Addiction Prevention

Description

Prevention is one of the most powerful and cost-effective ways to protect students from any form of addiction.

Research and evidence show that starting prevention as early as age 7, when children are forming habits and values, can significantly reduce the possibility of substance abuse and behavioral addictions later in life.

That’s because understanding how prevention works begins with having a look at the “triangle of addiction”: the individual (their personal characteristics); their environmental agents (peers, school, family, community, etc.); and the substance or behavior (such as smoking, drinking, screen, drugs, or even unhealthy dependence on another person).

When these three sides interact in risky ways, the likelihood of addictions increases dramatically. However, prevention can strengthen the protective factors on each side of the triangle.

In this course, participants will acquire a comprehensive prevention framework that can help them link awareness, education, and early intervention.

They will explore how both substance use and behavioral addictions develop among young people, based on the latest European trends and real-life case studies.

They will learn to identify risk and protective factors and to implement age-appropriate tools, strategies, and classroom-based interventions.

Each day of this course will focus on a different form of substance or behavioral use identified in the European youth data.

Through interactive methods, role-plays, and discussions, participants will explore the cognitive, social, short-term and long-term effects of the substance. They will learn to recognize early warning signs and understand why young students may engage in it.

They will be able to identify effective prevention strategies and practice delivering a clear message that all types of use carry risks, both temporary but also long-term impacts.

By the end of the course, they will be better equipped to explain how every type of addiction impacts both the brain and social relationships. They will also be able to address a common misperception that “talking about addictions only makes them curious”.

Prevention science shows that these beliefs can be transformed: with the right approaches, they can reduce the risk, strengthen protective factors, and empower young people to make informed and healthy choices.

They will be equipped with practical tools and ready-to-use intervention strategies to strengthen resilience, promote healthy decision-making, and create a school culture based on awareness and able to prevent addiction in young people before it starts.

Concept by Elena Skafida

Learning outcomes

The course will help participants to:

• Understand how the triangle of addictions (individual, environmental, and behavioral factors) works;
• Differentiate between various types of substances and addictions, such as drinking (energy drinks/ alcohol), smoking (vaping, cigarette, e-cigarette), screen (online gaming & gambling for money, social media), addictions to others (co-dependence & unhealthy attachments), and drugs;
• Recognize early warning signs and behavioral changes that may indicate risk among children and adolescents;
• Apply age-appropriate and evidence-based prevention tools, classroom strategies, and communication techniques to reinforce one’s protective factors;
• Develop practical ways to raise awareness and foster critical thinking and awareness about addictions;
• Promote a culture of prevention and emotional safety within the school community.

Tentative schedule

Day 1 – Introduction to the course

• Introduction to the course, the school, and the external week activities;
• Icebreaker activities;
• Presentations of the participants’ schools.

The triangle of addiction

• The theory behind the “triangle of addiction”;
• Interactive game: analyzing European youth trends based on the ESPAD research: alcohol initiation around age 13-14; energy drink use in primary school; rise of vaping etc;
• Group discussion: Why prevention must start early.

Day 2 – Drinking and smoking: how habits begin

• Exploring the health, cognitive, and social impacts of alcohol, energy drinks, and smoking/vaping etc;
• The “triangle of addictions” in practice: how individual traits, environment and substances interact;
• Interactive role-play: “Alcohol & Vaping Glasses” & role play on peer pressure scenarios;
• Intervention: embed skills-based lessons (decision-making, coping with stress);
• Reflection: connecting prevention education to everyday classroom life.

Day 3 – Screen addictions: gaming, gambling, and social media

• Data and trends on screen overuse, gaming disorder, and social media risks;
• Recognizing the cognitive and social effects of screen dependency;
• Signs of screen overuse;
• Setting digital boundaries;
• Practical exercise: “24 hours without” challenge and brainstorming positive alternatives;
• Intervention: social-emotional learning activities that teach healthy boundaries, assertiveness, and conflict resolution.

Day 4 – Addictions to others (co-dependency and unhealthy attachments)

• How an unhealthy dependence on peers, partners, or online influencers can mirror substance addiction;
• Cognitive and social impacts;
• Role-play scenarios: “clingy” friendships, toxic relationships, or idolization of others;
• Warning signs: identity loss and neglect;
• Activity, “Relationship map”: participants map a fictional student’s relationship (friends, family, online) and identify which are protective vs risky; 
• Group reflection: parallels between substance addiction and people addiction.

Day 5 – Preventive intervention about drugs

• From theory to practice: how to design classroom-based interventions that inform, raise awareness, and activate peer support;
• Workshop: a classroom-based preventive intervention for students. The goal is to inform (facts about drugs), raise awareness (social, cognitive, and health impacts), and activate the environmental agents (classmates, peers) to become active bystanders who notice the risks, speak up, and support prevention;
• Collaborative activity: Create Your Own Prevention Triangle – integrating individual, environmental, and behavioral protective factors;
• Presentation and peer feedback on participants’ prevention ideas;
• Course evaluation: round-up of acquired competencies, feedback, and discussion;
• Awarding of the course Certificate of Attendance.

Day 6 – Structured cultural activities

• Structured cultural activity(ies) according to the hosting location;
• Learning journal: individual written reflection on the course experience;
• Course reflection: self-reflection and review of course materials and resources.

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