A Critique of Traditional Drug Education Programs

Abstract

The traditional approaches to drug education are characterized and classified into seven styles and grouped into two modes: Converting and Supporting. Directing, Preaching, Convincing and Scaring constitute the Converting Mode, while the Progressive, Counseling and Peer-Counseling styles make up the Supporting Mode. The author is critical of each style, to different degrees, but presents his model to allow administrators and drug educators to categorize their drug education programs into the modes and styles of the model, and to make a determination of where in the model they would like their efforts to be. The article reviews some studies which are critical to the factual approach to drug education and ends with a few suggestions.