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Substance Use Substance Use

Prevent and reduce youth substance use by addressing risks and increasing protective factors. 

Substance use refers to the use of alcohol or other drugs, including tobacco, nicotine vaping, and the misuse of prescription medications, and use of illicit substances such as marijuana, inhalants, cocaine, methamphetamine, and heroin or other illicit opioids. Youth often try alcohol or drugs to relieve boredom or peer pressure, or they may use substances as a way to cope with difficult emotions or manage feelings of distress and discomfort. Students are more likely to engage in substance use if they have poor grades at school, mental health conditions, friends who use alcohol or drugs, or a low sense of belonging at school or in their communities.  

Substance use and substance use disorders can lead to a variety of negative consequences, including deteriorating relationships, poor school performance, impacts on brain development and learning, diminished mental health, and increases in illnesses and death. Drug use is also associated with other school safety issues such as violence and suicide risk. 

Youth, given their stage of development, are at increased risk for developing substance use disorders or addiction, a chronic disease where people compulsively seek and use substances despite harmful consequences. The majority of adults who have a substance use disorder started using substances during their teen and young adult years, making prevention at an early age even more important to the overall health and safety of students. 

Educators and families can work together to send strong and consistent messages to students about the dangers associated with alcohol and drugs. School-based programs that focus on protective factors, like substance use education, relationship building, and healthy coping mechanisms, can empower students to make informed decisions about substances. Schools can give students the tools and knowledge to resist peer pressure around substance use and encourage them to participate in events or activities that keep them substance-free. When students are surrounded by trusted adults at school and in the community that care about them, they are also less likely to engage in risky behaviors like using alcohol or drugs.

Strategies to Consider 

There are several strategies schools and districts can consider to prevent and address youth substance use. Some of these measures include: 

  • Create safe school environments that build trusted relationships between students and school staff.
  • Educate students about the dangers of substance use and maintain open and honest lines of communication.
  • Connect students with school- or community-based mental health services to promote healthy coping strategies and reduce barriers to seeking help.
  • Train teachers and school staff to identify and respond to the risk factors of substance use.
  • Mitigate risk factors that can make youth susceptible to substance use and bolster protective factors that increase student and family engagement.
  • Implement and deliver evidence-based youth substance use prevention programs in the school setting.
  • Prepare for an overdose or other substance use emergencies by developing a response protocol that includes connecting the student with the appropriate emergency services or medical care.

Featured Resources

These resources are a starting point for learning more about substance use. Use these resources to help address risks and increase protective factors that prevent and reduce youth substance use. 

Program
Substance Use
Talk. They Hear You.

Department of Health and Human Services

This campaign aims to reduce underage drinking and other substance use among youths under the age of 21 by providing parents, caregivers, educators, and community members with information and resources they need to address these issues with children.

Webpage
Substance Use
Protecting Youth From the Harms of Vaping

Department of Health and Human Services

This webpage provides information and resources on how educators, parents and guardians, health care professionals, and communities can help youth reject or quit vaping and other tobacco products.

Filter Resources

All Substance Use Resources

Access additional resources below to learn more about substance use and related best practices. Use the filters to sort resources based on preparedness action.

Program
Substance Use
Operation Prevention

Department of Justice

This educational initiative is designed to inspire conversations and equip people with the knowledge and refusal skills they need to steer clear of substance misuse. It provides standards-aligned content for students in grades 3-12 and additional resources for educators, families, and professionals.
Guidance
Substance Use
Overdose Prevention and Response Toolkit

Department of Health and Human Services, 2025

This toolkit provides guidance on preventing and responding to an overdose. The toolkit, designed to augment overdose prevention and reversal training, provides guidance on the role of opioid overdose reversal medications and how to respond to an overdose.

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