Content sponsored by the Agency for Substance Abuse Prevention (ASAP).

The Agency for Substance Abuse Prevention (ASAP) is on a mission to educate about and prevent the abuse of substances within Alabama communities through support groups, awareness programs, workshops and more.

Targeting all who might be affected by substance abuse, with an emphasis on students and children, ASAP provides education and intervention resources to schools, community centers, Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs, churches and other institutions throughout Alabama.

Often utilizing creative methods like cartoons, fun commercials, a podcast and more, ASAP works to educate and connect with youth in a way that is engaging, as opposed to just throwing information at them.

With September being National Recovery Month, ASAP team members put their heads together and came up with a unique solution for disseminating their vital message– a virtual drug prevention cypher.

For those who aren’t familiar, ASAP describes a cypher as, “a collaborative and often impromptu gathering where participants express their perspectives through verse and song.”

Watch ASAP’s drug prevention cypher here.

ASAP has also launched a podcast, “Barbers Against Bullets,” that facilitates conversations with local barbers on the topic of gun violence, and more specifically the intersection between gun violence and substance abuse– an issue prevalent in many Alabama communities.

You can find podcast episodes on ASAP’s Instagram.

Headquartered in Oxford, Ala., ASAP serves the surrounding Birmingham area. Find more information about ASAP, resources, contact information and more here.