September 1997 — Exclusive

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A Tour of the World Wide Web for School Counselors

Created to produce a resource for teachers, students and others who need accurate information concerning drug and alcohol abuse, it contains a collection of fact sheets and other materials arranged by types of drugs. It also has information about meetings and conferences, links, and places to get help with addictions. The help section could be extremely valuable for school counselors.

The Join Together Online site (www.jointogether.org/) is a resource center and meeting place for communities to reduce the negative impact of illicit drugs. The site features a headline section, which covers current event items in the national news related to drug abuse. In addition, there is a searchable database, funding news, hot issues, community action news, and a who's who section. The features and headlines section offer a unique tool of particular interest to school counselors. By using this site, school counselors can quickly find current events-type information, which could prove to be extremely valuable in substance abuse projects.

If school counselors are interested in obtaining research concerning substance abuse, the CESAR Home Page is an excellent choice (www.bsos.umd.edu/cesar/aboutcsr.html). The Center for Substance Abuse at the University of Maryland is one of the largest databases of information on the nature and extent of substance abuse. CESAR provides a weekly overview of timely substance abuse topics, an electronic bulletin board, and a clearinghouse of substance abuse and related topics.

The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse Home Page (www.casacolumbia.org/) has highlights from current events, related publications, future events, and a media center with many resources. In addition, the site reviews substance abuse costs, impact, and prevention and treatment issues. Job opportunities and additional Internet resources are also described.

National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information (www.health.org/) includes a PREVLINE (Prevention Online) Home Page. It contains publications, online forums, a conference calendar, resources and referrals, a searchable database, and research and statistics. It is an excellent source of the latest information related to substance abuse.

The Alcohol and Drug Abuse Recovery Program site (www.menninger.edu/tmc_gen_clnprg_alcdrg.html) describes the Menninger Recovery Program. In addition, the site includes articles on mental health, treatment information, prevention guidelines, and outpatient and inpatient services. For a school counselor, a review of a treatment facility can add additional, valuable information to the professional's database.