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Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD), formerly Students Against Driving Drunk, is an organization whose aim is to prevent incidents from students making potentially destructive decisions.
"SADD empowers and mobilizes students and adult allies to engage in positive change through leadership and smart decision-making." [1]
SADD's approach involves young people presenting education and prevention messages to their peers through school and community activities. Projects include peer-led classes and forums, teen workshops, conferences and rallies, prevention education and leadership training, awareness-raising activities and legislative work.
SADD was founded by at Wayland High School in Massachusetts in 1981 by hockey coach Robert Anastas after a drunk driving incident took the lives of two of the school's hockey players. [2] He and a group of 15 students developed the SADD concept and the Contract for Life. In 1982, SADD went national with offices founded throughout Massachusetts, Arizona, Ohio, North Carolina, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Florida, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Maine. In 1984, Dear Abby and Ann Landers printed the Contract for Life, suggesting to all readers that they request a copy from SADD. [3] The SADD National office was inundated with 8,000 requests per week for six weeks. Also that year, "Contract for Life: The SADD Story" aired on CBS as a CBS Schoolbreak Special, [4] and Carl Olson, the first SADD president at Wayland High School, was appointed by the Director of Health and Human Services as the only student to a three-year panel studying the alcoholism in America.
The following year, SADD offices were established in Germany and Guam. Also in 1985, SADD had its first presidential moment when President Reagan met with SADD students of River Dell High School in New Jersey. [5]
In 1989, SADD offices were established in schools in the Soviet Union. Also that year, the SADD National Board of Directors voted to cease accepting contributions from the alcohol industry.
In 1990, The American College of Physicians awarded the Edward G. Loveland Memorial Award to SADD for its contributions to the health field.
In 1992, William Cullinane became Executive Director of SADD.
The following year, the SADD Board of Directors voted not to accept funds from the alcohol industry.
In 1995, SADD received a letter of commendation from President Bill Clinton. The next year, Margaret Altstaetter, SADD Student of the Year 1995-1996, was invited to participate in the White House Leadership Conference on Youth, Drug Use and Violence.
In 2018, [6] First Lady Melania Trump addressed the SADD National Conference. As part of her Be Best campaign, Mrs. Trump spoke on the importance of kindness, compassion, and positivity.
In 2019, SADD received a grant from the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) for $311,000. The grant was awarded to focus on educating the community on the dangers of impaired driving. [7]
A new name, Students Against Destructive Decisions, was adopted in 1997.
SADD's Board of Directors appointed Penny Wells as its new President and Executive Director in 2000.
SADD launched its National Scholarship Program in 2002, awarding its first two scholarships the following year.
In 2004, Jacqueline Hackett, Executive Committee member of the 2003–2004 SADD National SLC, testified before the Congressional Subcommittee on Education Reform at the hearing "Preventing Underage Drinking: What Works?". [8]
In 2007, SADD attended a special White House event during which President George W. Bush highlighted a decline in youth drug use from 2001 to 2007.
In 2008, SADD partnered with the White House's National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign to raise awareness about the link between stress and drug use among teens and about prescription drug use.
By 2009, the SADDvocate, SADD's monthly e-newsletter for students and advisors, had reached more than 11,000 subscribers.
In 2010 SADD successfully lobbied for the introduction of the STARS (Students Taking Action for Road Safety) Act. In October, SADD received an international drug abuse prevention award from the Queen of Sweden. Also, The Mentor International Foundation presented SADD with the 2010 Youth Initiative Award for "Mobilizing the Community: Youth Taking the Lead". SADD also took part in the Oprah Winfrey led "No phone zone day". [9]
Drunk driving is the act of operating a motor vehicle with the operator's ability to do so impaired as a result of alcohol consumption, or with a blood alcohol level in excess of the legal limit. For drivers 21 years or older, driving with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.08% or higher is illegal. For drivers under 21 years old, the legal limit is lower, with state limits ranging from 0.00 to 0.02. Lower BAC limits apply when operating boats, airplanes, or commercial vehicles. Among other names, the criminal offense of drunk driving may be called driving under the influence (DUI), driving while intoxicated or impaired (DWI), operating [a] vehicle under the influence of alcohol (OVI), or operating while impaired (OWI).
Driving under the influence (DUI) is the offense of driving, operating, or being in control of a vehicle while impaired by alcohol or drugs, to a level that renders the driver incapable of operating a motor vehicle safely. Multiple other terms are used for the offense in various jurisdictions.
Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) is a non-profit organization in the United States, Canada and Brazil that seeks to stop driving with any amount of alcohol in the bloodstream, support those affected by drunk driving, prevent underage drinking, and strive for stricter impaired driving policy, whether that impairment is caused by alcohol or any other drug. The Irving, Texas-based organization was founded on September 5, 1980, in California by Candace Lightner after her 13-year-old daughter, Cari, was killed by a drunk driver. There is at least one MADD office in every state of the United States and at least one in each province of Canada. These offices offer victim services and many resources involving alcohol safety. MADD has claimed that drunk driving has been reduced by half since its founding.
Drug Abuse Resistance Education, or D.A.R.E., is an American education program that tries to prevent use of controlled drugs, membership in gangs, and violent behavior. It was founded in Los Angeles in 1983 as a joint initiative of then-LAPD chief Daryl Gates and the Los Angeles Unified School District as a demand-side drug control strategy of the American War on Drugs.
Robert Anastas is a former hockey coach and teacher at Wayland High School from Hudson, Massachusetts. Anastas was an All American Football and Ice Hockey player for American International College. He was drafted by the then-Boston Patriots in 1960. After his sports career he joined the Framingham, Massachusetts, school system, where he was awarded the "Massachusetts Teacher of the Year".
The American Beverage Institute is a trade group based in Washington, D.C. that lobbies on alcoholic drink related issues on behalf of the restaurant industry. It describes itself as "dedicated to protecting the on-premises dining experience - which often includes the responsible consumption of adult beverages." ABI was set up in 1991 by Richard Berman, executive director of the public affairs firm Berman and Company.
Alcohol education is the practice of disseminating disinformation about the effects of alcohol on health, as well as society and the family unit. It was introduced into the public schools by temperance organizations such as the Woman's Christian Temperance Union in the late 19th century. Initially, alcohol education focused on how the consumption of alcoholic beverages affected society, as well as the family unit. In the 1930s, this came to also incorporate education pertaining to alcohol's effects on health. For example, even light and moderate alcohol consumption increases cancer risk in individuals. Organizations such as the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism in the United States were founded to promulgate alcohol education alongside those of the temperance movement, such as the American Council on Alcohol Problems.
Wayland High School is the public high school for the town of Wayland, Massachusetts, United States. During the 2022-2023 school year, there were 824 students enrolled at the high school. Wayland High School is consistently ranked as one of the best schools in the Boston area. In 2023 Boston Magazine ranked WHS as #4 on their list of "Best Public High Schools in Boston".
Although the minimum legal age to purchase alcohol is 21 in all U.S. states and most territories, the legal details for consumption vary greatly. Although some states completely ban alcohol usage for people under 18, the majority have exceptions that permit consumption.
Every 15 Minutes is a two-day program focusing on high school juniors and seniors, which challenges them to think about driving while drunk, personal safety, and the responsibility of making mature decisions. Along with alcohol-related crashes, it focuses on the impact that their decisions would have on family and friends.
Operation Snowball is an international alcohol, tobacco and drug-use prevention program founded in Illinois in 1977, focusing on leadership development to encourage young people to avoid taking drugs. The name originates from the idea that having a positive impact on an individual can "snowball" into positive results for an entire community and beyond.
A random checkpoint is a military and police tactic. In a military context, checkpoints involve the setup of a hasty roadblock by mobile truck- or armored vehicle-mounted infantry to disrupt unauthorized or unwanted movement or military activity and to check for valid identification and search for contraband, fugitives, or weapons that are not permitted in civilian hands. Random checkpoints are set up to achieve surprise, as opposed to known permanently located checkpoints, which suspects could circumvent. They are often established in locations where they cannot be observed by approaching traffic until it is too late to withdraw and escape without being observed.
The Drug Resistance Strategies Project (DRS), a program funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), teaches adolescents and pre-adolescents how to make decisions and resist alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs (ATOD).
Foundation for Advancing Alcohol Responsibility (Responsibility.org), formerly known as the Century Council, is an American not-for-profit organization founded in 1991 and funded by a group of distillers that aims to fight to eliminate drunk driving and underage drinking and promotes responsible decision-making regarding alcohol use.
Project Graduation is a program offered by many high schools in the United States, in which organized, adult-supervised and alcohol-free activities are offered as part of a post-graduation party, as an alternative to student-run events involving alcoholic beverages or drugs. Events often last through the night and are held in hotels or community centers. Students are checked for illicit substances before entry and are carefully monitored.
The laws of driving under the influence vary between countries. One difference is the acceptable limit of blood alcohol content before a person is charged with a crime. Thresholds range from the limit of detection (zero-tolerance) to 0.08%. Some countries have no limits or laws on blood alcohol content.
Drunk driving is the act of driving under the influence of alcohol. A small increase in the blood alcohol content increases the relative risk of a motor vehicle crash.
The legal drinking age varies from country to country. In the United States, the legal drinking age is currently 21. To curb excessive alcohol consumption by younger people, instead of raising the drinking age, other countries have raised the prices of alcohol beverages and encouraged the general public to drink less. Setting a legal drinking age of 21 is designed to discourage reckless alcohol consumption by youth, limiting consumption to those who are more mature, who can be expected to make reasonable and wise decisions when it comes to drinking.
John Dennis Hughes was a pioneer in the field of school-based alcohol and drug prevention efforts in the Pacific Northwest. He served in various capacities during his career including positions at the Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
