--- title: Alcohol and Drug Use Education description: "\tAlcohol and Drug Use Education – Not an evidence-based practice\r\n\r\n\r\nSummary of the Evidence\r\n\r\n•\tAlcohol and drug use education (ADE) is educational but does not provide clinical services. It is not an evidence-based practice.\r\n•\tThere is evidence that ADEs may reduce both alcohol and drug use for youth, but the effects are small. \r\n•\tADE is often a component of in-patient and out-patient treatment, but it is not a replacement for clinically based drug treatment services. The goal is to provide an understanding of the neurobiological impact that substance use has on behavior and functioning.\r\n\r\n\r\nWhat Is Alcohol and Drug Use Education?\r\n•\tAlcohol and drug use education (ADE) is a strategy meant to prevent, delay, or reduce alcohol and/or drug use by providing knowledge of the consequences of such use and/or abuse. \r\n•\tADE programs typically have two components: education and skill development.\r\no\tThe first component covers knowledge about the consequences of using and abusing substances.\r\no\tThe second component teaches coping strategies to resist social pressures to use.\r\n•\tADE is an intervention that typically targets young people, but that is often included as a part of most in-patient and out-patient SUD treatment services to increase awareness about the neurobiological effects of using substances.\r\n•\tADE programs are based on the following assumptions: \r\no\tPeople use drugs because they do not have adequate knowledge about the consequences of using. If they did have such knowledge, they would make the rational choice not to use.\r\no\tPeople experience a great deal of social pressure from certain peers to use drugs and alcohol. \r\no\tThere are skills individuals can learn to help them resist this pressure to experiment or use substances.\r\n\r\nHow Is It Used?\r\n•\tADE is most often delivered in community settings such as clinics, school settings for youth, and over the internet. Within the community supervision setting, ADE is typically included as a part of a client’s in-patient or out-patient treatment.\r\n•\tADE programs aim to do the following:\r\no\tprovide information about the neurological and biological effects of substance use to help individuals understand how the brain operates and why substances can be addictive\r\no\tprovide information about the negative consequences (social, physical, cognitive) of alcohol abuse and illicit drug use\r\no\teducate individuals on the nature of social pressures to use alcohol and drugs\r\no\tteach a set of personal and social resistance skills to help individuals resist pressure from peers\r\n•\tWithin community supervision, ADE is considered an intervention aimed at reducing substance use because most individuals in the criminal legal system (the “criminal justice” or “legal” system will be referred to as the criminal legal system in this document) have used drugs and alcohol before entering the system.\r\n•\tADE is effective when it is a component of a broader health and personal development curriculum concerned with an individual’s social and mental health well-being.\r\n•\tEffective ADE programs often include an interactive curriculum that engages participants in learning problem-solving and critical thinking skills. These skills can be used to craft strategies for real-world situations.\r\n•\tADE is most effective when it is responsive to the specific cultural and social needs of the individuals.\r\n\r\nHow Can It Be Used to Monitor Compliance?\r\n•\tADE is not a tool to monitor compliance.\r\n\r\nHow Can It Be Used as a Supervision Tool?\r\n•\tADE is by nature a rehabilitative tool meant to assist clients in reducing drug use and, subsequently, recidivism.\r\n•\tAs a change agent, officers can recommend ADE to their clients as a part of treatment services. \r\n\r\nWhat Are the Costs of Alcohol and Drug Use Education? \r\n•\tADE is often included in in-patient and out-patient treatment; there are considerable costs tied to ADE.\r\n\r\nWhat Do Supervision Staff Think?\r\n•\tSupervision staff report that ADE is\r\no\tsometimes appropriate for all low-risk clients and\r\no\tsometimes appropriate for all medium- to high-risk clients except those who are gang-involved or in an intimate partner violence special population, for whom it is always appropriate.\r\n\r\nCompliance Level\r\n•\tSupervision staff report that a psychological sanction such as ADE is\r\no\tsometimes appropriate for low-risk clients who are in low, medium, and high compliance with their supervision conditions,\r\no\talways appropriate for medium- to high-risk clients in low compliance with their supervision conditions, and\r\no\tsometimes appropriate for medium- to high-risk clients in medium and high compliance with their supervision conditions.\r\n\r\nWhat Should You Expect When Using Alcohol and Drug Use Education?\r\n•\tMost evaluations of ADE have focused on its impact on youth.\r\n•\tADE has been shown to reduce alcohol and illicit drug use among youth, although the effects are considered small. \r\n•\tThe most evaluated ADE program is the DARE program, and these results have been mixed.\r\n•\tBecause it is often included as a component of a larger intervention, it is difficult to isolate the specific effects of ADE.\r\n\r\nIs Alcohol and Drug Use Education an Evidence-Based Practice?\r\n•\tNo. The evidence supporting the effect of ADE is inconclusive—there are both positive and harmful effects.\r\n•\tThere is some evidence that ADE can reduce use and extend the time before first use, but there is also evidence that ADE can increase use.\r\n\r\nWhat Do People Formerly Involved in the Criminal Legal System Think About Alcohol and Drug Use Education?\r\n•\tPeople with lived experience in the criminal legal system report that ADE is\r\no\tsometimes appropriate for all low-risk clients and\r\no\tsometimes appropriate for all medium- to high-risk clients.\r\n\r\n\r\nCommunication That Strengthens the Officer-Client Relationship (Messaging)\r\n•\tOfficers should discuss the results of substance use assessments or evaluations (see substance use evaluation statement for more information) openly with their clients.\r\n•\tOfficers should reinforce abstinence from substance use during interactions with their client.\r\n•\tOfficers should offer treatment services that include ADE as a response to difficulty a client is having living alcohol and drug free.\r\n•\tOfficers should discuss and use the concepts and skills taught in ADE with their client.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nSpecial Considerations When Using Alcohol and Drug Use Education with Subpopulations\r\n\r\nGang-Involved\tNone\r\nGeneral Violence\tNone\r\nIntimate Partner Violence\tNone\r\nSerious Mental Illness\tNone\r\nSubstance Use Disorder\tADE is mainly a preventive intervention. It is often included in in-patient and out-patient SUD treatment but is not an effective as a stand-alone intervention." url: "https://www.gmuace.org/appropriateness-statement-package/treatments/alcohol-and-drug-use-education/" updated: "2023-06-09" category: Treatments tags: - Behavioral Health - "Non-Evidence-Based Practices" - Programs - Treatments --- # Alcohol and Drug Use Education ***Alcohol and Drug Use Education – Not an evidence-based practice*** Summary of the Evidence - Alcohol and drug use education (ADE) is educational but does not provide clinical services. It is not an evidence-based practice. - There is evidence that ADEs may reduce both alcohol and drug use for youth, but the effects are small. - ADE is often a component of in-patient and out-patient treatment, but it is not a replacement for clinically based drug treatment services. The goal is to provide an understanding of the neurobiological impact that substance use has on behavior and functioning.   What Is Alcohol and Drug Use Education? How Is It Used? How Can It Be Used to Monitor Compliance? How Can It Be Used as a Supervision Tool? What Are the Costs of Alcohol and Drug Use Education? What Do Supervision Staff Think? Special Considerations When Using Alcohol and Drug Use Education with Subpopulations   **Similar Topics** ## [Treatment Implementation Considerations](https://www.gmuace.org/appropriateness-statement-package/treatments/treatment-implementation-considerations/) ## [Drug Testing](https://www.gmuace.org/appropriateness-statement-package/compliance-based-practices/drug-testing/) ## [In-Patient & Out-Patient Treatment](https://www.gmuace.org/appropriateness-statement-package/treatments/in-patient-out-patient-treatment/)