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
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