver 

effective prevention and treatment services.

Identification of problems and referral to 

services determine when the behavior of persons 

who are at high risk or who may have started 

using alcohol, tobacco, or drugs can be reversed 

through education or other intensive interventions 

(see Focus On Prevention Theory on page 12 on 

the subject of matching prevention activities with 

risk levels). 

Combining prevention strategies 

usually improves results.

Do Prevention Right:

Tips for Success

Whatever prevention strategy you select, a 

few practical suggestions can help put it to 

work:

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Engage partners—allied organizations, 

particularly those with large memberships 

of the target audience, can fill gaps and 

strengthen weak areas of your strategy 

(see Focus On Community Partners on 

page 10). 

Gain support for your strategy—launch 

prevention activities in stages and provide 

training and support to those who will 

carry them out.

Maximize participation of target 

audiences—offer incentives such as 

prizes, fun, and food (see Focus On 

Issues and Audiences on page 6). 

Reduce barriers by offering 

transportation, convenient times, and a 

friendly climate.

Keep control of all parts of your 

strategy—look for ways to motivate the 

people who carry out a strategy. Monitor 

activities conducted by partners.
17

Combining prevention strategies usually improves 

results. For example, enforcing the legal age 

required to purchase alcohol and tobacco products 

while providing positive activities can both be 

reinforced by school-based drug education. That 

combination can do a better job of preventing 

substance use than any of these strategies alone. 

Culture—both consciously and 

subconsciously—affects how people 

interact with each other and their 

surroundings. 

Likewise, prevention that blends life skills training 

with mentoring and with activities to increase 

parent involvement can be more effective for 

youths at high risk for using alcohol and illegal 

drugs than only life skills training. 

* The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s 

Strategic Prevention Framework (see Focus On Planning) 

breaks environmental strategies into two categories—policy and 

enforcement.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Give strong doses—intensive activities 

improve results.

Deliver prevention activities fully—be sure 

that all prevention activities are delivered 

when and as intended.

Try different versions of a strategy—for 

example, add booster sessions or media 

messages and use people from different 

backgrounds to deliver prevention 

activities.

Use long-term approaches—prevention 

activities are more likely to have an 

impact if they are reinforced or extended 

beyond a single event or brief campaign.

Maintain support—provide frequent 

feedback about progress and delivery 

issues. Attend promptly to obstacles and 

resource needs. 

Be flexible—consider tuning your strategy 

by adding or dropping activities, shifting 

emphasis, or increasing prevention 

doses. Such moves should be guided 

by careful evaluation (see Focus On 

Evaluation on page 18).

Starting Points 

Use What Works: A Word About EvidenceBased Prevention

Substance abuse issues are too serious and resources 

are too valuable to take a chance on unproven prevention 

strategies. To get it right the first time, choose a 

prevention strategy that has been shown—through solid 

research—to produce results like the ones you want 

to achieve. Look for strategies that have succeeded in 

situations like the one you want to address. 

Evidence-based, sometimes called science-based, 

strategies connect a guiding theory to prevention activities 

that work. To apply these strategies properly, match them 

with local needs and target audiences, set aims that are 

clear and specific, and carry out the strategies fully. Even 

a proven strategy calls for careful evaluation to see how 

well it worked in your community and what adjustments 

might be needed.

SAMHSA/CSAP, among others, has made a science-toservices process a priority for its funding activities. The 

agency supports activities to help communities select and 

implement effective prevention programs. 

Some strategies that are backed by strong evidence may 

not be realistic in your community. Local needs, interests, 

resources, and abilities all have a role in choosing a 

course of action. 

Choose Strategies That Fit: A Word About 

Cultural Competence

Everyone has alliances to culture—sometimes to more 

than one culture. Culture includes the values, customs, 

history, art, and institutions—such as legal systems, 

business, government, and religion—of a group of 

people. Culture—both consciously and subconsciously—

affects how people interact with each other and their 

surroundings. Culture also affects how people think, feel, 

and act with regard to alcohol, tobacco, and drug use. As 

a result, substance abuse prevention strategies should 

align with current values and standards. This means that 

effective programs will appreciate and respect all cultures 

and:

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Accept culture as a leading force in shaping behaviors, 

values, and institutions.

Recognize and accept that cultural differences exist 

and affect delivery of services.

Accept that diversity within cultures is as important as 

diversity between cultures.

Respect the unique, culturally defined needs of various 

populations.

Recognize that concepts such as “family” and 

“community” are different among cultures and even for 

groups within cultures.

Understand that people from different racial and ethnic 

groups and groups within cultures are served best by 

persons who are part of or in tune with their culture.

Recognize that valuing and drawing on the strengths of 

each culture makes everyone stronger.

Strategies That Work
18Focus On Prevention

FOCUS

ON Evaluation

Evaluation provides vital information about whether 

a prevention strategy works, what should be done 

next, and how to incorporate it in future planning.

When you are getting a substance abuse prevention 

strategy up and running, evaluation is more than just 

a luxury. By taking a hard look at your prevention 

strategy, you can make better decisions about what 

to do next and how to do it better.

There is no single correct approach 

to evaluation issues. Any evaluation 

must be tailored to local conditions.

A central purpose of evaluation is to find out how 

well a strategy works. Coming to an unbiased 

conclusion requires measuring results and 

comparing them against some standard of success. 

Even complex evaluation can be done with the 

resources available to most prevention coalitions. 

Why Should You Evaluate a Prevention 

Strategy? 

Examining your prevention strategy’s activities and 

effects can guide decisions about its future:

• 

• 

• 

Continuing or expanding the strategy.

Making changes to get better results or to make 

better use of resources.

Earning the support of partners and funding 

organizations. 

What Types of Evaluation Can Be Done? 

Depending on the purpose of your evaluation, 

consider two basic types:

• A process evaluation looks at how and why a 

program works or does not work. It may be used 

during prevention activities to track progress and 

to see how activities are being carried out. Finding 

glitches can explain poor results and help fine-tune 

an otherwise sound approach. 

• Outcome evaluation looks at end results. 

Outcome evaluations can be done at specified 

milestones and may be used to decide whether 

an activity should be dropped. However, results 

that fall short of stated objectives often serve as a 

roadmap for making improvements. Looking at 

outcomes gone wrong can focus your attention on 

different parts of the process. 

What Should Be Measured? 

The information you collect should reflect the three 

A’s—aims, audience, and activities that describe 

your substance abuse prevention strategy: 

• 

• 

In a process evaluation—stressing description 

and explanation—items commonly include 

recruitment procedures and success rate; number 

of participants; and personal characteristics 

such as age, gender, race/ethnicity, and risk for 

substance abuse. 

Additional information to collect includes the 

level of participation or attendance; type of 

service, curriculum, or activity delivered; and 

feedback from both program participants and 

those who dropped out. This information can tell 

you whether prevention activities were conducted 

as expected and whether they were right for the 

target audience. 

In an outcome evaluation—looking at results—

you may collect data on participants’ knowledge, 

attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors with respect to 

the substance abuse issue you are addressing. 

The specific information you collect will 

depend on the objectives of your strategy and 

your ability to collect information. Information 

Even complex evaluation can be done 

with the resources available to most 

prevention coalitions.

Share as You Learn

• 

• 

• 

• 

Communicate throughout the evaluation 

process—include the evaluation team in 

planning meetings and keep sponsors 

and key personnel informed of progress. 

Develop a 30-second “elevator” message 

that you can deliver briefly in an informal 

setting—once you spark interest, you can 

elaborate.

Know your evaluation audiences—find 

out what they need to know and why.

Make reports interesting—use colors, 
19

graphics, and language that match the 

style of the audience. 

• 

• 

Use different ways of communicating—

employ verbal presentations, meetings, 

interviews, flyers, press releases, emails, 

and videos to highlight findings and 

engage audiences. 

Keep it short—many listeners will not 

digest more than a few major points, so 

give audiences the information they need 

without overwhelming them. 

about participants typically is collected by using 

questionnaires, interviews, or focus groups. 

You also may be able to get information on 

behaviors in a target audience from school, 

police, or other routine reports. In strategies 

aimed at the environment for substance abuse, 

outcomes may involve changes such as new 

policies and reductions in alcohol or tobacco ads 

or availability. 

How Can You Tell Whether the Prevention 

Strategy Made a Difference? 

Collecting information on results is not enough. To 

reach conclusions, you must answer the question 

“Compared to what?” 

Generally, you can compare two elements: time 

and exposure to prevention activities. The most 

basic time comparison—before and after—can be 

expanded to track conditions across several time 

points. 

A simple comparison based on exposure would 

look at differences in outcomes between audience 

members who participated in prevention activities 

and those who did not. More detailed comparisons 

can look at how heavily participants were involved 

in prevention activities or the specific activities 

they experienced—such as different messages or 

curricula. 

Time and exposure comparisons can be 

combined—for example, collecting relevant 

facts about participants and non-participants both 

before and after activities are conducted. Any of 

these comparisons can be expanded to look for 

differences between settings or subgroups. 

Starting Points 

There is no single correct approach to evaluation 

issues. Any evaluation must be tailored to local 

conditions, but a few reminders can ensure good 

planning: 

Get Help

Consult with university and college faculty 

members with expertise in evaluation methods. 

Faculty in social science disciplines often have an 

interest in community activities that are related to 

their academic work.

Clarify Expectations

One size does not fit all. Top decisionmakers, 

program directors, staff members, outside 

funders, and community members may have 

different interests in an evaluation. Be prepared to 

set priorities.

Involve Participants, Staff, and Community 

Partners

Stakeholders can provide feedback about whether 

evaluation methods are appropriate and realistic. 

Partner organizations may have a special interest 

in certain evaluation issues, and program staff 

may be able to tell you whether certain questions 

make sense and whether there is an easier way 

to obtain the information. Involving them can 

increase their cooperation in evaluation activities 

and enhance the whole effort. 

Consider a Variety of Methods and Measures

Make sure that the evaluation reflects your 

prevention activities and the information can be 

collected. Programs are not always conducted as 

planned due to resistance, unclear directions, or 

lack of time.

Use Process Evaluations With Care

Project staff may want to use the information 

gathered to correct problems as a prevention 

strategy unfolds. By changing what is being done, 

midcourse corrections can muddle the results of 

an outcome evaluation. 

Consider Cost

Planning an evaluation involves tradeoffs between 

costs and benefits. Identify the most important 

evaluation questions and look for efficient 

methods such as sampling, focus groups, and 

review of existing records. 

Evaluation
20Focus On Prevention

FOCUS

ON

Social 

Marketing

Social marketing uses successful commercial 

marketing methods to promote public health or other 

social goals. 

Just as businesses sell products and services, 

substance abuse prevention and other public health 

strategies sell behavior. Using social marketing, you 

may try to get your target audience to adopt, reject, 

adjust, or give up actions related to alcohol, tobacco, 

or illicit drugs. 

The price people pay for substance 

abuse prevention benefits includes 

more than money.

To achieve your goals, you can aim social marketing 

efforts at building knowledge (inhalants can kill), 

beliefs (smoking is not attractive), and norms (most 

kids are not smoking marijuana) that may influence 

decisions about using harmful substances. 

How Is Social Marketing Different From 

Commercial Advertising? 

Social marketing is more than just advertising—key 

elements are known as the “four P’s”:

• 

• 

Product—Create an inviting benefit, typically 

an idea such as feeling better, avoiding 

embarrassment, or reaching goals, that can be 

gained from an action (e.g., adults using alcohol 

responsibly). Your audience must be interested 

in what you are selling, so test social marketing 

products and tools, such as flyers, public service 

announcements, or special events, before you run 

with them.

Price—Minimize what the audience must give 

up to get the benefits you are offering. The price 

people pay for substance abuse prevention benefits 

includes more than money—costs may involve 

physical discomfort, time, and inconvenience. 

Test what price members of your audience will 

accept and what incentive you must offer before 

they will pay. 

• 

• 

Placement—Make your product available in 

places that reach the audience in everyday life 

and fit your audience members’ lifestyles. Present 

your product at public events and places such as 

parks, fairs, games, workplaces, libraries, and 

retail locations that are not related to substance 

abuse prevention or other health issues. 

Promotion—Meet the audience’s needs. For 

social marketing to work, the benefits of a 

behavior and incentives for embracing it must 

support the values your target audience holds or 

reinforce a positive self-image. This may mean 

stressing personal or social benefits such as 

appearance, physical performance, approval, and 

success that are not related directly to health.

To achieve these goals, you can aim social 

marketing efforts at building knowledge 

(inhalants can kill), beliefs (smoking is not 

attractive), and norms (most kids are not 

smoking marijuana) that may influence 

decisions about using harmful substances.

When Does Social 

Marketing Work Best?

Some audiences get what you are saying, 

but won’t act unless you make them an 

offer they can’t resist. This is where the 

four P’s are vital to success. For audiences 

who are open to prevention appeals, and 

for those who resist them, an “E” may work 

better:

Education

For those who understand why they should 

change and find it easy to do, alerting them 

to a substance abuse issue and telling 

them how to do something about it will be 

enough.

Enforcement

For audiences that resist information and 

do not respond to coaxing, adding new 

laws and policies or enforcing existing 

ones more strictly may be the only way to 

get results. Stiffer penalties, higher taxes, 

fewer outlets, and shorter hours of sale are 

some ways to push people to change their 

behavior.
21

Strategic Planning

Another “P”—politics—is especially important 

for coalition members. Whether recruiting partners 

or asking for contributions, balance all of the 

segments needed in a successful community effort 

(see Focus On Community Partners on page 10). 

Recognize everyone and make sure no one feels 

slighted. 

How Is Social Marketing Different From 

Commercial Marketing? 

While social marketing uses the same methods as 

commercial marketing, there are key differences:

• Commercial marketing is concerned mainly 

with concrete products and services while social 

marketing focuses on ideas and behaviors: talk 

with your kids, make good choices, take control.

• While commercial marketing usually promises 

rewards such as enjoyment, style, and 

convenience, social marketing may call for 

caution and sacrifice: don’t let this happen to you, 

say no, quit smoking. 

• Commercial marketing competes mainly with 

other companies to provide what the audience 

wants or to enhance what it already has: faster, 

cleaner, easier, stronger, sexier, longer lasting, 

and more fun. Social marketing, on the other 

hand, often does not go with the flow. By 

encouraging change, it competes mainly with the 

audience’s own beliefs and behaviors. 

Starting Points 

The following features of social marketing can help you 

with your substance abuse prevention strategy.

Specify the Audience

A key facet of social marketing is that it should be directed 

to a well-defined target audience. In the language of 

marketing, a target audience should be “segmented,” or 

divided into groups with similar characteristics. These 

include location, age, race, ethnicity, values, lifestyle, 

and conditions related to the substance abuse problem 

you are addressing. With this information, you can 

develop media strategies and other ways to reach each 

segment effectively. If your prevention strategy is aimed 

at changing policy, the target audience can be the general 

public or government and business leaders. For more on 

this topic, see Focus On Issues and Audiences on page 6. 

Be Consumer Oriented

Social marketing is more than a hard sell. Rather than 

simply pushing products on customers, social marketers 

must attend to real needs and meet audience members 

on their own terms. This means responding to their 

interests and getting in step with the way they make 

choices. Consumer input is vital to developing products 

that work and should be sought as your prevention effort 

unfolds to ensure that the strategy is right. See Focus On 

Community Needs on page 4 for more insight on putting 

your finger on the community’s pulse.

Select Channels

Social marketing campaigns often use mass media such 

as radio, television, and newspapers to get the word out 

to audiences. However, any person or group that can 

reach members of an audience can be a channel for 

your efforts. Schools, doctor’s offices, recreation centers, 

stores, and electric bill mailings are a few of the places 

where social marketing can be carried out. 

Persons and groups who are known and trusted by 

the audience are excellent channels for delivering 

information. Use more than one channel to reach as 

many people as possible and to deliver information in 

different ways. 

Decide How Much Is Enough

A common question, especially when using mass media 

to market a prevention strategy, is “How much does it 

take for people to pay attention to what you are saying?” 

Well, it depends on factors such as your target audience, 

your specific aims, how complex and entertaining your 

message is, and the competing information. Generally, 

more is better—repetition helps people notice messages, 

respond to them, and learn from them. Putting out 

information in high-frequency bursts works better than 

using the same number of ads over a longer period. 

Deciding how much information to put out will rest on your 

instincts, input you get, channels available to you, and, in 

the end, cost.

Social Marketing
22Focus On Prevention

FOCUS

ON Connecting With 

Your Audience

Messages and materials are the tools we use to 

connect substance abuse prevention strategies with 

their audiences.

Messages include not only the point you want to 

make but also how the information is expressed. 

Substance abuse prevention messages must be 

based accurately on scientific evidence. Yet even the 

best information may fall short of your aims unless 

people understand and see it as new, interesting, 

acceptable, and in line with what they already know. 

Audience members may not believe a message 

unless it comes from a person or group they trust. 

Messages include not only the point 

you want to make but also how the 

information is expressed. 

Answering a few basic questions can help you 

choose the right messages and the best way to 

deliver them in your prevention effort: 

What Do You Want To Say? 

A careful assessment of needs (see Focus On 

Community Needs on page 4) will focus your 

attention on a particular substance, the groups 

of people who are abusing it, and the risk and 

protective factors that make them more or less likely 

to do so (see Focus On Risk and Protection on page 

8).

Whom Are You Addressing? 

Prevention messages can address directly those who 

are using harmful substances, or they can target 

other people such as parents, friends, and concerned 

community members who can do something about 

it.

Will Your Message Be Simple or Complex? 

Brief prevention messages can serve several 

purposes: provide direction (drink responsibly), 

pose a question (do you know where your child is?), 

show a situation (kids smoking marijuana), depict a 

consequence of risky behavior (pregnancy, vehicle 

crash, or arrest), or provide referrals (to learn 

more, call this number). Yet, your strategy may call 

for something more involved, such as providing 

detailed information (the effects of a drug) or 

teaching a skill (refusing harmful substances). 

How Will Your Message Reach Your 

Audience? 

When you think of prevention messages, you may 

picture mass media approaches such as posters all 

over town or public service announcements (PSAs) 

on radio and television. While such methods 

are great for reaching a wide audience and for 

reinforcing the message by repeating it and keeping 

it out there, they may require technical ability and 

high costs for development and distribution. 

Targeted media approaches such as reaching 

parents through a school newsletter or mailing 

flyers to community residents may require smaller 

investments in design and arrangements. 

Audience members may not believe a 

message unless it comes from a person 

or group they trust.

Don’t Take Anything for 

Granted: Test and Evaluate

Even after you have researched your topic 

and your audience, your idea of a moving 

message or a slick publication may not go 

over well with your audience. 

Test Your Materials

Before you invest in the full development 

of a substance abuse prevention 

communications product, make sure you’re 

on the right track. Use focus groups or 

informal methods to get reactions from 

audience members and others with special 

insight regarding your ideas or drafts of 

your product.

Look at Results

Once you’ve put a product out there, 

don’t forget about evaluation. With a bit 

of organization, you can track distribution, 

get feedback from the audience, and see 

what changes have occurred. For more 

difficult evaluation activities, don’t give 

up—get help. Look for technical assistance 

resources or pull in an expert consultant 

(see Focus On Evaluation on page 18).
23

Personal communication lets you go into more 

detail, decide when and where to deliver messages, 

use different presenters, adjust to the personal 

style of receivers, and answer questions. Teachers, 

counselors, health workers, coaches, police officers, 

and respected community members are some of the 

people who can deliver prevention messages.

What Materials Should You Use? 

The materials you use should reflect the type 

of message you want to deliver; the size, age, 

education, and lifestyle of the audience; your 

ability and creativity; the help you can get; and 

your budget. Also consider the length of your 

prevention effort. For example, a long-running 

campaign may warrant a large investment in design 

and distribution, while a weeklong Red Ribbon 

observance may call for materials that can be 

produced and distributed at a modest cost. 

The best information may fall 

short of your aims unless people 

understand and see it as new, 

interesting, acceptable, and in line 

with what they already know. 

Possible materials include print items such 

as flyers, brochures, and posters; Web-based 

information; novelty items bearing a logo or 

message; print, sound, or video PSAs; class 

curricula; press releases; and talking points.

Starting Points 

To communicate effectively about substance abuse 

prevention topics, your message and materials should be:

Accessible—bring products to the audience (public 

events, handouts, and PSAs) or make it easy for them 

to seek information (convenient times and locations, 

toll-free numbers, and Web sites). Employ more than 

one method—use each product to call attention to other 

outlets and materials. 

Easy to use—accommodate your audience. Match print 

materials to the reading level of your audience. Use 

different media—print, audio, and visual—to reinforce 

your message and appeal to a range of preferences for 

receiving information. Use different tools—words as well 

as pictures—to address varied learning styles and literacy 

levels. Recognize your audience’s diversity by providing 

information in different languages.

Engaging—grab your audience’s attention:

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Use images, colors, and sounds to make your 

information lively.

Provide human interest—create characters and tell a 

story.

Stir up emotions—use messages and visual elements 

that suggest parental concern, teen life, or compelling 

images of risk. 

Personalize your information—use interactive devices 

such as pointed questions, quizzes, and self-ratings to 

pull consumers into the message. 

Set a positive tone—balance warnings with solutions; 

don’t be preachy or judgmental.

Look for ways to carefully put a little fun into your 

message—a bit of irony or a novelty item can go a long 

way toward pulling your audience in and relieving a 

sense of dread or distaste.

Practical—tell audience members how to address a 

problem, get more information, or seek assistance. 

Offer solutions that are specific and realistic. To ensure 

value, be sure you’re right—check your facts and make 

sure your communications reflect accepted theories and 

proven techniques for changing people’s knowledge, 

attitudes, and behaviors (see Focus On Prevention 

Theory on page 12).

Simple—a clean, uncluttered appearance suggests 

ease of use and a no-nonsense approach. Use color and 

graphics to accent and diversify materials, but be careful 

not to overdo it. Set limits. Stick to your main points and 

don’t get bogged down in details—most users don’t need 

or want them.

Unified—your prevention materials must convey a 

single identity and a constant message. Within products, 

plan your format—be systematic about spacing and 

alignment of text, the relative importance of headings, 

and use of symbols. Across products, use consistent 

style elements such as logos, colors, and fonts to identify 

your organization or a particular activity. Make sure that 

different products do not present conflicting information 

and that all presenters share your group’s values and 

deliver messages correctly.

Connecting With Your Audience
24Focus On Prevention

FOCUS

ON

Media &

Social Media

Communication through mass media is a powerful 

tool for reaching substance abuse prevention audiences 

and achieving prevention goals. Traditional media 

channels include television, radio, newspapers, 

magazines, movies, and music. “Web 2.0” describes 

the changing trends in the use of the Internet that aim 

to enhance creativity, communications, collaboration, 

and functionality among users. Web 2.0 applications 

allow users to do more than just retrieve information; 

they emphasize interconnectivity and interactivity. 

The goal is not to replace proven traditional marketing 

strategies but to complement and create 24/7 contextual 

awareness, making it easier for your audience to find 

and interact with your prevention program.

Along with traditional print and broadcast channels, 

emerging social media and networking tools such as 

podcasts, blogs, and popular Web sites like Facebook 

and YouTube not only entertain us, but they help 

shape our views and values. You can use these media 

channels as a strategy to address the prevention of 

substance use problems. 

How Can Media and Social Media Fit Into a 

Prevention Strategy? 

Leveraging media and social media outlets can serve 

several purposes:

• 

• 

• 

Building support for prevention activities—for 

example, calling attention to binge drinking among 

young people through PSAs, announcing a new 

mentoring or life skills training program via podcast, 

or reporting the gains made by existing prevention 

activities with up-to-the-minute updates on Twitter. 

Delivering prevention messages to target 

audiences—for example, PSAs aimed at reducing the 

use of inhalants (see Focus On Connecting With Your 

Audience on page 22) or blogs among prevention 

partners to exchange practical tips, lessons learned, 

and challenges in outreach. 

Generating public support for policies and laws 

related to substance abuse—for example, restrictions 

on the advertising, price, and sale of alcohol and 

tobacco through newspapers or billboards.

How Can the Media Landscape Work for You? 

To include media in your prevention strategy, you have 

two choices: earn coverage or pay for it.

Earning coverage means attracting the attention of 

media outlets such as newspapers, radio, and TV 

stations. To earn coverage, you have to invest time and 

effort. Developing relationships with the media can 

help. Publicizing events, issuing press releases, and 

even visiting media outlets are important steps. Still, 

to make the media your partners, you need to provide 

benefits first and look for results later. This can mean 

drafting stories, sending information packets, and 

offering tips on how to use statistics and study results 

in news stories. 

Paying for coverage—buying radio or TV air time, ad 

space in a newspaper, or billboard space—gives you 

control of when or where people get your message. 

Remember, PSAs typically cannot be scheduled. To be 

sure your group’s money is well-spent, develop your 

message carefully and find out which media—such 

as radio stations that appeal to teens, adults, or certain 

ethnic groups—attract your target audiences. 

Combining media activities with other prevention 

efforts can help change knowledge, attitudes, 

and beliefs regarding substance abuse.

Reaching Out to the Media

Know the Media in Your Area

Learn who writes the columns in the local 

newspapers, which radio hosts discuss local issues, 

what parents and kids read, who has covered the 

issue before, and which media personalities have a 

personal connection to drug or alcohol abuse.

Call Media Representatives Until You Reach Them 

Directly

Leave only one message—ask when the person is 

usually in and call at that time. Then what? Just keep 

calling and calling? Find out if a media representative 

accepts email and contact him or her that way as well.

Arrange Coverage for Weekend Events

Radio and TV media typically have different people 

working on weekends. If your event is on a weekend, 

try to interest weekend media staff members in 

covering it. Get their names and phone numbers 

ahead of time. Be ready to call or fax information early 

on Saturday.

For a more detailed look at planning a media 
25

Always Provide Contact Information

Use your letterhead and include email addresses and 

fax numbers at the top of all media materials. Use the 

name of the person making the phone calls. Provide 

a “day of” number for reaching the contact person at 

an event via cell phone. (If necessary, borrow a cell 

phone just for that day.)

Follow Through and Don’t Give Up Easily

Call before and after you send material. If one media 

contact is not interested, try someone else at that 

outlet. Some news works better for one show or news 

column than another. Do not expect one reporter or 

department to pass your message to another.

Time Your Contacts

Mail and call ahead of time and fax or email a 

reminder with any updates about 2 days before an 

event. This is important; sometimes a squeaky wheel 

gets the oil. 

Know When To Quit

Diligence can pay off, but there is a fine line between 

being persistent and being a pest. 

event, see the Event Timeline on page 29.

Social networking sites are free and a great way to 

promote prevention messages through “ambassadors, 

advocates, and champions” who can help spread the 

word for you and measure results. Social networking 

allows one-to-one communication. Unlike broadcast/

mass media, social media connects personally with 

each and every user. Users are collecting information 

based on what they want, which means a deeper 

engagement with the message via interactivity.

What Results Can You Expect From Using 

Media and Social Media? 

Media and social networking activities can strengthen 

your prevention strategy and make people more aware 

of its aims, activities, messages, and results. 

Combining media outreach activities with other 

prevention efforts can help change knowledge, 

attitudes, and beliefs regarding substance use 

(see Focus On Social Marketing on page 20). A 

successful marketing strategy under the new media 

model leverages a variety of tools and an interactive, 

collaborative approach which will help to reach your 

target audiences and achieve your objectives.

Starting Points 

Leveraging Social Media in Today’s World

Understand the Media Landscape

• 

• 

Investigate the markets in which you want to promote your 

prevention messages. Know the local, State, and national 

print, broadcast, and Web channels that align with your 

program objectives. Identify prevention partner networks as 

well to capitalize on Web marketing and outreach activities 

through banner and linking strategies.

Become a Web 2.0 user. Visit popular social networking 

sites such as Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, Twitter, and 

LinkedIn to see what they are all about. An increasing 

number of Web users are paying more attention to socially 

conscious information. This is a great opportunity to reach 

out to specific audiences using technology, where feasible.

Make Prevention Relevant

• 

• 

Identify what your prevention program stands for and what 

you are communicating. Connect national statistics with 

local stories. For example, look at data from SAMHSA’s 

National Survey on Drug Use and Health and provide 

information to media covering local problems such as DUI/

DWI arrest rates, hospital admissions, and school counselor 

referrals (see Focus On Community Needs on page 4). 

These local tidbits can be sent out through local media’s 

social networking sites, thereby broadening the reach.

Point out links between substance abuse and other 

community problems such as mental health problems, 

homelessness, vandalism, teen pregnancy, school dropouts, 

unemployment, and domestic violence (see Focus On Risk 

and Protection on page 8). Widgets, wikis, and RSS feeds 

are just a few of the tools that can be used to promote this 

information to persons in need.

Know Your Audience

• Pinpoint geographic, demographic, lifestyle, interests, and 

keywords that resonate with your target audiences. Hot 

topics for key audiences will increase public engagement 

and participation.

Engage Users and Promote Prevention!

• 

• 

• 

• 

Identify schools, faith groups, businesses, or other groups in 

your community that take part in Red Ribbon Week or other 

prevention events. They can provide inspiring interviews and 

engaging visuals for podcasts or online chats.

Obtain quotes, background information, and “sound bites” 

from school personnel, law enforcement, physicians, 

hospitals, and faith leaders about drug and alcohol problems 

and effective prevention activities in your area. Providing 

quotes and compelling information from several sources can 

be “tweeted” or uploaded to sites for timely alerts.

Arrange media interviews with a local, State, or national 

prevention spokesperson and make it available for 

uploading to the Web on sites like YouTube or Facebook. 

Ask people to “follow you” on your social media pages and 

promote offline events such as conferences, recruiting fairs, 

and community prevention days. 

Stay Sharp. Innovate. Lead!

Media & Social Media

Make A

Difference

Take

Action

Reach

Out

Red

Ribbon

Your

Community

Event Timeline

Event Timeline

One of the first steps in having a successful news conference is to develop a detailed timeline of tasks. The 

timeline will help you stay on track and ensure that nothing falls through the cracks. Use the following sample 

timeline as a model for your upcoming event. Not every listed task is necessary for every event. Your timeline 

may be shortened substantially depending on your event’s size and purpose.

Organizations/coalitions you work with may want to add activities to your timeline, so it is important to get 

their input from the beginning. The following sample is for a news conference announcing new statistics for 

underage drinking. This timeline is limited in scope; far more possibilities exist in your community.

 

29Event Timeline

Task Example

Start by looking at outreach options; decide 

on the topic; and define goals, objectives, 

and audience. Check whether there are other 

existing activities for raising awareness about 

underage drinking. 

Explore possible partnerships.

Use the newest alcohol statistics to inform parents 

and leaders of youth activities regarding the extent of 

underage drinking.

• 

• 

• 

Topic: Prevent underage drinking.

Goal: Raise awareness about the impact of underage 

drinking.

Audience: Who is the message for? Opinion leaders, 

policymakers, parents, general public, teenagers, health 

care providers, media?

90 Days Prior

Start a preliminary budget.

Discuss various evaluation strategies. See Focus On Evaluation on page 18.

Determine what is newsworthy. Is what you 

are announcing controversial or compelling?

In this example, new statistics for underage drinking will 

be announced, such as:

• In 2008, about 10.1 million persons aged 12 to 20 (26.4 

percent of this age group) reported drinking alcohol in 

the past month. (SAMHSA 2008 National Survey on 

Drug Use and Health (NSDUH))

• Rates of current, binge, and heavy alcohol use among 

underage persons declined between 2002 and 2008. 

Current use dropped from 28.8 to 26.4 percent; binge 

use declined from 19.3 to 17.4 percent; and heavy use 

declined from 6.2 to 5.5 percent. (SAMHSA 2008 

NSDUH)
30Focus On Prevention

Task Example

90 Days Prior

Invite other organizations to join the coalition, 

form event committees, and plan for future 

coalition meetings.

Make sure all organizations that are concerned 

with youth issues or deal directly with 

children are involved—such as education, 

faith communities, law enforcement, social 

services, parents, youth, health, mental health, 

substance abuse services, vocational services, 

and recreation.

Determine whether this is a united community-wide news 

event. Keep in mind that this topic concerns many people, 

but most of the major decisionmakers don’t have time 

to work on committees. One solution is to invite major 

decisionmakers to form a board of advisors (or expert 

panel) for the event. They could meet a couple of times 

before the event and, again, after the event to celebrate the 

results.

Invite chief executive officers, executive directors, 

presidents, or other leaders representing the Governor’s/

mayor’s office; regional HHS office; school board; 

juvenile court; media producers from major print, 

radio, and TV outlets; local celebrities; Parent-Teacher 

Associations; both adult leaders and participants of youth 

group organizations (sports, scouts, other special interests; 

high school student council and other school groups; 

junior league); Elks and other service organizations; faith 

communities; health and mental health groups; businesses 

with mentoring programs; university statistician; and so on.

Each person on the board would appoint at least one 

“worker bee” for the event council—along with coalition 

members—to plan, organize, and conduct the event. This 

council could meet monthly, but the individual planning 

committees would meet and work between the monthly 

meetings.

Using this model, major decisionmakers are involved and 

invested. In the invitation letters, specify how much time 

will be involved for board members and for the event 

council.

“Think visually” to showcase your program 

or coalition, and decide on the type of event to 

best highlight underage drinking, such as:

• 

• 

• 

A more formal news conference (talking 

heads) with invited media. 

The tasks in this timeline focus on a news conference.

A special event with some type of activity 

that attracts media (activities would be 

suspended during the media conference with 

events before and after).

An anti-drinking rally at a middle school, final competition 

of youth group skits to prevent underage drinking and 

driving, or carnival-style games prepared by high school 

students being used to educate grade school kids.

A media conference to highlight other 

activities before or after the actual 

conference and to provide photo 

opportunities.

Youth doing community volunteer activities, a business

with a successful mentoring program, or a youth group’s 

after-school activities.

Identify event committee chairpersons.

Each committee will develop its own tasks and 

timeline.

Examples of committees include program, speakers, and 

participants; logistics and equipment; budget; invitations; 

media and photo opportunities; and publications.
31Event Timeline

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Task Example

Make decisions on:

90 Days Prior

Type of event.

Message points—five or six statements that 

encompass the most important facts and are 

agreed upon by coalition members.

A message point could be some variation of: “Increasing 

protective factors and reducing risk factors help prevent 

underage drinking” or “As youths’ understanding about 

the harm associated with alcohol increases, the number of 

youth drinking decreases.”

Agenda with the amount of time allotted to 

each speaker.

Possible speakers—narrow the list down to 

four to five for a news conference.

Consider inviting the Governor, school board president 

or principal, an expert on alcohol, a young person 

who used to drink but has become a respected peer 

counselor, a local sports celebrity, the State traffic safety 

commissioner, a judge, or an adult with stories about what 

positive activities can do—consider “one and all” who 

might be a good draw or have the expertise or “clout” to 

attract and influence the target audience.

Time for a question-and-answer session 

(Q & A).

Have coalition members prepare to answer questions that 

are outside of the speakers’ areas of expertise.

One-on-one interviews with a reporter and 

one of the speakers, or a coalition leader, 

after the main event.

Other special invitees.

Location. Ideas include: 

• 

• 

• 

A school auditorium

A traffic or family court room

A hotel that participates in public service.

Audience—see Focus On Issues and 

Audiences, page 6.

The target audience is parents—who can talk with their 

children about using alcohol.

Types of evaluation and data to document 

ongoing progress and final outcomes—see 

Focus On Evaluation, page 18.

Get approval from all participating 

organizations’ boards of directors, 

administrators, and others, as needed.

Find out the best time of day for media folks 

to attend and meet local TV and newspaper 

deadlines.

You may choose to involve a mix of media personalities 

leading up to the event (be careful because if only one or 

two stations are singled out at the beginning, other stations 

may consider your event “hands off”).
32Focus On Prevention

Task Example

90 Days Prior

Think of how to engage media personalities—

if they are involved, they are more likely 

to talk about it on air, which increases your 

media outreach.

If targeting teens, consider using DJs from several stations 

in your event. If targeting families, consider including 

pertinent data and stats in a breakfast basket tied with red 

ribbons and present them to morning radio talk show hosts 

(the morning drive reaches lots of listeners).

Select event location and reserve room(s), 

get map or directions, and find out what 

information is needed to post your activity 

on the activity board or marquee (if a school, 

hotel, or convention center is chosen). 

Find out:

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Is the room soundproof?

Who controls the lights and thermostat?

Are handicap facilities available? 

Where is the waiting room for speakers to gather before 

the event?

Is the sign-in area an ante-room or a wide hall with 

sufficient space to keep traffic moving as media and 

guests arrive?

Is there an area to serve refreshments with enough waste 

baskets?

Is there a sufficient number of restrooms? 

Where will people put coats if the weather is rainy or 

cold? 

Is the parking for media, participants, and others close?

Select speakers and send confirmation letters.

Start logistic planning. Consider—

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Backdrop for the name and logo of the 

coalition or lead organization.

Find out where and how to attach banners and posters to 

reinforce your messages.

Risers for TV camera crews.

Visible and accessible area for resource 

table(s).

Good reception for cell phones.

Microphones for the podium and audience. Other coalition members can help answer questions if they 

are seated near a microphone.

A multiple electrical hookup box (“mult 

box”) for media.

Sufficient chairs.

Audiovisual equipment. Will there be slides or a PowerPoint presentation?

Space for one-on-one media interviews with 

speakers or coalition heads after the main 

event is over.
33Event Timeline

Task Example

Start collecting national data at http://www.

oas.samhsa.gov. This SAMHSA Web site has 

some stats broken down by State and age.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services 

Administration (SAMHSA), within the Department 

of Health and Human Services, is responsible for 

improving the accountability, capacity, and effectiveness 

of the Nation’s substance abuse prevention, addictions, 

treatment, and mental health services delivery system.

90 Days Prior

Other stats are available from the CDC Youth 

Risk Behavior Surveillance System at http://

www.epidcc.samhsa.gov/default.asp.

Talk with a statistics professor to get help interpreting 

stats from SAMHSA’s State Epidemiological Data System 

(SEDS) at http://ww.epidcc.samhsa.gov/default.asp.

Pull together local statistics and other data 

from your needs assessment, your State 

or county statistics department, university 

research, local law enforcement, or other 

agency that collects stats.

Most school districts will not allow a student 

questionnaire without getting parental permission for 

every student.

Write proclamations to submit to the Governor 

and county executive to sign.

Get a variety of previous proclamations to learn style and 

formatting.

Decide whether funding or other types of 

sponsorship will be solicited from nonparticipating organizations.

For example, a roller rink (kid’s activity); the Elks (with 

a youth behavior program); a local restaurant (where 

kids hang out); a local business with an active mentoring 

program for kids; the print shop at a vocational school; or 

a TV station with a youth agenda for their May sweeps 

could be invited to donate money or in-kind services. 

Businesses—represented on social service agencies’ 

boards, faith councils, or the junior league or involved 

with one of the participating organizations—may provide 

funding or have suggestions. If a hotel is donating the 

room, it would be listed as a contributor.

 

Invite speakers. Usually four to five including 

both genders, various ethnicities, and a mix of 

coalition organizations.

Think big. Remember “they” can’t say “yes” unless 

they’ve been asked, and lots of “high power” people will 

be in favor of preventing underage drinking.

• 

• 

Send confirmation letters to speakers and 

participants.

Keep in mind any back-up speakers, in case 

a last-minute replacement is needed.

In this timeline, “speakers” refer to people speaking 

at the event; “participants” refer to people who will 

be introduced from the podium or who are involved 

in auxiliary activities before and after the actual news 

conference.

Remember to:

• 

• 

Get biographies.

Organize the key points and divide them 

among the speakers.

Include recognition of young people who do not drink.
34Focus On Prevention

Task Example

90 Days Prior

• 

• 

Consider having someone from the 

community who has been affected by 

underage drinking—either a teenager or 

parent—share their experience.

Work with the community speaker to prepare him/her for 

public speaking and to be aware of what he/she will be 

saying.

Invite your list of special invitees (dignitaries 

and heads of organizations in the coalition). 

Select people can be introduced from the podium, 

and everyone’s written statements can be collated and 

included in the kits or put on the sign-in tables. 

60 Days Prior

Discuss ideas for the media materials to pitch 

to each media format.

Materials will be different for:

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

General news coverage (print and broadcast).

Radio or TV editorials.

Radio or TV talk shows.

Newspaper columnists.

Letters to the editor.

Itemize the importance and benefits of the 

event and your messages for the community, 

audience, and the media—this can help when 

pitching media. 

Your coalition goals and objectives will be part of your 

“benefit” document.

If you are pitching a TV talk show or town hall, 

specify expectations for your organization or 

coalition and the expectations for the media 

organizations.

For example, the coalition could have the expectation to 

provide “experts” for a panel, provide back-up experts/

professionals to participate from the audience, promote 

the station in coalition materials, and provide handouts for 

people in the studio audience.

If a particular station has given your coalition 

greater coverage than other stations in the past, 

you may decide to single it out and “pitch” a 

partnership. 

Prepare a written document that addresses why you chose 

that station—possibly their history of public service; 

include sections itemizing expectations for the board of 

advisors, event council, and coalition; expectations for the 

station; and benefits to the station.

For a community event, the coalition may 

decide to work with a major media organization 

using the rationale that better coverage on that 

station will have a greater effect than spotty 

coverage by several stations. Approach that 

station for “exclusive coverage” of the event. 

Expectations for the station could include promoting 

the event on air, assuming costs of equipment rental, 

distributing admission tickets, deciding whether taping the 

event for future TV programming is beneficial, selecting 

station representatives to serve on both the steering and 

planning committees, offering recommendations for the 

event, or providing a well-known station representative to 

participate in the event or to act as moderator. 

A list of benefits to the station might include:

• 

• 

• 

• 

A role in naming the event.

First choice of programming with experts and 

dignitaries (who have agreed to represent the coalition).

First choice in cosponsoring other community projects.

Coalition publications to distribute with the station’s 

relevant programming.
35Event Timeline

Task Example

• 

• 

The opportunity to work with coalition members 

representing several disciplines.

Visibility as a vital media resource committed to 

reducing the alarming numbers of underage drinking.

60 Days Prior

Emphasize that this partnership would be 

for this event only; however, you would 

appreciate “normal news coverage of future 

coalition activities.” (They may not want to 

commit to other special coverage.) 

Thank them for any coverage they already have given 

and be specific, such as praising them for an excellent 

radio news report discussing the information released at 

a previous news conference or a radio/television editorial 

on the need for community-wide prevention activities for 

young people. 

Collect information about any outreach 

participating organizations—and other 

community organizations—are planning 

around the same time that can support the 

event or compete with it.

Check with other organizations that previously 

have planned similar events to discuss lessons 

learned regarding their event and media 

experiences.

Decide how to categorize and list coalition 

members and other sponsors on event 

materials.

Include the organizations providing in-kind donations, 

such as printing or the event room. 

Develop or pull together:

• 

• 

• 

• 

Background materials on member 

organizations.

Fact sheets on underage drinking.

Talking points.

Include reference citations in all drafts.

Possible questions from attendees or media 

with answers to prepare for the event’s 

Q & A session.

Compile a media list. Include names, titles, media organizations, street 

addresses, email addresses, phone numbers, and fax 

numbers.

Compile an attendee invitation list.

Design invitations, if needed.

Include addresses (both mail and email) and phone 

numbers.

Identify contents for attendee kits and media 

kits. 

Kit contents may be the same or there may be extra 

information for the media.

If materials are to be printed, start the print 

process.

Remember to include the kit folders and labels in the list 

of supplies needed for the event.
36Focus On Prevention

Task Example

60 Days Prior

Compile lists of community resources for 

treatment, advocacy, and other types of followup that may be needed by families and youth.

Put a resource list in media kits for reporters to include in 

their coverage.

45 Days Prior

Review all background materials, make 

corrections, and get approvals. 

Finalize kit materials and reproduce.

Write a first draft of the media advisory and 

media release.

Determine whether a community flyer would 

be beneficial. If so, design, reproduce, and 

plan a dissemination strategy.

Decide whether to have a resource table; 

collect materials.

Consider additional back-up information or highlight 

coalition organizations and their programs.

Make arrangements to videotape the event. 

Select an onsite photographer for still photos.

Plan room visuals:

• 

• 

• 

• 

Order background visuals for the event and 

the podium.

Place visuals so your program’s name and logo will appear 

in all camera shots.

Get copies of graphs and posters for each 

speaker’s presentation.

Make sure that all visuals are large enough to be read by 

everyone in the room.

Prepare appropriate visuals for sign-in areas.

Produce directional signs to the room, if needed.

Hire a person to sign for the hearing impaired.

Make arrangements for security.

Consider writing PSAs for radio personalities to 

read on air (see page 45).

Alert everyone to watch for national or 

community “happenings” that can be built on 

and used in media outreach. Turn a negative 

story into a positive prevention focus.

For example, as your event gets closer, be flexible and 

incorporate a breaking news story, such as a keg party for 

underage youth that involved drinking and driving and a 

fatal auto accident. Consider moving your media event to 

a crisis center and adding a crisis speaker or the chief of 

police to tie your messages to what the community wants 

and needs.
37Event Timeline

Task Example

Finalize the media advisory and media release.

30 Days Prior

Finalize the media contact list.

Agree on information to be pitched and write 

it up—you have about 10 seconds to get a 

reporter’s attention.

Describe the types of stats to be announced, but do not 

release the actual statistics.

Emphasize the scope of the problem affecting 

families and the community.

Use the national and other background stats you have 

collected. 

Identify an expert who can respond quickly if 

a reporter wants an interview before the event.

At this time, general information can be discussed, not the 

information and stats to be released at the event.

Finalize:

• 

• 

• 

Speeches. 

Talking points. 

Q & A.

Make copies of speakers’ presentations to include 

in packets. Copies can help the media get accurate 

information and stats versus note taking.

Compile RSVP list from participant and 

invitation lists.

Decide who will take the RSVP calls. Designate at least two people to answer the phone at all 

times.

Mail invitations.

Revisit site to finalize set-up and verify 

logistics.

Check the seating arrangement and number of chairs for 

the event.

Determine the traffic flow as you plan the 

actual position of sign-in tables for media and 

attendees and the resource tables.

Sketch the area so you can share the layout with 

administrators and people who will be doing the event 

set-up.

Provide media training for speakers, if needed. Include training for your organization’s director or 

other spokesperson (even if he/she is not one of the 

event speakers) so he/she is prepared to handle media 

interviews.

Share the agenda with speakers and 

participants.

Order any food and beverages needed for 

speakers or guests.

Have water available to speakers during the event.

Compile a list of event duties and who is 

responsible.

Include individuals who transport all supplies to the 

event area, direct parking, set up, greet, staff the sign-in 

tables, troubleshoot for the speaker waiting room, escort 

attendees and speakers, pack and clean up, answer the 

office phone during the event, and coordinate calls to cell 

phones at the event.
38Focus On Prevention

Task Example

30 Days Prior

Place your event on the daybooks of local 

media and local Associated Press (AP) and 

United Press International (UPI).

20 Days Prior

Reproduce the media advisory and news 

release.

Assemble kits for all media, event attendants, 

and participants.

In addition, ask each coalition organization how many kits 

it needs.

Arrange transportation for speakers and 

participants, as needed.

Make table-tent cards to identify speakers at the 

head table.

Table identification and name tags help media identify 

speakers.

Make name tags for speakers, officials, and 

administrators.

Make badges/ribbons for people greeting or 

helping in the sign-in area.

Attendees will know that people with badges can answer 

questions and help them.

Compile a list of still photos for the 

photographer to take.

Plan photos for community newspapers as well as 

coalition newsletters and annual reports.

10 Days Prior

Distribute the media advisory.

Reconfirm the speakers.

Prepare several clipboards—each with multiple 

sign-in pages for both media and guests.

Many people will be arriving at the last minute and you 

will want a complete list of media and organizations for

your reports.

Collect equipment to take to the event. Remember your equipment such as news print, easels, 

scotch tape, stapler, note pads, pens, and extension cord.

If they are not available at the location, take pitchers and 

water glasses for the head table/podium.

Compile the final list of the people to be 

recognized from the podium.

Submit op-eds to the media.

3-5 Days Prior

Call to invite the media to the event.

Print out the preliminary RSVP list. Follow up 

as needed. 
Focus On Prevention

39

Task Example

If possible, arrange the room. Set up the podium, speaker seating, displays, visuals, and 

sign-in tables.

1 Day Prior

Organize the sound system. 

Mark the seats that are reserved. Identify seating for people who: 

• Are introduced from the podium.

• May help with the Q & A.

• Are special guests or participants.

Print out the final RSVP list.

Distribute the news release.

Check the sound system.

Enjoy!

All set-up should be completed 1 hour before the news 

conference starts.

The Day

Mail the media kits to non-attending media, as 

appropriate.

The Day After

Call the media who did not attend and arrange 

an interview or other follow-up needed by a 

reporter.

2-4 Days After

Make captions for photos and distribute 

to newspapers. Consider sending screened 

photos to coalition newsletters and weekly 

community newspapers.

Review and assess media coverage.

Evaluate all aspects of planning and 

conducting the event.

1+ Week After

Start writing reports.

Make A

Difference

Your

Community

Take

Action

Reach

Out

Red

Ribbon

Sample Materials

Sample Pitch Letter

[DATE]

[NAME]

[TITLE]

[ORGANIZATION]

[ADDRESS]

Dear [NAME]:

According to the 2008 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, about 10.1 million underage persons aged 

12 to 20 (26.4 percent) reported drinking alcohol in the past month. Furthermore, 9.3 percent of our Nation’s 

youth reported using illicit drugs in the past month.

The use of drugs, tobacco, and alcohol by our Nation’s youth has damaging effects on the individual, the 

family, and the community. A united community can make a difference. That’s why we are encouraging you to 

join [ORGANIZATION] in bringing parents, schools, businesses, and others together to help create drug-free 

communities.

[ORGANIZATION] is providing you with the enclosed resources to help you raise awareness about this 

important public health issue facing our community.

Here are a few suggestions:

• 

• 

• 

• 

[For Print Media Only] Publish the enclosed drop-in article in newspapers or newsletters or post it on 

the Internet.

Run the enclosed public service announcements to increase awareness of youth substance abuse issues.

Contact us for an expert spokesperson to interview for stories that address ways to promote drug-free 

communities.

Encourage your audience to call the Federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services 

Administration (SAMHSA) Health Information Network at 1-877-SAMHSA-7 (1-877-726-4727) for 

free publications, other resources, and more information.

We hope you will join us and SAMHSA in encouraging and promoting substance abuse prevention in our 

community.

Sincerely,

[YOUR NAME]

[TITLE]

43Sample Pitch Letter

Radio Public Service Announcements

 :30 The right time to start talking with your kids about drugs is now. No matter how young they are, good 

and consistent family communication helps kids be drug free. Join the Federal Substance Abuse and 

Mental Health Services Administration and the Red Ribbon Campaign in preventing drug use in our 

community. For more information on what parents can do to help their kids be drug free, contact 

SAMHSA’s Health Information Network by calling 1-877-SAMHSA-7 or 1-877-726-4727.

Tag: A message from (your organization’s name here) and this station.

 :30 Over 9 percent of our Nation’s youth report using illicit drugs. Parents can make a difference. Talking 

with your kids at an early age about the dangers of drug use helps them make healthy decisions 

as they get older. For more information on what parents can do to help their kids be drug free, call 

1-877-SAMHSA-7 or 1-877-726-4727.

Tag: A message from (your organization’s name here) and this station.

 :15 Now is the right time to start talking with your kids about drugs—no matter how young they are. For 

free materials to help your kids be drug free, call 1-877-SAMHSA-7 or 1-877-726-4727.

Tag: A message from (your organization’s name here) and this station.

 :15 Take a stand against drug use in our community, and help kids be drug free. To find out what you can 

do, call 1-877-SAMHSA-7 or 1-877-726-4727.

Tag: A message from (your organization’s name here) and this station.

45Radio PSAs

“Drop-in” Feature Articles for SAMHSA 

Community Coalitions

Prevention Is Everyone’s Business 

The 12-year-old sitting next to your son may be the 1 in 10 middle schoolers who already has tried alcohol. By 10th 

grade, half of 15-year-olds have experimented with alcohol and may be encouraging your child to use it, too. Our roads 

are unsafe, with an estimated 2.9 million youths aged 12 to 20 driving under the influence of alcohol each year. 

Drugs are another problem. Of the adults who used marijuana for several years, a few said they started before turning 

12, and most (62 percent) of the 2.2 million recent marijuana initiates were younger than age 18 when they first used, 

according to the 2008 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) conducted by the Substance Abuse and 

Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). 

“These numbers from SAMHSA prove we must do a better job preventing underage drinking and drug use for both our 

own kids and for other young people. For sure, we know that before age 12, kids need to know how to refuse alcohol and 

drugs,” said (fill in name and title), (fill in name of organization or coalition). 

“Effective prevention is the same—whether the focus is cancer, diabetes, or kids using alcohol. They all require 

education to change attitudes and behavior,” he/she continued. “Prevention works! We can start protecting kids better by 

making our community safer.” 

This includes protecting children from violence on streets and playgrounds, preventing bullying, or prohibiting alcohol 

and drugs at school. Safety also includes offering a variety of supervised youth activities that help young people stay 

busy while building skills and self-confidence. In addition, volunteer activities can help young people feel pride in 

“giving back” to their community. 

Communication is important—youth who don’t use alcohol say their parents are a major factor in that decision. Young 

people benefit when parents talk with them about many things, including family rules for alcohol, tobacco, and illegal 

drugs. 

“You are important. You are invited to join (name of coalition). Valued volunteers participate in many activities—from 

running the copy machine to being a mentor, from reading stories in the library to coaching soccer, from teaching kids 

chess to teaching parents how to use better parenting skills—the possibilities are endless,” said (name another leader in 

the coalition). 

(Can insert a paragraph about the local prevention coalitions and activities.)

“We have funding from SAMHSA and (local source of funding), but to develop our prevention plans, we need the skills 

and talents of volunteers. We have enough important activities for everyone who is interested in prevention,” _____

explained. For more information about the (name of coalition), contact (contact information including names, phone 

number, address, and Web address).

SAMHSA, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, has a variety of free materials that can be ordered 

from SAMHSA’s Health Information Network by calling 1-877-SAMHSA-7 (1-877-726-4727) or 1-800-487-4889 

(TTY) or by visiting http://www.samhsa.gov/shin.

Specific publications include Building Blocks for a Healthy Future for 3- to 6-year-olds and their parents and several 

Tips for Teens on individual drugs and booklets on marijuana and ecstasy provide information for family and group 

discussions. Too Smart To Start is written for parents of 9- to 13-year-olds. Information about Too Smart To Start is 

located at http://www.toosmarttostart.samhsa.hhs.gov. The Web site A Family Guide to Keeping Youth Mentally Healthy 

and Drug Free is for parents. The Family Guide is located at http://family.samhsa.gov.

47Drop-in Articles

“Drop-in” Feature Articles for SAMHSA 

Community Coalitions

Prevention Reduces Risk of Alcohol Abuse 

Early onset of drinking can be a marker for future problems, including alcohol dependence and other substance abuse. 

Those who begin drinking alcohol before the age of 15 are five times more likely than those who start at age 21 and 

older to develop alcohol problems, according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) 2004 Report: 

Alcohol Dependence or Abuse and Age at First Use released by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services 

Administration (SAMHSA).

On average, one in ten 12-year-olds who completed the 2008 NSDUH admits to having tried alcohol. That number 

nearly doubles by age 13. By age 15, over two-fifths of youths (44.5 percent) have tried alcohol. 

“These SAMHSA statistics are an urgent reminder that our community must increase efforts to prevent underage use 

of alcohol,” said (name and title), (organization or coalition). “Effective prevention is the same—whether the focus is 

cancer, diabetes, or kids using alcohol. We can do it, and we can do it successfully.” 

The 2008 NSDUH also reported that 17 million adults aged 18 or older are abusing alcohol or were dependent on it. For 

illicit drugs, adults who first used marijuana before age 15 are much more likely to become dependent than those who 

begin using marijuana at a later age. 

“Those numbers—from both youth and adults—mean that we have to reach out to 9- to 13-year-olds before they drink 

alcohol or try drugs. At that age, parents are key in helping young children learn how to make healthy choices,” (name) 

continued. “Most teens who don’t use alcohol say their parents are the reason for that decision. Keeping the respect of 

their parents is important to young people. Talk with your kids about alcohol and drugs.”

An important part of prevention is keeping children safe. Youth need continuing protection from violence in 

communities, in schools, on playgrounds, and at home. For example, schools can make every effort to eliminate 

bullying. At home, parents can learn how to settle conflicts without using harsh discipline. 

Media also has a significant role in substance abuse prevention—media can reinforce prevention messages or it can 

compete with them. Starting with cartoons and advertisements for preschoolers, children can begin to understand what 

they see and hear on television. Parents and other adults can help children understand subtle messages. Later, youth can 

learn to question messages about alcohol and drugs in DVDs, movies, and songs. 

“A big part of prevention is educating people about changing behaviors—we need help! We are involving families, 

volunteers, schools, youth organizations, parent groups, and businesses in our prevention coalition. By working together, 

we can help children build better skills to refuse alcohol and drugs and stop another generation from abusing drugs and 

alcohol,” added (name of coalition leader and title), (organization). 

(Insert paragraph about local coalition prevention activities in this paragraph.) 

“Because (name of coalition) has funding from SAMHSA and support from (name of local sources), our focus can 

expand beyond fundraising to concentrate on prevention activities. One way to improve those activities is to use the 

skills and knowledge that volunteers contribute. We invite anyone interested in prevention to join us,” encouraged 

(name). 

For information about the (name of coalition), contact (contact information including names, phone number, address, 

and Web address).

SAMHSA is the lead Federal agency for improving the quality and availability of substance abuse prevention, addiction 

treatment, and mental health services in the United States. Free prevention materials can be ordered from SAMHSA’s 

Health Information Network by calling 1-877-SAMHSA-7 (1-877-726-4727) or 1-800-487-4889 (TTY) or by visiting 

http://www.samhsa.gov/shin.

49Drop-in Articles

Make A

Difference

Your

Community

Take

Action

Reach

Out

Red

Ribbon

Resources

Substance Abuse Prevention Resources

53

Federal Resources

Substance Abuse and Mental Health 

Services Administration (SAMHSA)

1 Choke Cherry Road 

Rockville, MD 20857 

http://www.samhsa.gov

SAMHSA’s Health Information Network (SHIN) 

P.O. Box 2345 

Rockville, MD 20847-2345 

877-SAMHSA-7 or 877-726-4727 (English and 

Espanol) 

800-487-4889 (TTY) 

240-221-4292 (FAX) 

http://www.samhsa.gov/shin

Substance Abuse Publications 

http://ncadi.samhsa.gov/

Mental Health Publications 

http://mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/

Building Blocks for a Healthy Future

http://www.bblocks.samhsa.gov 

The Center for Substance Abuse Prevention’s 

(CSAP) Centers for the Application of Prevention 

Technologies (CAPTs) 

http://captus.samhsa.gov 

A Family Guide To Keeping Youth Mentally Healthy 

and Drug Free

http://family.samhsa.gov/

Prevention Pathways

http://preventionpathways.samhsa.gov/

Prevention Platform

http://preventionplatform.samhsa.gov/ 

Safe Schools/Healthy Students 

http://www.sshs.samhsa.gov/

SAMHSA Model Programs

http://modelprograms.samhsa.gov/ 

SAMHSA’s Division of Workplace Programs 

http://dwp.samhsa.gov/index.aspx

SAMHSA’s Drug-Free Communities Support Program

http://drugfreecommunities.samhsa.gov/ 

State Prevention Profiles

http://prevention.samhsa.gov/stateprofiles/ 

Synar Amendment: Protecting the Nation’s Youth 

from Nicotine Addiction

http://prevention.samhsa.gov/tobacco/

Too Smart To Start

http://www.toosmarttostart.samhsa.gov/

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

1600 Clifton Road 

Atlanta, GA 30333 

800-CDC-INFO or 800-232-4636 

888-232-6348 (TTY) 

http://ww.cdc.gov 

Office on Smoking and Health

http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/

Higher Education Center for Alcohol and 

Other Drug Abuse and Violence Prevention 

Education Development Center, Inc.

55 Chapel Street 

Newton, MA 02458-1060 

800-676-1730 

http://www.edc.org/hec/

National Institutes of Health (NIH) 

9000 Rockville Pike 

Bethesda, MD 20892 

301-496-4000 

301-402-9612 (TTY) 

http://www.nih.gov

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse 

and Alcoholism (NIAAA)

5635 Fishers Lane, MSC 9304 

Bethesda, MD 20892-9304 

http://www.niaaa.nih.gov

Resources
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

6001 Executive Boulevard 

Room 5213 

Bethesda, MD 20892-9561 

301-443-1124 

http://www.nida.nih.gov/

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency 

Programs (OJJDP) 

U.S. Department of Justice

810 Seventh Street, NW. 

Washington, DC 20531 

202-307-5911 

http://www.ojjdp.ncjrs.org/ 

Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) 

Drug Policy Information Clearinghouse

P.O. Box 6000 

Rockville, MD 20849-6000 

800-666-3332 

http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov

National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign

http://www.mediacampaign.org

Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools (OSDFS) 

U.S. Department of Education

400 Maryland Avenue, SW. 

Room 3E300 

Washington, DC 20202-6450 

202-260-3954 

http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/osdfs/index.html 

Other Resources

Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids

1400 Eye Street, Suite 1200 

Washington, DC 20005 

202-296-5469 

http://tobaccofreekids.org

Children, Youth, and Families Education 

and Research Network (CYFERnet)

612-624-8181 

http://www.cyfernet.org

Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America (CADCA)

625 Slaters Lane, Suite 300 

Alexandria, VA 22314 

800-54-CADCA or 800-542-2322 

http://cadca.org/

Monitoring the Future

http://www.monitoringthefuture.org/

National Asian Pacific American Families Against 

Substance Abuse (NAPAFASA)

340 East Second Street, Suite 409 

Los Angeles, CA 90012 

213-625-5795 

http://www.napafasa.org/about/main.htm

The National Center on Addiction and Substance 

Abuse at Columbia University

633 Third Avenue, 19th Floor 

New York, NY 10017-6706 

212-841-5200 

http://www.casacolumbia.org/

National Family Partnership at 

Informed Families’ Education Center

2490 Coral Way, Suite 501 

Miami, FL 33145 

800-705-8997 

305-856-4886 

http://www.nfp.org

National Latino Council on Alcohol 

and Tobacco Prevention

250 Fifth Avenue

Suite 403

New York, NY 10001 

http://www.nlcatp.org

Substance Abuse Prevention Resources (Cont.)

54Focus On Prevention
Parents Resource Institute for Drug Education, Inc. 

(PRIDE)

6143 Whitmore Street 

Omaha, NE 68152 

402-397-3309 

http://www.pride.org

Partnership for a Drug-Free America

405 Lexington Avenue, Suite 1601 

New York, NY 10174 

212-922-1560 

http://www.drugfree.org

Prevention Partners, Inc.

4516 Lovers Lane, Suite 355 

Dallas, TX 75225 

800-394-1213 

214-357-3608 

http://www.preventionpartners.com/ 

Print Materials

CDC’s Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance 

System (YRBSS)

http://www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/yrbs/index.htm

National Cancer Institute

Pink Book: Making Health Communications 

Programs Work

http://www.cancer.gov/pinkbook

National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and 

Health Promotion, Division of Nutrition 

and Physical Activity 

Promoting Physical Activity: A Guide 

for Community Action

http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/pahand.htm

National Survey on Drug Use and Health

http://www.oas.samhsa.gov/nsduh.htm

NIMCO, Inc.

P.O. Box 9 

102 Hwy. 81 North 

Calhoun, KY 42327-0009 

800-962-6662 

270-273-5844 (FAX) 

http://www.drugpreventionresources.com

Red Ribbon Resources

http://www.redribbonresources.com

Tips for Teens

http://ncadistore.samhsa.gov/catalog/results.

aspx?h=drugs&topic=100

Substance Abuse Prevention Resources (Cont.)

55Resources
HHS Publication No. (SMA) 10–4120

Revision 2010