Substance abuse prevention has grown well beyond “just say no.” The Northland Coalition implements strategies and programs that are based on data and every program is evaluated to show outcomes.
The Northland Coalition implements programs in an effort to change youth perceptions concerning:
availability (can they get it easily),
acceptability (how wrong is it to use/abuse),
perception of harm (what is the physical and mental cost).
All programs are based on the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP) strategies. Successful prevention involves implementing multiple strategies across multiple domains. In order to change belief systems (established norms), that lead to changes in behavior, individuals need to hear the same message from at least 3 different domains (church, home, school, community, parents, doctor).
