Prevalence of Drugs among School Students: Preventive Strategies from a Social Work Perspective

Abstract

Drug abuse researches, suggests that most cases of drug use begin before the age of 20. Therefore, the most successful preventive strategies that are developed and applied in the educational institution. The school environment is the most suitable place to reach this category. There is no doubt that the educational institution and security agencies have a significant role in enhancing the prevention of students from drugs and dangerous psychotropic substances. Still, the sustainability of prevention by applying strategies continuously through a specialized category is the core of this process. In this context, the importance of the social work profession in school appears because the social worker is aware of the essence of the problem and the imbalance or deficiencies in the individual system or the system's interactions with him, such as family, friends, teachers, and staff. The issue of prevention through tactics based on the provision of information on drug damage through specific activities has not proved effective in the subject of prevention. Therefore, strategies need to be developed to produce positive results based on social workers who can manage the cases and develop appropriate strategies. Objective: This paper aims to clarify the most important stages in the lives of school students that pose a risk in the issue of drug abuse. It also aims to present preventive strategies from a social work perspective. Results: There is great importance in detecting and dealing with early cases and the need to adopt preventive strategies continuously within the school environment targeting all students.

Keywords

• drug addiction,prevention strategies,social work,psychotropic substances

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