Commentary: National Prevention Week 2013 Is May 12-18: Participate and Make a Difference in Your Community!
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) second annual
National Prevention Week
begins on Sunday, May 12. This national health observance, which
continues through May 18, aims to increase public awareness of, and
action around, substance abuse and mental health issues. This year’s
theme – Your voice. Your choice. Make a difference. – emphasizes that
the choices we make each day are important and have a real effect on our
health and the well-being of our families and communities. Each day of
National Prevention Week 2013 has a unique focus to recognize states’
and communities’ prevention efforts and highlight multiple facets of
behavioral health:
May 12: Prevention and Cessation of Tobacco Use
May 13: Prevention of Underage Drinking
May 14: Prevention of Prescription Drug Abuse and Illicit Drug Use
May 15: Prevention of Alcohol Abuse
May 16: Suicide Prevention
May 17: Promotion of Mental, Emotional, and Behavioral Well-being
May 18: (Communities identify an issue of their choice)
Our nation’s states and communities provide many evidence-based
programs and strategies promoting mental and emotional well-being and
preventing substance abuse. SAMHSA applauds their excellent work in
showing that prevention works. As a result of states’ and communities’
concerted prevention efforts, important progress has been made in many
areas, such as in the decline of underage binge and heavy drinking rates
between 2002 and 20111. However, much work remains to be done.
• The adverse health effects from cigarette smoking and exposure to
tobacco smoke account for an estimated 443,000 deaths, or nearly one of
every five deaths each year.2
• One quarter of young people between the age of 12 and 20 currently
drink alcohol, and an estimated 6 million participated in binge drinking
at least once in the last 30 days.3
• Approximately 23 million Americans aged 12 or older, or roughly 9
percent of the population in this age group, are current illicit drug
users.4 This includes individuals who use illicit drugs, as
well as the approximately 6 million people who report that they
currently use prescription drugs for nonmedical purposes.5
• Each year, suicide accounts for more than 38,000 deaths in the
United States, and in 2011, it was the 10th leading cause of death.6
• An estimated 1 in 5 people aged 18 or older had a mental illness in the past year.7
National Prevention Week 2013 offers a way for everyone to voice
their support for prevention and take action to make a difference in
their communities. One way to get involved is to take the
Prevention Pledge and share it with colleagues, family and friends. Another way is to participate in a National Prevention Week
event in your community or a community near you. Individuals also can take part in the National Prevention Week
“I Choose” Project.
Snap a photo of yourself or a friend with a sign saying why you choose
prevention, and then send it to SAMHSA for posting in our photo gallery.
Be a part of National Prevention Week 2013, and use your voice and
positive choices to champion healthy living year-round.
Frances M. Harding
Director
SAMHSA Center for Substance Abuse Prevention
1Substance Abuse and
Mental Health Services Administration. (2012). Results from the 2011
National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Summary of National Findings.
NSDUH Series H-44, HHS Publication No. (SMA) 12-4713. Rockville, MD:
SAMHSA. Retrieved May 2, 2013, from http://www.samhsa.gov/data/NSDUH/2k11Results/NSDUHresults2011.htm.
2U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services. The Health Consequences of Smoking: A Report
of the Surgeon General. Atlanta: U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center
for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking
and Health, 2004.
3Substance Abuse and
Mental Health Services Administration. (2012). Results from the 2011
National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Summary of National Findings.
NSDUH Series H-44, HHS Publication No. (SMA) 12-4713. Rockville, MD:
SAMHSA. Retrieved May 2, 2013, from http://www.samhsa.gov/data/NSDUH/2k11Results/NSDUHresults2011.htm.
4Ibid.
5Ibid.
6Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC). (2012). Deaths: Preliminary Data for 2011.
(National Vital Statistics Report, Vol. 61, No. 6: October 10, 2012).
Retrieved May 2, 2013, from http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr61/nvsr61_06.pdf.
7Substance Abuse and
Mental Health Services Administration. (2012). Results from the 2011
National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Mental Health Findings. NSDUH
Series H-45, HHS Publication No. (SMA) 12-4725. Rockville, MD: Substance
Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Retrieved May 2, 2013,
from http://www.samhsa.gov/data/NSDUH/2k11MH_FindingsandDetTables/2K11MHFR/NSDUHmhfr2011.htm.
