Drugs4Real, a free, online primary prevention program, teaches early adolescents about the influence of alcohol and other drugs along with skill building exercises that enhance resistance to substance use.
Developed and tested with support from the National Institute on Drug Abuse,
Drugs4Real incorporates multimedia and a self-directed approach to ensure user engagement and confidentiality. In a randomized clinical trial, adolescents who participated in the Drugs4Real program showed the following results after six-month follow-up (compared to the control):
- Significantly greater knowledge about alcohol and other drugs.
- Significantly greater intentions to not drink alcohol or smoke cigarettes.
- Significantly greater self-efficacy to resist use.
FEATURES
- Covers four main content areas: drug basics, tobacco, alcohol and marijuana.
- Provides a rich interactive experience with lively graphics, animation, audio and video.
- Includes engaging quizzes, polls and games that motivate learning.
- Offers personalized reporting of participation by demographic breakdown.
- Prioritizes self-management skills, such as decision-making, critical thinking, goal-setting and self-monitoring.
- Drugs4Real Educator component contains ideas on how to integrate the program into lesson plans.