A literature review seems to confirm that: (1) substance-oriented drug education programs have, in general, a negative effect or no effect at all; and (2) programs that pay attention to young people and that teach them how to overcome day-to-day difficulties are effective not only in reducing drug use, but in reducing other rebellious or attention-seeking behavior. Any program of drug education should create an atmosphere in which drug use is just one of the facts of life that confront young people, one of many with which they must deal. Anyone involved in a program of drug education needs a balanced view of the phenomenon of drug use. Ideas that might be considered when forming this view include: (1) All substances have an effective dose, a toxic dose and a lethal dose. (2) All drugs have multiple effects which vary according to dose level, individual user, and time and setting for the same individual. (3) There is no specific psycho-social, educational or social-environmental factor responsible for drug use. (4) There is a clear distinction between recreational use, occasional use, regular use, and heavy or compulsive use. (5) Recreational and occasional use can become regular use as a consequence of the reactions of parents, neighbors, teachers, and health educators. Figure, references