Prevention research at the centre for alcohol and drug research

Prevention is one of four core research areas at the Centre for Alcohol and Drug Research at Aarhus University in Denmark. This paper provides an overview of the prevention research which has been carried out at the Centre since its establishment in the beginning of the 1990s. Based on a review of all past and ongoing preventive research projects at the Centre, the paper suggests this research has been influenced by three key factors: (1) the central status of alcohol and drug prevention in Danish society and public opinion; (2) the researchers' background in the social sciences and humanities, and (3) the Centre's financial situation. The paper suggests, moreover, the prevention research at the Centre has become increasingly theoretical and international in scope, and that the focus of the research has shifted more and more away from traditional forms of drug prevention, such as education, to also include newer forms of prevention including harm reduction. There is also a noticeable trend away from mere description and evaluation of prevention work towards both challenging the field and contributing to it with a different kind of evidence than has usually been required.