Prevention as a discipline seeks to improve public health and reduce the risk of early death that may result from use and/or abuse of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs and the misuse of inhalants and prescription drugs. At Bucks County Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, our prevention department serves the community through education, information dissemination, problem identification, coalition building and support, healthy alternatives and environmental change strategies. We collaborate with schools, local and county public and private agencies, law enforcement, faith-based communities and treatment providers on initiatives to raise public awareness of the problems associated with alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs and to provide hope for effecting community change.

Current Programs:

AIM Project. In October of 2003 The Council entered into an agreement with the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention to initiate a project to increase public awareness of the dangers and hazards of methamphetamine and inhalant use. AIM, which stands for Addressing Inhalants and Methamphetamine, provides free educational presentations and workshops to the community on these substances and on the value and availability of resources for early intervention with adolescents experimenting with substances. In addition, the AIM project provides free a youth intervention for adolescents aged 11-14 years of age who have been identified as early alcohol or drug experimenters. This intervention utilizes a non-confrontational approach designed to increase motivation for abstinence through goal setting, support, and coping skills teaching. For more information on the AIM project contact Tim Philpot at (215) 3345-6644 x 3109 or email tphilpot@bccadd.org. Supported by Center for Substance Abuse Prevention Grant SP10717.

Drug Free Students Website. Check out this new website, www.drugfreestudents.org. This site is a real time resource center for parents, youth and educators and provides up to date information on adolescent substance abuse issues, drug information, and drug-free games and activities for youth. Supported by funds from the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention Grant Number SP10717, this interactive website is an example of an exciting new direction in prevention education.


Pennsylvanians Against Underage Drinking “PAUD” is a statewide coalition developed through a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to mobilize the public, particularly youth, to address underage drinking issues. This coalition is unique, in that its focus is on environmental policy change. This coalition is comprised of six regional coalitions; Bucks County Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence co-chairs the Southeastern Pennsylvania regional coalition, or “SEPA PAUD.”

The Lead-On Youth Conference is an annual event held each spring since 1987. Sponsored by Bucks County Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence and supported by the United Way and private contributions, Lead-On is an opportunity for youth involved in prevention activities to get together and exchange ideas, participate in skill-building workshops, and recognize outstanding youth prevention leaders.

Youth Countermarketing is an initiative to involve and support youth interested in prevention activities. By identifying misleading messages in alcohol and tobacco advertising and developing their own original media materials, youth are supported to counter messages that glamorize substance use and to promote more honest communication about the effects and dangers of the use of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs.

Clean Air for Healthy Children is a unique program that not only trains health care providers to counsel their patients who smoke to quit, but also provides technical assistance and free program materials to medical practices. Assisting pregnant women and parents who smoke to quit reduces the serious health risks to their children in utero and in early life posed by environmental tobacco smoke or tobacco smoke pollution. The prevention department at Bucks County Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence trains health care providers in this unique intervention.

Creating Lasting Family Connections.
Parenting is one of the most difficult and yet most rewarding jobs an individual can undertake. Without the necessary resources and support, this job can feel overwhelming! Let's face it, parents with teenagers could use some support! Creating Lasting Family Connections can offer just the help you need! This unique family strengthening program is designed to bring both parents and their middle school teens together in a safe and comfortable environment, where they can build communication skills and learn up to date drug and alcohol information. Parents will learn how to clearly communicate their expectations while teens learn how to earn parental trust as they move through this often, difficult season of their lives. Participants attend a 5-week cycle meeting one night a week for 2 hours. For more information, please contact Cherie Brummans at 215-230-8715 x3104.


This project is funded wholly or in part through the Bucks County Drug and Alcohol Commission, Inc., under a contract between the Pennsylvania Department of Health and the County of Bucks.