Unplugged program

European Drug Addiction Prevention (EU-Dap) Centre.

• 12 × 1-hour lessons delivered weekly
• Teacher and student handbooks are provided
• Guidelines for facilitating a 3-session parent workshop are also provided.

The program is has been adapted for cross-cultural use and is available in several languages, including: Arabic, Czech, German, Greek, Croatian, French, Italian, Polish, Spanish, and Swedish. 

The Unplugged program is designed to prevent or delay initiation to experimental alcohol, tobacco and cannabis use, and to prevent progression from casual use to dependence. The program is used across Europe and has been translated into a number of languages, making it suitable for a wide audience. The program aims to provide young people with information on drugs, and challenge their beliefs and perceived norms surrounding substance use. Students will also develop coping mechanisms and learn of the short- and long-term biopsychosocial consequences of different decisions related to substance use.

• Reduces alcohol consumption
• Increases abstinence from alcohol
• Reduces daily tobacco use
• Reduces recent cannabis use
• Less positive attitudes towards drugs
• Reduced positive expectations about use of alcohol, tobacco and cannabis.

The Unplugged program has been trialled in over 8 European countries, including Austria, Belgium, Germany, Greece, Italy, Spain, Sweden and the Czech Republic. Some publications have found differential effects of the program according to gender, socioeconomic status and risk level. See below for a list of sources and an endorsement of the program from an external organisation.