Students Against Destructive Decisions

Students Against Destructive Decisions, formerly Students Against Driving Drunk (SADD) is an organization whose aim is to prevent accidents from students taking potentially destructive decisions.

The mission of the SADD chapter is to help people avoid the dangers of drinking and driving. Today, their mission has expanded to deal with underage drinking, other drug use, risky and impaired driving, and other destructive decisions.

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.

As of 2012, there are nearly 10,000 Middle school, high school, and college chapters with SADD advisors. There are 350,000 students actively participating (“members”) in SADD chapters.

SADD was founded by Robert Anastas at Wayland High School in Massachusetts in 1981. He and a group of 15 students developed the SADD concept and the Contract for Life. In 1982, SADD went national with chapters founded throughout Massachusetts, Arizona,Ohio, North Carolina, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Florida, Pennsylvania 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. 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, and Carl Olsen, 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 chapters 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.

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