Substance Abuse - Prevention

Substance Abuse Prevention is a proactive, comprehensive system that is designed to preclude, forestall, or impede the development of substance abuse problems, primarily for youth. This is best accomplished through the use of ongoing strategies such as increasing public awareness and education, community-based processes and evidence-based practices.

In recent years, prevention efforts have shifted more to the local and county levels, giving individual communities the opportunity to identify their own unique prevention needs and develop action plans in response.  Local communities participate in community needs assessments, strategic planning, goal-setting, data-driven evaluation, social marketing, mass media, technology, resource sharing, economic impact, community-level education and continuous quality improvement. Having a sharper community focus allows prevention strategies to have a greater impact locally and statewide on behavioral change by shifting social, cultural and community environments.

Substance Abuse Prevention benefits the health and safety of Florida's citizens by affecting long-lasting, positive change among youth and adults at risk for use, abuse, misuse and addiction.

Prevention News

• Substance Abuse Prevention News
  Find out the latest news as it relates to Substance Abuse Prevention.

Drug-Free Teens

• Drug-Free Teens
  Important information and resources for parents, youth, communities, and healthcare providers.

SARG

• The Substance Abuse Response Guide (SARG)
  SARG is a strategic planning tool that is used to help communities identify prevention needs and capacity.

Prevention Grant-Funded Programs

• Florida Partnership for Success
  Helps communities reduce underage drinking and substance abuse-related problems through a public health approach to creating community-wide change.
• Florida Partnership for Collegiate Success Initiative (CSI)
  Helps mobilize campus and community coalitions to change the environment that supports high-risk underage use of alcohol.
• Strategic Prevention Framework State Prevention Enhancement Grant (SPE)
  Designed to strengthen and extend SAMHSA's national implementation of the Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF).
• Enforcing Underage Drinking Laws (EUDL)
  Supports and enhances Florida's efforts, in cooperation with local jurisdictions, to enforce laws prohibiting the sale of alcoholic beverages, or the consumption of alcoholic beverages by minors.
• Prevention Partnership Grants (PPG)
  Competitively awarded prevention funds used for evidence-based programs, practices or strategies.

Partnership & Collaborative Efforts

• DCF Substance Abuse Prevention System Meeting
  The DCF Substance Abuse Prevention System Meeting provides an annual venue for state and local organizations to come together to discuss and strategize substance abuse prevention efforts.
• Prevention Partners
  A list of agencies in Florida working together to help in prevention efforts
• Prevention Providers
  A list of prevention providers in Florida
• Prevention Coalitions
  A downloadable (pdf) list of Florida's current Anti-Drug Coalitions
• Prevention Workgroups
  A description of active prevention workgroups and their purpose

Data and Reporting

• Florida Community Health and Wellness Dashboard
  The Florida Community Health and Wellness Dashboard is a tool intended to capture epidemiology data profiles related to the four state priority problems: underage drinking, adult heavy alcohol use, prescription drug abuse, and marijuana use. The data included within the dashboard span over 20 data sources from across the state to provide users substance abuse related information as well as demographic information for Florida, its regions, and the 67 counties. It is the entry portal where users will be able to view consumption data, consequences, and contributing factors related to the state priority problems.
• Florida Youth Substance Abuse Survey (FYSAS)
  The FYSAS is a collaborative effort between the Florida departments of Health, Education, Children and Families, Juvenile Justice, and the Governor's Office of Drug Control. It is based on the "Communities That Care" survey, assessing risk and protective factors for substance abuse, in addition to substance abuse prevalence.
• The Annual Synar Report
  The Annual Synar Report provides the means for States to comply with the reporting provisions of the Public Health Service Act and the Tobacco Regulation for the SAPT Block Grant.
• Prevention Reports
  Various reports related to substance abuse prevention.