Addiction Prevention Toolkit

Information for Health Professionals

Addiction prevention works to support individuals, families and communities in adopting attitudes, behaviours, lifestyles and environments free from the harms of substance misuse, while encouraging positive mental health and well-being.

To support addiction prevention, Alberta Health Services has created this toolkit. The theme, “small actions make big differences,” emphasizes the differences small actions can make in building resiliency and in preventing and reducing the harms associated with the misuse of alcohol and other drugs.

The purpose of the toolkit is to provide documents that will help facilitate connections with community partners and members of the general public with the goal of raising awareness and building relationships.

The toolkit contains the following material, download and print as required:

The documents are designed to be used in conjunction with one another and are most effective when used as part of a comprehensive approach. They can and have been used to complement the following types of prevention activities:

  • Displays
  • Educational events, such as classroom presentations and conferences
  • Awareness walks
  • News and public information dissemination
  • Community events
  • Campaigns, including social media

Prevention activities take place throughout the year, organized by community groups, AHS Mental Health and Addiction clinics and coalitions. National Addictions Awareness Week (NAAW), is one particular time of year when communities rally around a common goal of raising awareness of addiction and celebrating addiction-free lifestyles.

For more information on the toolkit, contact the Addiction Prevention Unit addiction.prevention@ahs.ca