Addiction behavior does not lead necessarly to addiction, but that kind of behavior it presents as risky for youth development. The processes of maturing and "searching for yourself" for young people are confusing. They use various addictive substances such as alcohol, drugs, smoking, gambling, also a new trend of addiction to the virual world. Risky consumption and use of these addictive substances have negative consequences for the healthy and psychosocial development of young people. The goals of prevention are to assess the risk factors that influence the development of risk behaviors among young people and to identify protective factors that protect against the occurrence of addiction. Prevention requires the development and constant application of prevention programs with the aim of preventing addiction among young people. Its important to bring program participants together and tailor activities to their age, to educate staff how to implement the program, and to ensure the support of the institutions where implementation is planned, as well as the support of external associates. Experts and scientists, who plan and implement prevention programs with the aim of preventing addiction among young people, must not ignore the following facts. There are five steps which need to be taken in setting up a particular program: planning, setting goals, elaborating, implementing, and evaluating a prevention program. In prevention of addiction, given the nature of the work and the possibility of contact with users, an important role is played by social workers who are „the driving force“ in taking appropriate measures to prevent addiction among the youth population.