This paper provides a review of the literature on the seriousness of the problem of driving under the influence (DUI), legal developments, the success of DUI programs, the diversity of alcohol abusers, and the range of approaches to intervention with DUI offenders. The Alcohol and Drug Education Services Program of Cook County, Illinois, which emphasizes assessment and matching the level of intervention to client needs, is discussed.

Driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol or other mind or mood altering substances is not in itself an illness. More properly, it is deviant behavior, a specific type of improper vehicular management. Persons who exhibit this behavior come from a variety of genetic and psychosocial backgrounds. At best, driving is a risky business. When a variety of physical or emotional stress factors, including alcohol or drug use and abuse, come into play, the opera tor of a vehicle may experience an" additive stress effect" that often significantly impairs his ability to maintain control of the vehicle.