Describe five of the several behaviors that can play a role in an alternative-behavior programming component of drug-abuse prevention. Discuss why these alternatives can work. Give one additional program that should be included.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Table 17.1 should be a reference. Alternative-Behavior Programming: In community-based prevention programs, a major effort is made to provide the activities and outlets that steer people away from the high-risk situations. Because adolescents spend a majority of their time outside school, and it is outside school that the preponderance of drug-taking behavior occurs, community programs have the best chance of providing the necessary interventions.
High-risk adolescents are the least likely to even be attending school on the days that prevention efforts are delivered. Table 17.1 gives a sampling of alternative behaviors corresponding to a particular individual's interests and needs. One way of thinking about alternative-behavior programming is that a person is trading a negative dependence (on alcohol, tobacco, or other drugs) that causes harm on a physical or psychological level for a positive dependence that causes no harm and taps into pleasures from within.
In a 1986 review of its effectiveness based on well-controlled research studies, alternative-behavior programming was identified as being highly successful for at-risk adolescents such as illicit drug users, juvenile delinquents, and students having problems in school. On the basis of these evaluations, the general view is that alternative-behavior programming can work and deserves to have a place in comprehensive prevention programs.