Prevention education strategies often attempt to target the enhancement of adolescents' social skills, since such skills deficits are known risk factors for problem behavior and substance abuse. However, research indicates that didactic prevention approaches are not particularly effective in improving adolescents' knowledge/beliefs about alcohol, tobacco and other drugs (ATOD) use nor in enhancing social skills and attitudes deemed important as protective factors among adolescents. Experientially based, adventure education programs have demonstrated some promise in the development and promotion of social skills and positive individual confidence constructs among a variety of populations. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of an experientially-based prevention education program on ATOD knowledge, social skills and attitudes of non-delinquent, first-time ATOD offenders (ages 13-16). A pretest-posttest with control group design was used to determine treatment effects on targeted variables. Twenty-one participants were randomly placed into either the treatment or control group. All participants were administered the All participants were administered the Measurement of Social Empowerment and Trust (SET)and the ATOD Knowledge Test(ATODKT)prior to the initiation of the six week educational intervention. The control group participants did not receive the intervention. After treatment, both groups were assessed with the SET and ATODKT. T-tests between groups were conducted on all pretreatment data to determine group equivalency. No statistically significant differences between groups were noted on any pretreatment assessments. T-tests analyses between experimental and control groups conducted on all posttreatment data indicated the following; a) no significant differences on posttest SET subscales of Affirmations and Awareness of Others (p>.05), b) significant differences on posttest overall SET scores (t = 2.95, df = 19, p =.004), and three SET subscales; Bonding/Cohesion (t = 2.11, df = 19, p =.024), Empowerment (t = 3.47, df = 19, p = .002) and Self-Awareness (t = 1.85, df = 19, p =.040), and c) a significant difference on the ATOD Knowledge Test(t =3.51, df = 19, p = .001). Analyses revealed that the treatment group participants performed better than control group participants in each significant comparison indicating a definitive treatment effect. Within the parameters of this study, it was concluded that experiential-based prevention programming may be an effective approach to enhance socials skills, attitudes, and ATOD knowledge among non-adjudicated, first time offender adolescents. Keyword(s): therapeutic recreation, wellness/disease prevention, youth-at-risk