Prevention Plus Wellness

01/26/2026

New for Substance Use Prevention Providers - https://mailchi.mp/c84d32699352/new-for-substance-use-prevention-providers

01/26/2026

Current Practices and Options for Youth SBIRT

A new study published in JAMA Network (2025) examined the current practices surrounding substance use disorder screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT) among youth-serving clinicians in the US.

The study found 57% of youth serving clinicians from multiple primary care specialties reported that they routinely screen adolescents for substance use disorders at every well visit. Only 39% reported using a screening tool at every well visit.

Multiple barriers exist to extend screening and brief intervention to all youth populations in clinical and non-clinical (i.e., school, community) settings.

Most notably barriers include the time required for training and implementation, as well as the need to address a myriad of other important health behaviors facing youth and young adults.

One solution is to use brief multiple health behavior interventions such as those offered by Prevention Plus Wellness (PPW).

PPW provides the single-session evidence-based SPORT PPW program for youths and the InShape PPW program for young adults.

Both brief preventive interventions provide the following advantages to typical SBIRT practices:
1. Scripted protocols significantly reduce training requirements and improve implementation ease and fidelity.
2. Implementation can be done either individually or in groups as well as virtually live or on demand, making them more flexible and practical regardless of setting.
3. They provide substance use prevention messaging while promoting critical healthy lifestyle behaviors lacking among most US youth, thereby permitting a more holistic and cost-effective strategy.
4. Protocols for one-on-one implementation include an optional validated screener (i.e., CRAFFT) to assess substance use risk level in addition to providing a prevention intervention for all youth/young adults.

In conclusion, implementing SBIRT to youth and young adult populations has been hampered due to several barriers.

These barriers can be overcome at least in part by implementing brief integrated multiple behavior prevention interventions, such as those offered by Prevention Plus Wellness.

These interventions can quickly and easily implemented in clinical and non-clinical settings for improving the mental and physical wellbeing of all young people.

Read the full study report: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2834257

Learn more about Prevention Plus Wellness: https://preventionpluswellness.com

01/24/2026

Protective Behaviors for Preventing Youth Drug Use & Promoting Mental Health: Webinar Recording, Slides & CEU Certificate

Session Objectives:
1. Explore protective behaviors for youth drug use at the individual, family, school and community levels.
2. Identify specific strategies to promote protective behaviors for preventing youth substance use.
3. Identify specific protective behaviors you’d like to target for preventing youth substance use in your community.

Learn more:

Session Objectives: 1. Explore protective behaviors for youth drug use at the individual, family, school and community levels. 2. Identify specific strategies to promote protective behaviors for preventing youth substance use. 3. Identify specific protective behaviors you’d like to target for prev...

01/22/2026

Sleep Loss and Youth Substance Use Disorders

A new study published in Behavioral Sciences (2025) reviewed research on sleep loss and substance use in adolescents.

The authors concluded that the existing research suggests:
• A combination of biological factors, such as a delayed sleep phase and social aspects, including school schedules and the frequent use of electronic devices often reduce sleep duration and quality.
• The underdeveloped prefrontal cortex, associated with the heightened impulsiveness contributes to increased risk-taking behaviors, including substance use.
• This impulsiveness, in addition to recurrent sleep issues, makes adolescents particularly vulnerable to the development of SUDs.
• The bidirectional interactions between substance use and sleep disruption cause detrimental effects that can continue into adulthood.

These findings indicate that prevention providers have a unique opportunity to address adolescent substance use by targeting sleep quantity and quality.

By promoting sleep among youth, prevention specialists may be able to strengthen substance use prevention outcomes and improve mental health.

Read the full report: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-328X/15/2/220

01/20/2026

Prevention Provider’s Role in Promoting Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors for School Athletes

A new study published in the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine (2025) reported on a systematic review of research examining the six health behaviors (i.e., Pillars) associated with Lifestyle Medicine for high school athletes.

The review underscored the urgent need for targeted interventions such as nutrition education programs, sleep hygiene initiatives, and mindfulness-based stress management tailored to high school athletes.

The authors concluded that addressing these gaps within the framework of Lifestyle Medicine can enhance both performance and long-term well-being.

The authors also recommended collaborating with schools and athletic departments to offer seminars on substance use prevention, nutrition, and mental health.

We believe that prevention specialists can play a key role in promoting the six Pillars of Lifestyle Medicine among youth and young adults by providing evidence-based substance use/misuse programs that integrate the promotion of healthy lifestyle behaviors.

Prevention interventions should be implemented to student athletes, as well as all youth, for improving their performance in sports and school as well as mental and physical well-being.

Read the full study: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/15598276251388632

01/19/2026

https://mailchi.mp/8e9b17dadc25/please-join-usPlease Join Us!

01/16/2026

Physical Activity for Preventing Youth Substance Use

A new study published in Education Sciences (2025) reported on a systematic review of research on the effects of physical activity, exercise or sports-based interventions on substance use among young people and adolescents.

The results provided scientific evidence of the benefits of physical activity in preventing and reducing substance use, most significantly in interventions based on yoga and structured physical activity.

The authors concluded that the study findings about the importance of implementing programs that consider the systematic and deliberate practice of physical activity, exercise, or sport could be used by prevention specialists.

We at Prevention Plus Wellness agree that all prevention and health professionals can play a critical role in promoting physical activity, movement and sports participation that may reduce substance use/misuse and improve the mental wellbeing of young people in the US.

Read the entire study: https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/15/3/348

01/12/2026

Drug Prevention Plus Wellness for Youth Sports & Fitness

According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), sport can be a powerful tool to engage communities and prevent crime, violence and potentially drug use among youth.

In fact, sport, and physical activity more broadly, can be effective in promoting wellbeing and health, including mental health and reducing the risk of depression, as well as improve the cognitive functions and academic outcomes of young people and adolescents: https://www.unodc.org/dohadeclaration/en/news/2021/04/leveraging-sport-for-substance-use-prevention_-reviewing-the-evidence-at-the-commission-on-narcotic-drugs.html

Benefits & Limitations of Youth Sports

The benefits of youth sports participation are clear, including a broad range of positive mental, emotional, social, physical, educational, and career outcomes:https://odphp.health.gov/sites/default/files/2020-09/YSS_Report_OnePager_2020-08-31_web.pdf

But evidence is mixed as to whether sports can be effective in preventing substance use, and in some cases sports participation is linked to increased use of substances:https://www.ccsa.ca/sites/default/files/2019-04/CCSA-Youth-Sport-and-Sustance-Use-Summary-2017-en.pdf

Learn more: https://preventionpluswellness.com/blogs/news/drug-prevention-plus-wellness-for-youth-sports-fitness

According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), sport can be a powerful tool to engage communities and prevent crime, violence and potentially drug use among youth. In fact, sport, and physical activity more broadly, can be effective in promoting wellbeing and health, including me...

01/12/2026

New for You in 2026! - https://mailchi.mp/e566e4c9b2ac/new-for-you-in-2026

01/03/2026

Happy New Year!

Please consider teaming up with Prevention Plus Wellness (PPW) in 2026 to prevent drug use and promote healthy lifestyle behaviors and mental wellbeing of youth in your region.

Here are 10 ways you and your organization can partner with PPW: https://preventionpluswellness.com/pages/prevention-partnership-opportunities

Single session substance abuse prevention programs and training promoting wellness for youth and young adults

12/23/2025

With Youth Mental Health Canada – I just got recognized as one of their top fans! 🎉

12/22/2025

The “Big 3” Healthy Behaviors and Well-being in Young Adults

A new study published in PLOS One (2025) investigated the relationships between three key health behaviors—sleep quality, physical activity, and dietary choices—and psychological well-being among young adults ages 17–25.

The findings highlighted better sleep quality as the strongest predictor of well-being, followed by fruit and vegetable consumption.

Physical activity also emerged as a reliable predictor of well-being.

These data highlight the importance of the “big three” health behaviors in well-being among young adults.

The authors concluded that this study provides evidence that lifestyle choices are promising avenues for potential intervention to help young adults thrive.

Like the study we recently reported on examining the “big 3” health behaviors and adolescent well-being (https://preventionpluswellness.com/blogs/news/the-big-3-healthy-behaviors-for-youth-mental-health-wellbeing), this study further underscores the need for multi-health behavior interventions to improve the mental health of young people.

These studies suggest that prevention specialists should provide interventions and opportunities for youth to improve their “big 3” healthy lifestyle behaviors along with providing strategies to prevent substance use to enhance the broader mental health and well-being of young people.

Read the full report: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0329689