Specific Deterrent Effect of ASAP (Alcohol Safety Action Project) Education and Rehabilitation Programs

• NCJ Number: 76342
• Journal: Journal of Safety Research Volume: 10 Issue: 4 Dated: (Winter 1978) Pages: 177-187
• Author(s): J L Nichols; E B Weinstein; V S Ellingstad; D L Struckman-Johnson
• Date Published: 1978
• Length: 11 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: This paper is adapted from a paper presented at the National Safety Congress, Chicago, Illinois, October, 1978.

Annotation

Evaluation studies of Alcohol Safety Action Project (ASAP) programs in 35 locations were reviewed to determine if reductions in drunk driving arrests occurred as a result of project activities.

Abstract

Programs were reviewed by type of drinker (all drinkers, social drinkers, and problem drinkers) and type of program (any rehabilitation, school, or nonschool rehabilitation). Three types of evaluation studies supplied the data: (1) project level studies, (2) aggregate rearrest data, and (3) a controlled short-term rehabilitation study involving 11 projects. The results indicated a small positive effect for social drinkers, but none for problem drinkers. Schools of all types had an effect in deterring social drinkers. Some small, group participation schools had a slight positive effect on problem drinkers, but lecture classes had no effect or a negative effect on this group. Group therapists also had no effect on the behavior of problem drinkers. The effects of small group, personalized programs on the behavior of problem drinkers should be investigated further, and therapy programs should be developed further and their negative risks for problem drinker treatment should be considered. Graphs, tabular data, and 12 references are provided.