Each September SAMHSA sponsors National Recovery Month. Activities are held around the country in celebration of recovery from alcohol and drug addiction. It is a reminder that treatment works and that help is available for those who may have succumbed to the unfortunate circumstance of a substance use disorder.

I’m sure you have heard this old aphorism, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” The costs of treating substance use disorders and the harm associated with the disorders is huge and would suggest that more should be spent up-front to reduce the costs in the long-term. Treatment and recovery are important, and prevention works.

Most recently, the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University released a study of the costs associated with substance use disorders (Shoveling Up, 2009). The United States spends about $500 billion annually cleaning-up the harm that is caused by substance use disorders. The amount spent on prevention is a fraction of that amount.

We know that prevention strategies reduce the life-long cost of use and that prevention leads to longer, healthier lives. The minimum legal drinking age is one example of a successful prevention strategy; it saves thousands of lives annually.

The CDFGC’s prevention efforts include:

• implementing environmental practices that seek to change local norms
  
• preventing underage access to alcohol, tobacco and other drugs
  
• raising awareness and influencing behavior through media messages
  
• advocating for increased enforcement of existing policies and laws
  

Our prevention efforts focus on raising youth in a safe, healthy environment. A dose of prevention now will prevent a life of consequences. Use the month of September to celebrate recovery, and make a renewed commitment to prevention.

Prevention Works.