Anuvia offers a broad range of prevention and intervention services designed to reduce drug and alcohol use among those of all ages.

As the saying goes, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Putting measures in place to prevent the use (or overuse) of certain substances can help avoid problems before they start. Learn more about the benefits of Anuvia’s substance use prevention resources.

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Youth Prevention Programs

Anuvia’s youth prevention programs are designed to meet young people wherever they are: from those who have never tried drugs to those with an increased risk of substance use.

Each different program is tailored to the specific needs of young individuals.

Youth Prevention

These programs are designed to help youth develop the social skills they’ll need to resist alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use. Anuvia’s Youth Prevention programs include:

  • Motivational activities
  • Group discussions
  • Games
  • Role-playing exercises
  • Videos
  • Worksheets and quizzes

These programs serve a diverse range of young people—from elementary students to those in junior high and high school. They’re also available in both English and Spanish.

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Early Intervention

Early intervention programs are designed for young people at greater risk for substance use problems—those with truancy issues, juvenile delinquency adjudications, or other warning signs of high-risk drug and alcohol choices.

At Anuvia, our early intervention programs help adolescents and teens:

  • Improve decision-making skills
  • Improve communication skills
  • Participate in anger and conflict management
  • Abstain from alcohol and drugs
  • Set goals

One of our most successful early intervention programs is Focus. The Focus program is a specialized early intervention program designed for those aged 13 to 17 who have been cited or arrested for certain misdemeanor violations and the community at large.

Violations addressed in this program include:

  • Alcohol and drugs
  • Disorderly conduct
  • Simple assault
  • Resisting arrest
  • Larceny
  • Shoplifting
  • Vandalism
  • Breaking and entering

Teens eligible for Focus will participate in interactive lessons that include group discussions, role-playing exercises, and student worksheets. Contact Anuvia online or by calling (704) 376-7447 for scheduling.

For early intervention programs to have positive results, these lessons must be supported at home. This means that Focus also requires parents to attend. Mandating collaborative adult group discussions as well as role-playing exercises can improve problem-solving, communication, and effective discipline.

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three teenagers talking


Parent and Family Programs

Parents have an incredible amount of influence over their children—even if it may not always seem that way. Anuvia’s parent and family programs can help create healthy, responsible, and conscientious children and teens.

During these formative years, it’s important for parents to do the following:

  • Establish open lines of communication
  • Become involved in your children’s lives
  • Make sure rules are clear, consistent, and enforced
  • Be positive role models
  • Monitor your children’s friends, activities, and influences

Anuvia’s parent and family programs are offered at our offices and in community settings. Our parent and family programs work to foster healthy relationships between parents and their teens with interactive, skill-based programs that include group discussions and role-playing exercises.

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Safe Homes

By 12th grade, about two-thirds of high school students report having tried alcohol, while about half of all students have used marijuana. Unfortunately, many adults struggling with substance use began using at an early age—often due to unfettered access to illicit substances.

One of Anuvia’s prevention strategies is our “Safe Homes” initiative. We work actively with schools, retailers, and parents to address teens’ access to drugs and alcohol. Below are some tips for keeping your home and family safe.

Removing access to prescription medication with

  • Dispose of old or expired medication in accordance with directions from your local pharmacy
  • Make sure medication is out of reach of teens

Removing access to alcohol

  • Place alcohol in a safe, secure storage location so teens won’t have access
  • Consider locked cabinets or a separate fridge in a secure location

Removing access to tobacco

  • Maintain smoke-free environments inside your home and car
  • If you smoke, consider quitting

Anuvia’s Safe Home initiative helps parents reduce the temptation and make it tougher to access drugs, alcohol, and other harmful substances.

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Lock Your Meds

Lock Your Meds is a national multi-media campaign designed to reduce prescription drug abuse by making adults aware that they are the “unwitting suppliers” of prescription medications being used in unintended ways, especially by young people. This campaign also promotes securing medications to limit inappropriate access and to keep one’s loved ones safe from misuse and overdose.

Talk It Up. Lock It Up! ™

Talk It Up. Lock It Up! ™ is an innovative campaign to change the physical environment relative to youth access to alcohol in homes. According to national statistics, the most common source of alcohol for those aged 12-14 is taking it from their, or someone else’s home. The goal of the campaign is to encourage parents and adults in the community to secure and monitor the alcohol in their home. Largely led by youth, communities across North Carolina have had thousands of pledges signed by parents and adults who agreed to lock up the alcohol in their homes.

happy family together


Anuvia’s Policy Efforts

Public policies and laws can have a tremendous impact on substance use.

For example, from 2005 to 2020, the number of American adults who smoke cigarettes dropped from nearly one in five people to fewer than one in seven—largely due to smoking bans in public buildings, higher cigarette taxes, and other policy changes.

By advocating for policy changes like these, Anuvia works to support legal, physical, social, and economic policies that encourage healthier behaviors. These include:

  • Advocating against the legalization of marijuana
  • Encouraging drug-free workplace policies
  • Opposing the privatization of alcohol distribution
  • Regulating smoking in the workplace

Our policy work requires us to partner with community leaders, coalitions, and local healthcare professionals. Together, we identify policies, laws, and rules that can improve health conditions and benefit the community.

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Professional Development

Anuvia is a NAADAC-Approved Education Provider. NAADAC is the Association for Addiction Professionals. Anuvia offers training and workshops throughout the year that are open to Anuvia staff, professionals in the community, and the general public. Our professional development series feature experts from behavioral, medical and public health, academia, and other fields to share their knowledge on current issues in the behavioral health and substance use disorder prevention and treatment arenas.

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Understanding Community Needs

At Anuvia, we focus our prevention efforts on understanding community needs, implementing strategies proven effective, serving in a leadership role, and partnering with other organizations to strengthen our efforts.

Our multifaceted approach tackles substance use from all sides, from media campaigns aiming to raise awareness of substance use issues to early intervention programs.
If you’re interested in learning more about Anuvia, give us a call at (704) 376-7447 or fill out our contact form to learn more about the various services we offer.