Drug Prevention
Author: Philipp Lioznov, MSc
Master's thesis
Illegal psychoactive substances, also known as illicit drugs, can be extremely dangerous to people’s physical and mental health. Prevention programs aim to discourage risky drug use. Nevertheless, many people continue to use illegal psychoactive substances on a regular basis. The prevailing paradigm in society remains a zero-tolerance policy toward drug-related problems.
Many programs use shocking information—which is often not based on actual evidence—to deter people from using illegal drugs. This study examined how shocking and informative appeals in the form of videos affect participants, which factors tend to contribute to illicit drug use, and which factors can serve as resilience and protective factors.
