

One of the core objectives that our organization is centered around is substance abuse prevention. Preventing substance abuse is important because certain behavioral outcomes are determined based upon the side effects of substance abuse.
These outcomes include: child neglect, physical deterioration, and severe mental illness.

Non-medical use and abuse of prescription drugs is a growing health problem in the United States. Annually, more people die from prescribed opioid pain relievers than all illegal drugs combined. Legal access, combined with a culture of implicitly trusting a doctor’s opinion, have led to a sharp increase in emergency medicine visits attributable to prescription drugs. Prescription drug abuse may soon be the largest substance abuse problem in America: ER visits due to prescription drug abuse approximately doubled in the 6 year period from 2004-2009.Drug Abuse Statistics: Exploring Research, Stats and Trends

Although they are not treatment or a substitute for treatment, self-help groups like 12-step programs can be a great source of support and encouragement while a person is engaged in treatment, and after. The most well-known self-help groups are those affiliated with Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)(link is external), Narcotics Anonymous (NA)(link is external), and Cocaine Anonymous (CA)(link is external), all of which are based on the 12-step model.