The state of Washington has begun implementing a plan of prevention to keep alcohol abuse and alcohol addiction at bay. This method works because methods such as direct treatment are not always so effective. There are many problems with the direct treatment approach, because with addiction there is always a possibility of relapse, and when that happens, the whole treatment will fall apart. Hence, the approach of prevention is used to tackle alcohol abuse and alcohol addiction in Washington.

Prevention of alcohol abuse in Washington is done on the state level. The state has a very prominent program conducted by the Division of Alcohol and Substance Abuse. This program intends to keep people away from alcohol for as long as possible. The age of children getting into alcohol abuse in Washington has come down to 10 years. This is definitely making the chances much bleak for people who are trying to get addiction treatment in Washington, because the sooner they start, the stronger addicts they will be. The program by the Division of Alcohol and Substance Abuse in Washington is trying to increase this age. The program knows that it is not possible to completely eliminate alcoholism from the state. But efforts can definitely be made to increase the age at which students begin consuming alcohol.

Towards this end, legislative methods are used and also there is a lot of campaigning within the state that specifically targets the students of schools and colleges. The program shows the children that it is not worth staying in an alcohol habit, and the best thing they can do is to live in sobriety.