What Is ADAP, and Does Your Teen Need It in Georgia?

ADAP stands for the Alcohol and Drug Awareness Program, and Georgia law requires every teen under 18 to complete it before they can be issued a Class D provisional license. It is a four-hour course, it is free, and it is not the same thing as driver's education.

That last point is where families get caught out. Joshua's Law and ADAP are two separate requirements, and satisfying one does not satisfy the other. A teen can finish a full 30-hour driver education course and still be turned away at the Georgia Department of Driver Services for missing a four-hour class they were supposed to take in ninth grade.

ADAP and Joshua's Law Are Different Requirements

Both are required for a provisional license under 18. Neither one substitutes for the other.

One nuance worth checking: the Georgia Department of Driver Services notes that some driver education programs have incorporated ADAP into their 30-hour course. If yours does, you may already be covered. If it does not, ADAP remains outstanding. Ask your provider directly rather than assuming.

Most Teens Take It in Ninth Grade Without Realizing

ADAP is taught in classrooms at public high schools across Georgia, and most students complete it during their freshman year inside a health, physical education, or ROTC class.

That is why so many parents have never heard of it. It happened two years before anyone was thinking about a license, and the certificate went into a folder or a backpack and disappeared.

If your teen took it at school and you cannot find the certificate, you generally have to go back to the school for a replacement. The online system can only reissue certificates for courses completed online.

eADAP Is Not a Free Choice

Georgia offers an online version called eADAP, available around the clock through the Department of Driver Services website. It is also free.

But you cannot simply choose it because it is more convenient. eADAP is restricted to teens who are unable to take the classroom course, and the Department lists the qualifying situations: teens who are homeschooled, who were absent when the classroom course was offered, who recently moved to Georgia, who have scheduling conflicts such as band, ROTC, or athletics, or who did not pass the classroom version.

If your teen attends a Georgia public high school and had the chance to take ADAP in class, eADAP is generally not the intended route.

The 30-Day Window

Once your teen registers for eADAP and receives their user ID and password by email, they have 30 days to complete the course.

Two registration details matter more than they look. The student must enroll using their legal name exactly as it appears on their birth certificate, because the certificate has to match the name on the license application. And every student needs a unique email address, so siblings cannot share one.

Parents Can Take a Version Too

There is a separate voluntary Parent ADAP course covering drug prevention strategies and legal accountability information for parents and guardians.

It comes with a benefit most families never hear about: parents who complete the online Parent ADAP course may receive a free three-year non-certified motor vehicle report through the Department of Driver Services online portal.

What Happens at 18

The ADAP requirement disappears on your teen's 18th birthday. At 18 and older, a first-time applicant is no longer required to complete ADAP or eADAP for a Georgia license.

This mirrors Joshua's Law, which also stops applying at 18. And it produces the same trade-off: waiting until 18 removes both requirements, at the cost of two years of not driving.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is ADAP the same as driver's education?

No. ADAP is a separate four-hour alcohol and drug awareness course. Driver education under Joshua's Law is 30 hours of instruction plus six hours behind the wheel. Under 18, both are required.

How much does ADAP cost?

Nothing. Both the classroom ADAP course and the online eADAP course are free.

Can my teen take ADAP online instead of at school?

Only if they qualify. eADAP is intended for teens who cannot take the classroom course, including homeschooled students, those who were absent, recent arrivals to Georgia, and those with scheduling conflicts.

We lost the ADAP certificate. What now?

If your teen took the classroom course, contact the school. Replacement certificates can only be printed online for courses completed through eADAP.

Does my teen still need ADAP at 18?

No. The requirement applies to applicants under 18. At 18 and older it no longer applies.

The Bottom Line

ADAP is four hours, free, required under 18, and separate from driver's education. Check whether your teen already completed it in ninth grade before assuming they need eADAP, and confirm whether your driver education provider has incorporated ADAP into its course.

For the Joshua's Law requirement, DriverEdToGo offers a Georgia online driver education course covering the 30-hour instruction requirement, completed at your teen's own pace.