Prevention First got its start in 1980 as the Prevention Resource Center. Grassroots organizations were forming to work on preventing alcohol use and abuse instead of treating its consequences. At the recommendation of a task force of the Illinois Department of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities, the Prevention Resource Center opened its doors in Springfield to help community organizations stem the rising tide of alcohol use. Within a year, the organization received additional funding to expand its operations into northern Illinois and to open a Chicago office.

As illicit drug use spiked in the mid-1980s, the Prevention Resource Center expanded its focus to include substances other than alcohol. An interest in addressing issues related to substance abuse naturally followed, and the organization began developing curricula and programs on topics such as HIV/AIDS, teen pregnancy and violence. It incorporated as a private, nonprofit agency in 1987.

By 1994, when the Prevention Resource Center became Prevention First Inc., the organization had established its library as the largest collection of its kind in the state, was providing training programs from Chicago to Carbondale and working cooperatively with like-minded groups nationwide.

Today, Prevention First is a comprehensive drug prevention organization assisting professionals and communities through training in effective drug prevention practices, information services, anti-drug public awareness campaigns and initiatives such as the "Be Real" middle school program and the Illinois African American Coalition for Prevention. Our vision is to encourage individuals, families, organizations and policy makers to engage in effective prevention practices and support policies that promote healthy lifestyles.