Parent Alert October 2024

The History of Substance Use & Substance Use Prevention

October is Substance Use Prevention Month, and this year’s focus is on telling the prevention story. Understanding the history of substances and addiction can help us improve how we treat addiction and can help preventionists have more success in preventing substance use.

Substance use for medicinal purposes can be traced back to prehistoric times with tobacco, coca, and poppy plants being among the first substances to be used in this way. Ancient Egyptians used opium to relieve pain, and Ancient Greeks used cannabis for various medical conditions. Recreational substance use has been traced back to 7000 BC in China where archaeologists have discovered evidence of beer being brewed. The earliest recorded mention of addiction can be found in Plato’s book The Republic which was written in the 4th century BC. Alcohol, tobacco, and opium use became more widespread and problematic during the 18th and 19th centuries which led to the emergence of temperance movements and laws regulating substance use.

The first study of addiction was conducted by Edward Levinstein in 1875 when he became interested in why morphine users would continue using the substance even when their life situation was deteriorating. This study also looked at withdrawal symptoms. Addiction medicine has vastly improved since this early study, and organizations like the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) have been funding research since the 1960s. This research has been important in understanding the science of addiction and has branched out to focus on how substance use can be prevented.

Substance use prevention efforts can be seen as early as the 19th century where the temperance movement had a goal of reducing alcohol use and its adverse effects on society. The 20th century is when modern prevention efforts started being seen with drug education programs started teaching the public, particularly youth, about the dangers of drug use. The rest of the century saw an increased focus on substance use prevention with President Nixon declaring the “War on Drugs” in the 1970s, and growing recognition of the importance of prevention in the 1980s and 1990s where the focus turned to early intervention, education, and community-based approaches to reduce risk factors. These changes eventually led to the adoption of evidence-based practices in substance use prevention in 2000-2005. Evidence-based approaches have continued to grow and develop over the past couple of decades which has led to the success prevention efforts have today.

Modern substance use prevention has a variety of approaches including education, community-engagement, and policy changes. CADCA (Community-Based Advocacy-Focused Data-Driven Coalition-Building Association) developed seven strategies for community change that have become a cornerstone for prevention efforts. These strategies guide prevention work and help organizations adapt their approaches to have the most impact on their communities. The seven strategies are:

Providing Information
Enhancing Skills
Providing Support
Enhancing Access/Reducing Barriers
Changing Consequences
Physical Design
Modifying/Changing Policies

Please click on the links below to learn more.

Resources

Arista Recovery – History of Substance Use: A Deep Dive into Substance Use
National Library of Medicine – Drug Abuse Research in Historical Perspective
BetterWaysToCope.org – History of Prevention
SAMHSA – Prevention of Substance Use and Mental Disorders
DFC National Coalition Institute – CADCA’s Seven Strategies for Community Change

October 2024 Awareness

Wayne County Coalitions strives to observe the many different awareness events throughout the year that focus on mental health, substance use prevention, and other important topics. Please visit the links below for information and resources.

Substance Use Prevention Month: Prevention gives us an opportunity to get ahead of challenges so that individuals, families, and communities can be healthy and thrive.

Domestic Violence Awareness Month: This year’s theme is Heal, Hold & Center. The Domestic Violence Awareness Project explained this theme by saying, “We must work together, embrace the many cultural ways we can heal from violence and oppression, commit to holding space for survivors, and center those most marginalized in all of our efforts to end domestic violence.

National Medicine Abuse Awareness Month: This annual campaign aims to raise the public’s awareness of the dangers of prescription and over-the-counter drug abuse.

National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is October 26th! MEDWAY Drug Enforcement Agency will be hosting 1 collection site from 10 AM – 2 PM in Wayne County:

Wayne County Justice Center
201 W. North Street in Wooster

Mental Health Awareness: National ADHD Awareness Month, National Down Syndrome Awareness Month, Mental Illness Awareness Week, and World Mental Health Day are all observed in October. The theme for this year’s World Mental Health Day is “My Mental Health at Work” which highlights how our mental health can be impacted by our workplace.

Resources

SAMHSA – Substance Use Prevention Month
SAMHSA – Youth Substance Use Prevention Month

Domestic Violence Awareness Project – DVAM 2024: Heal, Hold & Center
Ohio Domestic Violence Network – Domestic Violence Awareness Month
PreventMedAbuse – National Medicine Abuse Awareness Month
CDC – About Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
Special Olympics – National Down Syndrome Awareness Month
NAMI – Mental Illness Awareness Week
Kids Worldwide – Halloween Safety Tips

Harvest Bash welcomes people celebrating fall’s arrival and the importance of family bonding and connectedness. The event is being hosted by CIRCLE Coalition, whose mission is to bring together Wooster community members to address the common goal of reducing substance misuse among youth and adults.

The event includes FREE food, fun, games, music, and prizes. There will also be a costume contest for youth and adults with prizes for the winners! The Ohio National Guard will be there with inflatable games and giveaways. Food and drinks include pizza, popcorn, juice, and a variety of treats. All activities and food are free to the community. Bring your appetite and get ready to kick up your heels and enjoy the fall.

Please contact Robert Bean by e-mail at beanr@one-eighty.org or by phone at 330-804-3122 for more information.

We’ll see you there!

Thank you for being a vital part of our community!

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