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IRVING, TX and BOSTON, MA - November 29, 2004 - Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) and Outside The Classroom today introduced AlcoholEdu for Youth Sanctions, a non-opinionated, online prevention course aimed at helping youth alcohol offenders make safer, healthier decisions about alcohol.
The course takes a science-based approach, engaging users with proven prevention techniques and essential alcohol education. Developed by leading prevention experts, AlcoholEdu for Youth Sanctions provides an interactive experience that changes perceptions, motivates behavior change and helps teens contend with a culture that too often encourages, rather than discourages, underage drinking.
"A sanction at this stage in a teen's life can serve as a teachable moment, one of which we must take advantage," said MADD National President Wendy J. Hamilton. "It is imperative that we don't give up on these teens and that instead we help them understand the consequences of their actions so that they can make better decisions in the future."
AlcoholEdu for Youth Sanctions will be rolled out nationally starting today, complementing other successful programs such as AlcoholEdu for High School, a primary prevention program targeted at high school freshmen.
AlcoholEdu for Youth Sanctions can be taken on any standard Internet-connected computer and combines streaming audio with interactive exercises. It is divided into three 30-minute sections, allowing users to complete it in multiple sittings. Interactive exercises bring the scientific content to life, and case-history role-playing helps students understand the social context of alcohol and the decisions they will be confronted with in the future.
Alcohol is the number one drug problem among teenagers in America, killing more young people than all other illicit drugs combined. According to the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, the total societal costs of underage drinking in the U.S. amount to $53 billion per year.
AlcoholEdu for Youth Sanctions is the second course that MADD and Outside The Classroom have developed together. AlcoholEdu for High School was released in January 2004 and aims to reach teens before they have any problems with alcohol. AlcoholEdu for Youth Sanctions complements AlcoholEdu for High School by offering a course that can be used with teens who are being sanctioned for underage alcohol use.
AlcoholEdu for High School is being used at 80 high schools around the country this fall. Data from two pilot schools that implemented the course last spring show positive results, suggesting that the course engages students, increases alcohol-related knowledge, undermines support for underage drinking and improves alcohol-related behaviors.
"Decisions about alcohol don't just happen once - teens are confronted over and over again," said Brandon Busteed, Founder and CEO of Outside The Classroom. "AlcoholEdu for Youth Sanctions will help teens who have made poor decisions in the past learn from their mistakes, reducing recidivism and guiding them to lead more productive lives."
About MADD
MADD (www.madd.org) is the premiere organization working to stop drunk driving, support the victims of this violent crime and prevent underage drinking. MADD is a 501(c) 3 charity with approximately 600 chapters and 2 million members nationwide. Nearly 270,000 lives have been saved since MADD's founding in 1980.
About Outside The Classroom
Outside The Classroom is the leading provider of online alcohol prevention programs and offers course for college- and high-school-aged students. The AlcoholEdu development team is led by Richard P. Keeling, MD, Vice President for Prevention Programs, and includes prevention professionals, assessment and evaluation experts, and leading scientists, including distinguished neuropsychologists and brain researchers Scott Swartzwelder, Ph.D., and Aaron White, Ph.D., of Duke University Medical Center. Outside The Classroom collaborates with many prominent organizations, including MADD and the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA).
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