Originally, the mission of the SADD chapter was to help young people say "No" to drinking and driving. Today, the mission has expanded. Students have told us that positive peer pressure, role models and other strategies can help them say "No" to more than drinking and driving. And that is why SADD has become a peer leadership organization dedicated to preventing destructive decisions, particularly underage drinking, other drug use, impaired driving, teen violence and teen depression and suicide.

SADD's mission simply stated:
To provide students with the best prevention and intervention tools possible to deal with the issues of underage drinking, other drug use, impaired driving and other destructive decisions.

Policy Against Use of Alcoholic Beverages by Underage Youth (“No Use” Policy)

SADD does not support or condone the use of alcohol by underage young people. The purchase and public possession of alcoholic beverages by anyone under the age of 21 is illegal in all 50 states.

Alcohol alters an individual's vision, reaction times, perception of distance, and judgment of one's abilities. For adolescents, whose brains are still developing in critical ways, alcohol use makes them more vulnerable to learning and memory impairments. The use of alcohol is frequently coupled with risky and potentially destructive behaviors such as physical and emotional violence, rude or thoughtless remarks or actions, sexual mistakes or misjudgments, sexual assaults, and suicide acts and attempts.

SADD believes that young people can have fun, enjoy life and nurture positive personal relationships without the distraction and distortion of alcohol. SADD seeks to demonstrate positive and attractive alternatives to alcohol and other drug-infused activities for teenagers.

SADD does not believe that it is possible to break the law responsibly. SADD and its chapters do not support or condone activities that encourage or enable the use of alcohol by underage young people, including the following activities:

SADD is an inclusive, not an exclusive, organization. SADD recognizes that the pressures on young people to drink, use illicit drugs and engage in other unhealthy behaviors are strong. SADD seeks not to punish or alienate those students who make unfortunate choices but rather aims to inform, educate, support and empower young people to make positive decisions in their lives.

SADD Profile

For 25 years, SADD has been committed to empowering young people to lead education and prevention initiatives in their schools and communities. Founded as Students Against Driving Drunk in 1981 in Wayland, Massachusetts, SADD has grown to become the nation's dominant peer-to-peer youth education and prevention organization with thousands of chapters in middle schools, high schools and colleges. In 1997, in response to requests from SADD students themselves, SADD expanded its mission and name and now sponsors chapters called Students Against Destructive Decisions. SADD continues to endorse a firm "No Use" message related to use of alcohol and other drugs. With its expanded focus, SADD now highlights prevention of all destructive behaviors and attitudes that are harmful to young people, including underage drinking, substance abuse, impaired driving, violence, and suicide.

SADD's unique approach involves young people delivering education and prevention messages to their peers through school- and communitywide activities and campaigns responsive to the needs of their particular locations. Projects may include peer-led classes and theme-focused forums, teen workshops, conferences and rallies, prevention education and leadership training, awareness-raising activities and legislative work. Independent studies have shown that students in schools with an established SADD chapter are more aware of and informed about the risks of underage drinking, other drug use, and impaired driving. Students in schools with a SADD chapter are also more likely to hold attitudes reflecting positive reasons not to use alcohol.

Located in Marlborough, Massachusetts, the national office of SADD, Inc. supports the growth and development of SADD chapters across the country and promotes awareness of youth issues in the population at large. SADD National assists chapters via a network of state coordinators funded through government or charitable organizations to deliver education and prevention materials and programming to youth. SADD National also distributes a newsletter and program information, hosts a Web site, runs a national conference, conducts national research on teen attitudes and behaviors, sponsors a Student Leadership Council and Student of the Year, oversees use of the SADD name and mark, and raises funds for dissemination of information and programming.

Through the years, SADD National has worked with many federal and state agencies and other nonprofit groups and foundations to capitalize on the energy and resources of SADD chapters. Through these joint efforts, SADD has built strong leadership among adolescents, mobilized statewide collaboration with community partners, fostered awareness of and support for youth initiatives, and organized the efforts of those beyond the SADD chapters to promote youth health and safety.

The History of SADD

1981
  • SADD is founded by Robert Anastas at Wayland High School in Massachusetts. He and a group of 15 students develop the SADD concept and the Contract for Life.
  • More than 6000 youth are killed in alcohol-related crashes.
1982
  • Massachusetts Governor Edward King arrives by helicopter at Wayland High School to launch the first-ever SADD Week.
  • SADD goes national with chapters founded throughout Massachusetts, Arizona, North Carolina, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Florida, Pennsylvania and Maine.
1983
  • Robert Anastas receives the Department of Health and Human Services Appreciation Award for his efforts to start a student-based, anti-drunk driving movement.
  • SADD public service announcements run in every television market in America.
1984
  • Dear Abby and Ann Landers print the Contract for Life and suggest to all readers that they request a copy from SADD. The tiny SADD National office is inundated with 8,000 requests per week for six weeks.
  • "Contract for Life: The SADD Story" airs on CBS as a CBS Schoolbreak Special .
  • Governor Michael Dukakis visits proms throughout Massachusetts, encouraging students not to drink and drive.
  • Carl Olsen, the first SADD president at Wayland High School, is appointed by the Director of Health and Human Services as the only student to a three-year panel studying the alcoholism in America.
  • SADD launches its "101 Day Campaign" promoting summer safety activities for the whole community.
1985
  • SADD chapters are established in Germany and Guam.
  • The first official summer camp chapter is established at Cape Cod Sea Camps. Active members hail from many different states and 10 foreign countries.
  • SADD's college program is launched in March.
  • SADD has its first presidential moment when President Reagan meets with SADD students of River Dell High School in New Jersey and compliments them on their important role in the national effort of drunk driving prevention.
  • SADD headquarters receives 350-350 letters per day.
1986
  • PocketBooks, a division of Simon and Schuster publishes The Contract for Life by Robert Anastas.
  • William Cullinane is appointed Assistant Director of SADD.
  • SADD is featured in Seventeen magazine.
  • The SADD Junior High School program, “I'm Special Because I'm Me,” is launched November 13, 1985.
  • First Lady Nancy Reagan sends greetings to SADD's October Florida conference.
1987
  • In a January episode, the NBC television program Fame, about the New York high school for the music and performing arts, features an episode entitled "Go Softly Into the Morning" in which a student is the victim of an impaired driver and the school establishes a SADD chapter in response.
  • The National Football League presents a donation to Robert Anastas and Ron Burton, SADD Board member and former player for the New England Patriots, at a New England Patriots–Atlanta Falcons game.
1988
  • The "Friends for Life" campaign is launched to combat illegal drinking, drug abuse and impaired driving.
  • The Contract for Life movie receives a Humanitarian Award from Video Insider , a video industry trade magazine.
  • Five members of the Wayland High School SADD chapter accompany Robert Anastas to Washington, DC, to meet with Richard Schwiecker, Secretary of Health and Human Services, to discuss peer-to-peer education.
  • SADD information is sent to students in Africa, Australia, China, France, Germany, Iran, Israel, Jamaica, Japan, and the Netherlands.
1989
  • SADD chapters are established in middle and high schools in the Soviet Union.
  • The Student Athletes Detest Drugs program is launched with support of Governors, Senators and Congressional representatives from across the country.
  • The first SADD National Conference for State Coordinators is held on Singer Island, Florida.
  • The SADD National Board of Directors votes to cease accepting contributions from the alcohol industry.
1990
  • The number of youth killed in alcohol-related crashes declines to just over 2,000.
  • The American College of Physicians awards the Edward G. Loveland Memorial Award to SADD for its contributions to the health field.
  • Letters of commendation are received from the Secretary of Transportation, the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Senator Pete Wilson (CA), and Senator Joseph Lieberman (CT).
  • First-time SADD students meet on Singer Island, Florida, for the SADD national conference.
1991
  • SADD celebrates its 10th anniversary.
  • Composer Ben Allaway writes an anthem for SADD entitled "If You Were Standing Here."
  • SADD's national conference on Singer Island, Florida, is attended by 100 students and 56 advisors.
  • SADD's first Student of the Year is Wendy Shierling from La Grange, Georgia.
1992
  • SADD receives the "Mickey Award" from the Mickey Mouse Club.
  • SADD's Student of the Year is Doug Gibson of Edwardsburg, Michigan.
  • William Cullinane becomes Executive Director of SADD.
1993
  • Michigan SADD members meet with U.S. Surgeon General Antonia Novello.
  • SADD's Student of the Year is Amy Fradette of Hardwick, Vermont.
  • On April 24, 1993, the SADD Board of Directors votes not to accept funds from the alcohol industry.
1994
  • SADD names its first Student Leadership Council.
  • Clearasil and Noxzema sponsor SADD Awareness Month.
  • SADD's Student of the Year is Trey Harper of Indianola, Mississippi.
1995
  • SADD initiates its "Strides for Safety" campaign.
  • SADD receives a letter of commendation from President Bill Clinton.
  • SADD's Student of the Year, Margaret Alstaetter from Bellefontaine, Ohio.
  • Research from the Pruesser Group concludes that “Students at SADD schools were more likely to hold attitudes reflecting positive reasons as to why NOT to use alcohol.”
1996
  • SADD launches its "Stand Up and Speak Out" program.
  • SADD celebrates its 15th anniversary.
  • Margaret Altstaetter, SADD Student of the Year 1995-1996, is invited to participate in the White House Leadership Conference on Youth, Drug Use and Violence.
1997
  • SADD adopts a new name: Students Against Destructive Decisions.
  • SADD's Student of the Year is Nikki Finch of Tampa, Florida.
  • SADD launches its 2000 x 2000 campaign.
1998
  • SADD names Kyra White of Arizona as Student of the Year.
  • NHTSA administrator Dr. Ricardo Martinez joins SADD students on the steps of the Capitol in Washington, DC, in taking the "Together We Can" pledge.
1999
  • SADD's Student of the Year is Kelly Standiford of Baltimore, Maryland.
  • Members of Baltimore County SADD attend a White House press conference, where they meet with President Clinton and First Lady Hillary Clinton to denounce school violence.
  • Three Student Leadership Council members, Lynsey Ross, Jereme McBride, and Carrie LeBlanc, are appointed to the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy Leadership Team.
2000
  • SADD's Board of Directors appoints Penny Wells as its new President and Executive Director.
  • SADD's Student of the Year is Katie Hultin of Hillsboro, North Dakota.
  • The first SADD/Liberty Mutual's Teens Today survey is released, highlighting poor communication between teens and parents as the reason for a wide "Reality Gap” in how parents and teens view critical issues in teens' lives, the influence parents have, and how they communicate about alcohol and drug use, drinking and driving, sex, violence and driving habits.
  • SADD chapters nationwide celebrate the passage of the new .08 law.
  • SADD's annual national conference in Washington, DC, focuses on "Saving Lives . . . It's Everybody's Business."
2001
  • SADD's Student of the Year is Justin Weseloh of Independence, Ohio.
  • SADD celebrates its 20th anniversary at the national conference in Washington, DC: "20 Years and Still #1!"
  • Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta joins 500 SADD members on the steps of the Capitol, urging youth to " Think About It . . ."
  • SADD launches the new " Think About It . . . The Power of SADD " campaigns.
  • SADD and Liberty Mutual release the annual Teens Today study, this time shattering the "Myth of Inevitability” that high-risk behaviors are unavoidable rites of passage in teen life.
2002
  • SADD's Student of the Year is Ashley Conners of Las Vegas, Nevada.
  • SADD hosts its national conference in Anaheim, California.
  • SADD launches its National Scholarship Program by conducting the first “Penny Drive” at conference.
  • SADD chapters from Crosby High School (Houston, TX), Rogers High School (Seattle, WA), Jesuit and St. Mary's Dominican schools (New Orleans, LA) and Savio Prep (Boston, MA) participate in Wake Up! rallies sponsored by the Office of National Drug Control Policy. The campaign's anti-drug message reached more than 17 million people through significant media coverage in each city.
  • SADD and Liberty Mutual release the annual Teens Today survey, this time offering parents new insights into when and why teens choose drinking, drugs, and sex.
2003
  • Freedom Rings … SADD Answers! SADD's national conference moves to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to celebrate "The Power of Independence!" and turns training into direct action in a service-learning project, coordinated by the Mayor of Philadelphia's office, cleaning streets and vacant lots in two neighborhoods.
  • SADD's Student of the Year is Molly Linn of Atlanta, Indiana
  • SADD awards its first two scholarships in conjunction with the SADD National Scholarship Program.
  • SADD launches its new SADD and the Law campaign, funded by a grant from NHTSA, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and designed to promote awareness of law enforcement initiatives. The first campaign in the series, SADD Mobilizes , uses SADD chapters to focus media attention on underage drinking.
  • SADD joins forces with the Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety's Governor's Highway Safety Bureau (GHSB) and Office of Justice Programs to fund a Massachusetts coordinator and a statewide youth prevention program. With this local connection, SADD National has the opportunity to study the most effective youth prevention approaches close at hand and share this knowledge across the country.
  • SADD and Liberty Mutual release the third annual Teens Today survey, this time the study links teens "Sense of Self" to alcohol, drug use, and sex. Results show that teens with a strong Sense of Self are less likely to engage in high-risk behaviors.
2004
  • Jacqueline Hackett, Executive Committee member of the 2003-2004 SADD National SLC, testifies before the Congressional Subcommittee on Education Reform at the hearing “Preventing Underage Drinking: What Works?”
  • SADD launches the second campaign in its SADD and the Law series: 21 or Bust designed to prevent the sale of alcohol to those under age 21.
  • SADD releases a "Prom Alert" citing the 2003 Teens Today research linking teen sex to stress and depression.
  • SADD names Jacqueline Hackett of Harleysville, Pennsylvania, to serve as Student of the Year.
  • For the first time ever, the SADD Student Leadership Council (2003-2004) plans and executes large components of the SADD National Conference. “The Game of Life … It's About Choices!” The SADD National Conference celebrates youth leadership in St. Louis, Missouri.
  • The fifth Teens Today study finds that teenagers who challenge themselves by taking positive risks, such as joining an athletic team or volunteering to perform community service, are more likely than those who don't to avoid alcohol and other drug use. Teens' “Risk Profiles” (Risk Seekers and Risk Avoiders) are also linked to their academic performance and overall emotional well-being.
2005
  • SADD names Jessica Ann Billings of Bloomington, Minnesota, to serve as Student of the Year for 2005-2006.
  • Louisiana SADD spearheads the SADD Hurricane Katrina relief effort and receives countless donations from SADD chapters and SADD state programs. Generously donated pencils, backpacks, school supplies, socks, clothing and basic necessities are distributed to communities affected by Katrina.
  • SADD Board of Directors endorses STOP (Sober Truth on the Prevention) of Underage Drinking.
  • SADD National releases its EM POWER ED bracelet campaign developed by the National Student Leadership Council.
  • SADD partners with American Cellular Donation Organization (ACDO).  SADD chapters across the country raise more than $17,000 by sponsoring cell phone donation programs at their schools.
  • “The Magic of SADD … Explore the Possibilities” – the SADD National Conference returns to Washington, D.C.
  • The sixth Teens Today study reveals that high school teens whose parents pay the least attention to significant transition periods, such as puberty, school change, and key birthdays, are more likely than teens whose parents pay the most attention to engage in high-risk behaviors. Conversely, teens who receive the most attention are significantly more likely to say they feel happy every day or almost every day.
  • The first-ever SADD SPEAKs (Students for Policy, Education, Advocacy, and Knowledge) is introduced at the SADD National Conference to develop recommendations for Congress about addressing underage drinking.
2006
  • “The Revolution Continues … 25 Years of Empowering Youth” – the SADD National Conference travels to Cambridge, Massachusetts, to celebrate SADD's 25th anniversary.
  • SADD chapters participate in Town Hall Meeting forums on underage drinking sponsored by ICCPUD (Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Prevention of Underage Drinking).
  • Arizona SADD collaborates with Sprint/Nextel, NASCAR and NBS to promote seat belt safety during the NASCAR Checker Auto Parts 500 race at the Phoenix International Raceway.
  • SADD chapters from Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, North Carolina, North Dakota, Vermont, and Washington participate in the National Teen Dating Violence Awareness Week; SADD co-sponsors the project with the American Bar Association.
  • SADD supports U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona's intention to issue a Call to Action on underage drinking.
  • SADD chapters get involved with “Above the Influence,” a campaign by the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign, a program of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, promoting the power of young people to reject negative peer pressure.
  • SADD names Daniel Vocelle of Vero Beach, Florida, to serve as SADD National Student of the Year for 2006-2007.
  • Pennsylvania SADD youth testified at underage drinking committee hearings and meet with their elected officials to share their views on the solutions and realities of underage drinking in their schools and communities.
  • Camping Magazine and the American Camp Association announce a new online series of columns for parents, Healthy Teens, featuring new and previously released op-eds and articles by Stephen Wallace, national chairman and chief executive officer of SADD.
  • From January 2005 through July 2006, the SADD store sells 250,000 EM POWER ED bracelets.
  • Results from the seventh Teens Today study show that parents who set clear consequences for behavior and follow through on them significantly reduce the likelihood that their teens will engage in high-risk behaviors.
2007
  • SADD names Sasha Willingham of Russellville, Alabama, to serve as SADD National Student of the Year for 2007-2008.
  • Jessica Billings and Daniel Vocelle, past SADD Students of the Year, represent the United States at the first-ever World Youth Assembly for Road Safety sponsored by the United Nations and the World Health Organization.
  • SADD sponsors the Global Road Safety Petition, an international effort to raise awareness about the serious risks posed to children by unsafe roads and risky driving behaviors.
  • SADD partners with the Ad Council to reduce risky and aggressive driving through the “UR the Spokesperson” campaign.
  • A record number of youth attend the SADD National Conference “Rollin' on the River: Defining the Current” in New Orleans, Louisiana.
  • SADD National makes available the new 225-page comprehensive SADD chapter manual, which provides innovative programming ideas, prevention information and resources, useful tips for working with media and legislators, and facts and statistics about important youth topics.
  • Results from the eighth Teens Today study show the potential risks of teen's driving older cars.
  • SADD partners with Boston Market and its “Time for Your School” program to offer SADD students a way to earn substantial amounts of money for their chapters to help fund safe celebrations throughout the year.
  • SADD, along with other drug education and prevention experts, attends a special White House event during which President George W. Bush highlighted a decline in youth drug use from 2001 to 2007.