Students Against Destructive Decisions

Students Against Destructive Decisions is a peer-to-peer youth education and substance abuse use prevention organization in the USA, with over 10,000 chapters in middle schools, high schools, and colleges.

SADD was founded as "Students Against Driving Drunk" at Wayland High School in Wayland, Massachusetts, in 1981 after two Wayland High School hockey players were killed in separate car crashes. The students were motivated to challenge the culture in which drinking and driving was accepted.

Originally, SADD's mission was to help young people say "No" to drinking and driving. In 1997, SADD expanded its mission from preventing intoxicated driving to preventing the consumption of alcohol or illegal drugs and other problems and adopted a new name, "Students Against Destructive Decisions." 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 is well known for developing the Contract for Life, a document signed by both parents and student. It stipulated that students would try their best to avoid drinking and driving if parents agreed to do the same. Parents also agreed to pick up their own child at a party upon request, with no questions asked, if students saw harmful substances being used. The next day the family was to discuss the matter. The Contract is still in use today and has been updated to reflect the expanded scope of the Students Against Destructive Decisions mission.