Let’s imagine a city where every school building is a health hub: sports fields enlivened by coaches who integrate prevention into training; mentors guiding youth through difficult weeks; and a digital platform connecting schools with local clinics. In this future, risks are recognized early, stress is trained like a muscle, and community becomes the strongest vaccine against substance abuse. This vision is closer than many think – if we purposefully build social networks and guide them scientifically.

Substance abuse prevention during adolescence is most effective when social protective factors are systematically strengthened. These include stable relationships, meaningful activities, and accessible support systems. Mentoring refers to a structured relationship between a trained adult and a young person, providing orientation, support, and role modeling. School-based prevention encompasses programs within the school that promote knowledge, Copingconstructive strategies for stress management, Emotional Competencerecognizing, regulating feelings, and translating them into actions, and help-seeking behavior. Partnerships between schools and health services connect education with care pathways – from counseling to treatment. A frequently mentioned component is sports: However, the key is the "how." Prevention through sports is effective when preventive content is embedded in training contexts – not when sports merely serve to "keep busy."

Strong social networks lower the entry risk, delay initial use, and reduce the likelihood of relapse. Programs that connect sports with prevention content or integrate prevention into sports show consistent effects, especially regarding alcohol and tobacco – with generally more sustainable impact when prevention is explicitly embedded in training routines ^[1]. Mentoring improves willingness to discuss substances, addresses knowledge gaps, and creates safe frameworks where boundary-setting and help-seeking are normalized – provided mentors receive clear roles, training, and professional resources ^{[2] [3]}. School programs that build emotional competencies and promote stress management improve adaptability in the presence of existing substance issues and act preventively for at-risk youth when they also integrate secondary prevention (e.g., harm reduction, access to help) ^{[4] [5]}. Partnerships between schools and local health facilities enhance the quality of care, clarify roles, and consolidate competences – transforming prevention from a project into a structure ^[6].

A systematic review classified sports prevention into three approaches: "Sports Alone" (PS), "Prevention Parallel to Sports" (PCS), and "Prevention Through Sports" (PTS). While PS showed little preventive effects, PCS and especially PTS delivered consistent, albeit small effects across substances – with temporarily more stable results for PCS and longer-term effects for PTS. Relevance: Prevention mechanisms must be integrated into the sports context; otherwise, opportunities remain untapped ^[1]. Additionally, a study developed a web-based decision tool (IPASDU) that robustly evaluates prevention programs based on clear criteria such as feasibility, professional quality, and budget. Significance: Municipalities and schools can thus make more informed decisions under uncertainty regarding which sports-based prevention approaches are scalable and effective ^[7]. Qualitative and Mixed-Methods research on mentoring shows that mentors are willing to discuss substances but often do so superficially – out of concern for role boundaries and lack of factual certainty. Structured training, briefings, and debriefings enhance competence and self-care and improve the quality of conversations. Relevance: Good intentions are not enough; programs must clarify mentor roles and provide continuous training ^{[2] [3]}. Finally, a randomized controlled study shows that brief training on cognitive emotional regulation improves emotional adjustment in addiction patients – a direct lever for school transfer programs that strengthen stress and emotional skills as pillars of prevention ^[4]. A recent overview also emphasizes the need to more firmly anchor secondary prevention and cultural adaptation in school curricula to effectively reach high-risk groups ^[5].

- Build support groups and mentoring: Recruit trained mentors and provide clear roles, brief trainings on substance knowledge, conversation skills, and boundaries. Implement a short briefing before each group meeting and a debriefing afterwards to ensure quality and self-care ^{[2] [3]}.
- Equip mentors with tools: Provide a curated info app or a guide that consolidates myths, local resources, and conversation frameworks. This increases confidence and promotes in-depth discussions rather than superficial comments ^[2].
- Formalize school-health partnerships: Establish cooperation agreements between schools, youth services, and local health facilities. Define responsibilities (screening, brief intervention, referral), emergency pathways, and data protection standards – partnership instead of mere delegation ^[6].
- Use sports wisely: Choose programs that integrate preventive content into training (PTS) or offer preventive modules in parallel (PCS). Avoid "sports alone" without a preventive core. Use decision-making tools like IPASDU to assess quality, budget alignment, and scalability ^{[1] [7]}.
- Anchor stress and emotional competence in the curriculum: Introduce school modules on emotional regulation, stress management, and help-seeking. Combine universal prevention with secondary offerings (e.g., confidential counseling) to engage already consuming youth ^[5].
- Implement short trainings on cognitive emotional regulation: Introduce six-part training cycles that link thinking–feeling–acting and practice adaptive strategies. These modules can be combined with counseling services and measurably improve emotional adjustment ^[4].
- Implementation for high performers in the environment: If you bear responsibility as a parent, coach, entrepreneur, or school leader, create a 90-day plan: Weeks 1–4 define partnership; Weeks 5–8 recruit and train mentors; Weeks 9–12 launch the PTS/PCS sports group plus emotional module. Evaluate biannually using IPASDU-like criteria ^[7].

Prevention becomes robust when community is structured: mentoring with clear roles, sports with a genuine preventive core, schools working hand in hand with health services. Start now with a small pilot – three mentor pairs, one integrated sports module, one solid health partnership – and scale what works. The next generation deserves social networks that support them.