Internet Resources for Substance Abuse

Maine Guide to Using the Internet for Substance Abuse Prevention

INTERNET RESOURCES
A Sample of Some National Websites

Name:	Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA)
Web Address:	http://www.casacolumbia.org
Description:	A think tank that brings together all of the professional disciplines needed to study and combat all forms of substance abuse. Website features include: original research; publications; news; links; ability to search the website.
Subject Focus:	Alcohol, Tobacco, Other Drugs
Content Areas:	Research; Links; Resources
Population Focus:	General including Schools; Communities; and Youth
Comments:	The Center conducts ongoing research. Summaries of completed research as well as full text documents are available to download from the website. Adobe Acrobat Reader is needed for the full text reports. Easy to navigate.

Name:	The Community Tool Box
Web Address:	http://ctb.ku.edu
Description:	This website, developed by the University of Kansas Work Group on Health Promotion and Community Development, promotes child well-being, youth development, and community health. It provides how-to materials and links for building healthy communities. Website features include: the Tool Box with over 3000 downloadable pages of specific, skill-building information on over 150 community topics; Community Troubleshooting Guide; Guide for Proposal Writing; links; and a website search feature.
Subject Focus:	Community Development and Health Promotion
Content Areas:	Resources; Links
Population Focus:	Communities
Comments:	This is a large and very comprehensive website that covers all aspects of community building. You might want to start by clicking on "Community Building Tools," then "Introduction to the Tools, " and then go through the "Table of Contents." The website is continuously being added to, so check on the progress by clicking on "What's New." A wonderful website.

Name:	Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention
Web Address:	http://www.edc.org/hec/
Description:	Funded by the U.S. Department of Education, the Center provides support to all institutions of higher education in their efforts to address alcohol and other drug problems. Website features include: downloadable information and publications including links for "Effective Prevention" that deal with environmental strategies for the college campus and "Planning for Results;" campus news related to alcohol and drugs.
Subject Focus:	Alcohol and Other Drugs; Related Violence
Content Areas:	Resources; Programs; Links
Population Focus:	Young Adults in a College setting
Comments:	Check out "Just for Students" (on the left-hand side of the home page), "Publications," as well as the many other links and features on the website.

Name:	Join Together Online
Web Address:	http://www.jointogether.org
Description:	A national resource center for communities fighting substance abuse and gun violence. Website features include: substance abuse and gun violence sections; extensive links; news and issues updates; downloadable reports, newsletters and community action toolkits; funding information and more.
Subject Focus:	Alcohol, Tobacco, Other Drugs; Violence
Content Areas:	Resources; Funding; Links
Population Focus:	General including Youth and Communities
Comments:	Huge website. Pay attention to the button bars along the bottom and left side of the screen to help you navigate. Click on the "Site Map" button on the bottom of the screen to get an idea of what is available on the website. Website also has a search option.

Name:	National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information (NCADI) PREVline (Prevention Online)
Web Address:	http://www.health.org
Description:	NCADI, also known as PREVline, is the world's largest resource for current information and materials concerning substance abuse. It is the information service of the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention. Website features include: downloadable publications, research, fact sheets, data and program information; daily updates and news; ability to search the National Substance Abuse Web Index (a multi-site index); good links.
Subject Focus:	Alcohol, Tobacco, Other Drugs
Content Areas:	Research; Programs; Funding; Links; Resources
Population Focus:	General including Schools; Communities; and Youth
Comments:	This is a very large website with a wealth of useable information. Be sure to check out "What's New," "Current Campaigns/Initiatives," and "Latest Research," as well as the other links from the homepage. This website is easy to navigate and well worth spending some time exploring.

Name:	National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Web Address:	http://www.nida.nih.gov
Description:	NIDA supports and conducts research across a broad range of disciplines to improve drug abuse and addiction prevention, treatment and policy. Website features include: the latest Monitoring the Future Study survey; downloadable information including research findings, newsletters and other publications; NIDA Infofax (includes drug profiles and health effects, survey data, etc.); ability to search the website; in-depth information on drugs that are abused.
Subject Focus:	Alcohol and Other Drugs
Content Areas:	Research; Programs; Links; Resources
Population Focus:	General including Schools; Youth; and Special Populations
Comments:	Check the "Publications" link for downloadable information including Preventing Drug Abuse Among Children and Adolescents – A Research Based Guide, as well as many other research reports and NIDA monographs. Also of special interest is "Site for Students and Teachers" and "Teaching Support Materials."

Name:	National Mentoring Partnership
Web Address:	http://www.mentoring.org
Description:	The National Mentoring Partnership advocates for the expansion of mentoring and is a resource for mentors and mentoring initiatives nationwide. It provides training, tools and resources needed to help a mentor become a responsible, committed, caring adult in the life of a young person. Website features include: downloadable information and interactive quizzes on starting a mentoring program; sections on finding or becoming a mentor; research summaries; other resources.
Subject Focus:	Mentoring
Content Areas:	Programs; Links; Resources
Population Focus:	Youth
Comments:	Easy to navigate.

Name:	The National Youth Development Information Center (NYDIC)
Web Address:	http://www.nydic.org/nydic/
Description:	NYDIC is a project of the National Assembly. NYDIC provides practice-related information about youth development, which includes asset building and resiliency, to national and local youth-serving organizations at low cost or no cost. Website features include: downloadable information and links to information; research; evaluation; funding; a searchable database; news; best practices and curriculum information.
Subject Focus:	Developmental Needs
Content Areas:	Research; Programs; Funding; Links; Resources
Population Focus:	Youth including Schools; Communities
Comments:	A great new website for people who serve youth. It is comprehensive and includes a toll free telephone number to an Information Specialist to answer additional questions.

Name:	Northeast CAPT (Center for the Application of Prevention Technologies)
Web Address:	http://www.northeastcapt.org
Description:	Northeast CAPT's mission is to support the application of science-based substance abuse prevention programs and strategies at the regional, state and local levels and to enhance collaboration between and within each level. Website features include: a searchable database of effective substance abuse prevention programs; downloadable information, reports and data, links to the other CAPT websites as well as information on each state; daily news; other related links.
Subject Focus:	Alcohol, Tobacco, Other Drugs
Content Areas:	Research; Programs; Links; Resources
Population Focus:	General, focuses on Environmental Approaches
Comments:	The searchable database of effective programs is very helpful. Also check out the information under the "Using Science-Based Prevention Strategies" and the calendar of training events in the Northeast. This website is easy to navigate.

Name:	Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP)
Web Address:	http://ojjdp.ncjrs.org
Description:	This website provides information and resources in the areas of juvenile justice and delinquency. Website features include: downloadable information on underage drinking, school violence, the juvenile justice system, delinquency prevention, statistics; and the capability to search multiple related websites. Federal funding information is also available through this website.
Subject Focus:	Alcohol and Other Drugs; Violence
Content Areas:	Programs; Funding; Links; Resources
Population Focus:	Youth including Schools; Communities
Comments:	Check the "Site Map" link at the top of the page for a quick overview of the website.

Name:	Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP)
Web Address:	http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/
Description:	This office establishes the policies, priorities and objectives for the nation's drug control program. Website features include: downloadable information on criminal justice related issues; current programs (including Safe and Drug Free Communities); a section on Prevention and Education; and the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign. Federal funding opportunities are also available through this website.
Subject Focus:	Alcohol and Other Drugs; Violence
Content Areas:	Programs; Funding; Links; Resources
Population Focus:	General including Schools; Communities; and Youth
Comments:	Look at the "Prevention and Education" section on this website. You can check the "Site Map" link at the bottom of the homepage for details about what is available on the website.

Name:	Promising Practices Network
Web Address:	http://www.promisingpractices.net
Description:	This website provides information on practices and programs that research and/or recognized experts indicate are effective in strengthening children, youth, families, and communities. Website features include: downloadable information on programs that meet certain benchmarks of effectiveness; website searches by keywords.
Subject Focus:	Promising Practices related to health promotion and prevention
Content Areas:	Programs; Resources
Population Focus:	General including Schools; Communities; and Youth
Comments:	The website is easy to navigate; good places to start are the "Orientation" and "FAQ" links.

Name:	Safe and Drug-Free Schools Program
Web Address:	http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/osdfs/index.html
Description:	The Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Program is the Federal government's primary vehicle for reducing drug, alcohol and tobacco use and violence, through education and prevention activities in our nation's schools. Website features include: ability to search publications at the U.S. Department of Education website; links to research reports; related news updates.
Subject Focus:	Alcohol, Tobacco, Other Drugs; Violence
Content Areas:	Funding; Links; Resources
Population Focus:	Schools; Communities; and Youth
Comments:	Be sure to check the link to "Keeping Schools and Communities Safe" (toward the bottom of the homepage) which includes statistics and publications.

Name:	Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
Web Address:	http://www.samhsa.gov
Description:	SAMHSA is comprised of three Centers that carry out the agency's mission of providing substance abuse and mental health services: the Center for Mental Health Services; the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP); and the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT). You can follow links to all three centers from this website. Website features include: downloadable statistical information; ability to search the SAMHSA Web server; substance abuse and mental health information.
Subject Focus:	Alcohol and Other Drugs
Content Areas:	Statistics; Funding; Links; Resources
Population Focus:	General
Comments:	Click on "Statistics" to link to the Office of Applied Studies. (Note that this data sometimes takes a while to download.) Also, check out the Center for Mental Health Services at the bottom of the SAMHSA homepage, and click on the link to the Knowledge Exchange Network (KEN). This is an excellent website on mental health issues, and also has a link to a "School Violence Prevention" page that contains downloadable reports on school violence prevention and enhancing resilience. The National Survey on Drug Abuse report is also available from this website.

Maine-Based Websites

The State of Maine Homepage at http://www.maine.gov links to all Maine State Government websites including:

Communities for Children at http://www.communitiesforchildren.org
The Maine Bureau of Health's Healthy Maine Partnerships webpage at http://www.maine.gov/dhhs/boh/hmp/index.html, which includes the Community Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention and the Tobacco Use, Prevention and Control Programs.
The Maine Commission for Community Service at http://www.maineservicecommission.gov/, which includes information on National Service Corporation Programs such as AmeriCorps/VISTA.
The Maine Legislature at http://janus.maine.gov/legis/
The Maine Office of Substance Abuse at http://www.maineosa.org , which provides information on prevention and treatment as well as downloadable reports, fact sheets and statistics related to Maine.
The Request for Proposal page at http://www.maine.gov/purchases/rfp/ , which lists current state grant information.
The Maine State Library at http://www.maine.gov/msl/ , which allows you to do a library search using URSUS.
The Maine Youth Suicide Prevention Web site at http://www.maine.gov/suicide/ , which contains information and resources, Maine statistics, and information on Gatekeeper trainings.

More Maine Websites (a Sampling)

Governor's Committee on Mentoring Youth (GCMY) at http://www.mainementoring.org contains an information guide on developing a mentoring program, a resource guide by county, and links.
The Maine Philanthropy Center at http://www.megrants.org contains a wealth of information for grant makers and grant seekers on funding opportunities, proposal writing and more.
Youth Work Links and Ideas at http://www.youthwork.com/ has lots of links and information for those working with youth.
Maine Arts Commission at http://www.mainearts.com includes information about programs in schools that function to enhance resiliency for youth.