Primary prevention of alcohol and other drug use.

School nurses are uniquely positioned to identify and, thus, intervene in alcohol and other drug (AOD) use by students. There is sure to be resistance to the intervention, and it will come from the student, his or her parents, and--possibly--even from a nurse not thoroughly conversant with the biopsychosocial model of AOD use, and thus unwilling to tackle a very difficult problem. This article deals with application of the biopsychosocial model, and suggests methods of screening for students' AOD use.