European University of Lefke (EUL), Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Social Work, Faculty Member Asst. Prof. Dr. Ayşe Özada gave information about the importance of “School Social Service in Preventing Drug Use”.

Schools are among the most favourable environments for effective interventions in the fight against addiction.

“Addictive substance use is an issue that concerns individuals, families and the whole society. It is possible to come across many programs and interventions related to the prevention and reduction of substance use, ”said Özada, and said that schools are among the most favourable environments for effective interventions in the fight against addiction.  “It is possible to reach both students and parents through schools. “An important unit in the development and implementation of protective-preventive interventions to be implemented in schools is School Social Service Units,” said Özada. She stated that since the early 1900s, school social work units in many parts of the world have existed as a field of study.

School social work; aims to ensure that students successfully solve the problems and educational activities they experience for various reasons.

Özada said, “School social work, which is one of the important application areas of the social work profession; He aims to solve the problems that students experience for various reasons, to benefit from the services they need and thus to continue their educational activities successfully. ” For this purpose, she stated that preventive and therapeutic interventions are involved in school social work practices.

Özada stated that preventive programs include peer bullying, alcohol and drug use, absenteeism, early school leaving programs and strategies to prevent early school leaving. “She expressed that in the fight against addiction as a social problem, especially the examples of school social work that are being carried out effectively are outstanding.

Studies focusing on students’ social skills and self-esteem are seen to be more successful in preventing substance use.

“One of the most frequently used methods in our country to prevent substance abuse is to organize informative meetings about the harms and negative consequences of drug use,” said Özada, who stated that the negative effects of substance, alcohol and cigarette use on these programs are generally explained to students.  “Although these approaches seem like a logical approach to the drug problem, a large number of studies clearly show that such studies do not work to reduce or prevent drug use by young people. The first target of interventions to prevent substance abuse should be students’ development of a lifestyle without alcohol and drugs ”said Özada. also emphasized that the holistic structure of interventions in this direction is a point that should not be ignored. “In this regard, studies focusing on students’ problem solving and social skills and self-esteem are seen to be more successful in preventing substance use,” said Ozada.