Glossary

These words and phrases and used to express key concepts throughout this website. Some are specific to the issues of drug abuse and prevention; others have a particular meaning when used in this context. Please contact us (info [at] mentorfoundation [dot] org) with ideas which you feel would be worth listing in this section. Frequently asked questions about the drugs prevention field are listed in the following section.
Glossary Terms
  • Cultural Relativism
    This refers to the need to consider whether any development or initiative undertaken in one culture and being replicated to another culture needs...
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  • Demand Reduction
    Efforts aimed at reducing the amount and level of drug use by targeting the demand for drugs by the user or potential user with the aim to reduce...
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  • Drug Use/Misuse/Abuse
    There is often a fine line between drug use and drug misuse/abuse. The definition can differ according to the age of the consumer (e.g. in...
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  • Harm Reduction
    A term used to refer to work that focuses on reducing the harm that drugs can cause rather than necessarily preventing or stopping people from...
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  • Life Skills
    Life skills are the abilities for adaptive and positive behaviour that enable individuals to deal effectively with the demands and challenges of...
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  • Life Skills Education
    Life skills education is designed to facilitate the practice and reinforcement of psychosocial skills in a culturally and developmentally...
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  • Media Campaign/Public Service Announcements (PSA)
    Media campaigns or public service announcements are an approach often used in prevention to raise awareness of particular issues surrounding the...
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  • Prevention
    An intervention aimed at changing the personal, social and/or environmental factors that can contribute towards delaying or avoiding the onset of...
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  • Protective Factors
    These are factors which if addressed can help to "protect" people from misusing drugs and which often correspond to the factors that need to be...
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  • Rapid Needs Assessment
    A specific form of needs assessment that involves using local resources and specific methods to undertake a relatively quick, easy and...
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  • Responsible Use
    A concept generally used in relation to the approach to preventing alcohol related harm and problems. As a legal and socially accepted drug or...
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  • Risk Factors
    These are the factors, which unless addressed, are associated with the greatest potential for people misusing drugs. There are many risk factors...
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  • Stakeholders
    Refers to all people and groups who have a link with any particular initiative. It would include funders, target groups, local community where...
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  • Substances
    The term substance includes both drugs and other chemicals that, when used or taken, have an effect on the mind, brain or body. "Substances" is...
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  • Supply Control
    Efforts to stop drugs being grown, transported and trafficked to stop them reaching the potential consumer. Supply control is usually targeted at...
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