What do you learn in DUI school?

In Georgia DUI school you take a private 130-question screening about your alcohol and drug use, then attend a 20-hour group class about alcohol, drugs and how they affect driving. Georgia's rules describe the class as "therapeutic education" plus "peer group counseling," and every certified school teaches the same DDS-approved curriculum, called Prime for Life.

The official name for DUI school is the DUI Alcohol or Drug Use Risk Reduction Program. If you're nervous about it, that's normal. This page walks through each part, the rules your instructor and classmates have to follow, what a class day looks like, and how the post-test and certificate work, so nothing on the day comes as a surprise.

What is DUI school?

DUI school is an intervention program required by Georgia law. The Georgia Department of Driver Services (DDS) says it's for people convicted of Driving Under the Influence, possession of illegal drugs, underage possession of alcohol while operating a motor vehicle, or Boating Under the Influence. If you're there for something other than a DUI, see Risk Reduction for drug possession, underage alcohol and BUI.

The program has two parts, an assessment and a class, and you have to finish both to get your Certificate of Completion. You'll need that certificate to reinstate your license after a DUI.

Part	What it is	Format
Assessment Component	The NEEDS Assessment: a 130-question screening of your alcohol and drug use and its impact on your driving	Individual and private, done first
Intervention Component	Therapeutic education and peer group counseling using the Prime for Life curriculum	20 hours, several sessions, in a group of 5 to 40

Part 1: the assessment

You complete the assessment before your class begins. Rule 375-5-6-.14 says programs may only use the assessment provider DDS designates, and DDS has approved one: the NEEDS Assessment, a 130-question "comprehensive screening instrument" that looks at how much you use alcohol and drugs and how that affects your driving. Before you take it you sign an assessment contract and pay the $100 assessment fee; DDS policy says you can't complete the assessment until the fee is paid in full.

Here's what DDS policy requires of the school when it gives you the assessment:

• It's private. The assessment must be given in a way that affords you privacy and is free from distractions, in a setting conducive to concentration. It can be given at the school's certified location or remotely under the DDS remote classroom guidelines.
• Your results are confidential. They may only be discussed with you, in private. They aren't shared with the class.
• It's processed promptly. The school must process it in the provider's system in the same month it's given, and at least 30 minutes before your first class session.
• It's good for one year. If you don't enroll in the class within a year, you'll need to take a new assessment and pay the assessment fee again.
• It can help later. If you ever need a clinical evaluation, the school must send your assessment results to the evaluator you choose within five business days of your request. Results can only be transferred or released on a DDS-prescribed form that you and the school have both authorized.
• You can get help. Schools must provide reasonable accommodations if you have a disability or can't read or write.

Part 2: the 20-hour class

The Intervention Component is the class itself. Georgia's rules define it as "therapeutic education about alcohol and drug use and driving, and peer group counseling concerning alcohol and drug use," given over at least 20 hours using a curriculum approved by DDS. DDS has approved one curriculum for this part, Prime for Life, from the Prevention Research Institute. Only DDS-certified instructors may teach it, and you sign a separate intervention contract before it starts.

That means the class is the same at every certified school. The rules say course delivery, content and the order of instruction must follow the DDS-designated instructor's manual, and DDS policy says instructors must cover all the material in sequence, as the syllabus lays it out, without outside material, using the most current version of the curriculum and audiovisuals DDS prescribes. Every student also gets a new, unused copy of the workbook, in a format set by the curriculum provider or DDS. It's part of the $360 price.

What topics does DUI school cover?

According to DDS, the class "covers alcohol, drug use, and their effects on driving." The detailed lesson plan belongs to the curriculum, which your instructor follows session by session, so we won't guess at it here. What the official descriptions tell you is the kind of learning to expect:

• Education about alcohol and drugs. How alcohol and drug use affect you and, in particular, your driving.
• Looking at your own choices. The assessment and the class are both built around your own alcohol and drug use and its impact on driving.
• Learning from the group. Peer group counseling means you talk things through with the other students, guided by the instructor.
• Working through the workbook. The class is built around the student workbook, which is why every student must have a new copy.

The group rules

Because the class is built on group interaction, the rules and DDS policy set some ground rules for everyone in the room.

• Five to 40 students. Rule 375-5-6-.15 requires at least five paid contracts for a scheduled class and caps it at 40, or at the school's certified maximum. DDS explains the minimum this way: the class requires a great deal of group interaction, which is hard to achieve with fewer than five people.
• Everyone signs in. Each student signs a class roll at the beginning of every session, and the instructor signs it at the end of the final session.
• Sessions in order, same group throughout. Students from one class can't be combined with another to finish sessions, except to make up an excused absence. You can't attend the next session after missing one.
• All 20 hours, no exceptions. No student may be admitted late or dismissed early from any session.
• Sober. No student may attend while intoxicated or under the influence of any illegal or unauthorized substance.
• Respectful. DDS policy requires the class to be delivered "in a professional manner that is respectful, exhibits positive conduct and behavior, and is conducive to learning."
• No interruptions from the front desk. DDS policy says a program's office can't be open during class time unless its activities can be carried on without disrupting the class.
• Remote students follow the same rules, plus the DDS remote classroom guidelines: on camera, seated, alone, muted when not speaking, no recording, no alcohol, vaping or tobacco.

What your instructor must do, and may not do

The DDS Policies and Procedures Guide lists the instructor's responsibilities. Knowing them tells you what a properly run class looks like.

Your instructor must

• Be certified by DDS to teach the Intervention Component.
• Arrive at least 30 minutes before the first session and remain with the class during every session.
• Facilitate all sessions. In an emergency, and only when the owner and DDS have been told in advance, another certified instructor may substitute to finish the class.
• Conduct class free from impairment.
• Require every student to attend the full 20 hours, arrive on time and sign the roll each session.
• Schedule breaks as the syllabus sets out, and give a meal break of at least one hour between two sessions held on the same day.
• Cover all the curriculum material in sequence, without outside material, using the current DDS-prescribed curriculum and audiovisuals.
• Give every student a new, unused workbook.
• Give the post-test before a certificate is issued, and make sure course requirements are met before finalizing your certificate.
• Keep the class within the size limits.

Your instructor may not

• Do anything else while teaching, including answering the phone, doing paperwork or giving assessments.
• Let anyone attend while intoxicated or under the influence of an illegal or unauthorized substance.
• Admit anyone late or let anyone leave early.
• Solicit students for any product or service, including specific clinical evaluators, treatment providers or ignition interlock providers.
• Issue a certificate of completion to themselves.
• Use outside material or skip ahead in the syllabus.

Co-teaching is allowed but, DDS says, not encouraged; if a school does it, both certified instructors must be present for the entire 20 hours. If something in your class doesn't match this list, DDS takes complaints in writing on its official complaint form.

Privacy: who sees your assessment and records

This worries a lot of people, so here's exactly what the rules say. Rule 375-5-6-.24 requires every program record that identifies you by name or inference to be kept confidential. It can't be released to anyone other than DDS without your written consent, a court order, or another legal requirement. DDS policy adds that your individual assessment results may only be discussed with you, in private, and that schools must train their staff to maintain student confidentiality.

Your class file at the school contains your original assessment contract, an assessment summary, your student information document, your original intervention contract, your graded post-test, and a transfer authorization form if you used one. Schools keep these for three years, then securely destroy them. Two people can receive your assessment results with your authorization: another certified school, if you transfer, and a clinical evaluator you designate. Otherwise, what you write on the assessment stays between you and the school.

What does a DUI class day look like?

The class runs over several sessions, usually within a single week. DDS says that in most cases the whole 20-hour course takes less than a week, and the rules allow no more than two sessions a day, with all sessions inside four weeks. Here's what a session looks like, built from the rules and DDS policy rather than guesswork:

1. Before you arrive, your instructor is already there. DDS policy requires the instructor to arrive at least 30 minutes before the first session, and your assessment must be processed at least 30 minutes before it starts.
2. Arrive or log in early. Students who arrive late can expect to be turned away, and you may have to start the course over. Remote students must be logged in on time with the platform already installed and tested.
3. Sign the class roll. Every student signs in at the beginning of each session.
4. Work through the lesson with the group. Your instructor teaches the day's material from the instructor's manual, with the DDS-prescribed audiovisuals, workbook activities and group discussion. The instructor stays with the class and does nothing else during the session.
5. Take breaks as scheduled. Breaks follow the course syllabus. If two sessions fall on the same day, there's a meal break of at least one hour between them, on top of the 20 hours.
6. Stay to the end. No one may be dismissed early from any session.
7. Repeat, in order. Each session picks up where the last one left off. You can't skip one and come back.
8. At the final session: the post-test, the instructor's check that every requirement is met, and the instructor's signature on the class roll.

For the full picture on hours and scheduling, see how long DUI school takes in Georgia.

The post-test and your certificate

At the end of the class your instructor gives a post-test. DDS policy says the post-test must be administered before a certificate is issued, and that the instructor must make sure all course requirements are met before finalizing it. Your graded post-test is kept in your class file. The rules and policy don't publish a passing score or say what happens if you struggle with it, so ask your school what to expect.

Once you've completed everything, Rule 375-5-6-.23 requires the school to issue your Certificate of Completion within one business day, and no more than 48 hours. A certificate can't be generated before you finish the class, and only one can be issued per course. Every detail on it has to be complete and accurate. If you lose it, the school must provide a replacement within five business days for a fee of up to $20. And under Rule 375-5-6-.26, a school can't withhold a certificate from a student who has completed all requirements because of unpaid fees.

You'll use the certificate to reinstate your license, and you may need to show it to your court or probation officer. If this is your second DUI or more within 10 years, DUI school is one step; you'll also need a state-approved clinical evaluation, and schools are required to make sure you know where to find the evaluators approved by the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities. Our guide to getting your license back after a DUI in Georgia covers what comes next.

Do you have to participate?

Yes, you're expected to take part. Peer group counseling is part of the definition of the class, so plan to join the discussions and activities rather than sit in the back and wait for the clock. Your instructor will explain what's expected on the first day.

The class isn't meant to shame you. The professional, respectful standard in DDS policy applies to how the class is delivered, and everyone in the room is there for a similar reason. What you disclosed on your assessment stays private.

How to prepare for DUI school

• Check every session date before you sign. DDS advises thinking about scheduling conflicts before you sign a contract, since missing a session can mean starting over.
• Come sober. Instructors may not allow any student to attend while intoxicated or under the influence of an illegal or unauthorized substance.
• Plan your day around the full session. Arrange work, childcare and transportation so you can stay until the end.
• Ask your school what to bring. Your workbook is provided. Ask whether you need anything else, such as ID or court paperwork.
• If you need help reading or writing, or have a disability, tell the school. Georgia's rules require reasonable accommodations, for the assessment and the class.
• Taking it live online? Test your device and connection first, and read the remote-student rules in our page on taking DUI school online in Georgia.

Key terms

• Assessment Component: The standard screening instrument DDS designates to measure the extent of your alcohol and drug use and its impact on driving. In Georgia, the NEEDS Assessment.
• Intervention Component: The 20-hour class: therapeutic education about alcohol, drug use and driving plus peer group counseling, using a DDS-approved curriculum.
• Prime for Life: The one curriculum DDS has approved for the Intervention Component, from the Prevention Research Institute.
• Instructor: A person DDS has certified to teach the Intervention Component. Only certified instructors may teach it.
• Session: A segment of the class. Sessions run in order, at most two a day, all within four weeks.
• Post-test: The test your instructor gives at the end of the class before your certificate is issued. The graded copy stays in your class file.
• Certificate of Completion: The document issued within one business day of finishing both components. DDS needs it to reinstate your license.
• Clinical evaluation: A separate substance use evaluation by a DBHDD-approved evaluator, required to reinstate after two or more DUI convictions in ten years. Your school can send your assessment results to the evaluator you choose.

Take DUI school with Athena

Athena DUI Academy & Family Enrichment is a Georgia DDS-certified Risk Reduction Program, RRP Cert #10432, in Athens. We teach the 20-hour class live online or in person at our office at 110 Athens West Parkway, Ste. C, for the state price of $360. Qualifying students can take class now and pay later through Stripe.

Register online or call 706.215.9661. You'll join our next scheduled class, since registration and class can't happen on the same day. When needed, we send your certificate to your court, probation officer or clerk at no extra cost. See our DUI school in Athens page for details, or start with the complete guide to Georgia DUI school.