Paper Title
Effectiveness of Didactic Counselling Therapy on Students� Substance Abuse in Senior Secondary Schools, Gombe State, Nigeria

Abstract
The problem of drug abuse knows no boundaries or social class. It impedes the development of any society as it is a threat to life, health, dignity and prosperity of all individuals. The problem is prevalent among adolescents who in most cases are ignorant about the dangers inherent in drug abuse. Many of them engaged in drug abuse out of frustration, poverty, lack of parental supervision, peer influence and pleasure. However, with effective counselling programme, the problems can be tackled. The purpose of this study was to investigate the Effectiveness of Didactic Counselling Therapy on Students� Substance Abuse in Senior Secondary Schools, Gombe State. Also the study was to determine common substance of abuse, two objectives were raised; one hypothesis was tested and one research questions was answered in the study. The target population of the study covered twenty thousand one hundred and ninety nine SS II students across the State. The study was an experimental research; Purposive sampling was used to get the sample of forty students (substance abusers) i.e. ten from each of the four sampled schools in Gombe Metropolis. Twenty samples each were randomly assigned to control and the experimental groups. Similarly, the same samples were used to elicit information on common substance of abuse, reasons and consequences of substance abused by senior secondary schools students. Modified World Health Organization�s Students� Substance Abuse Questionnaire (STUSAQ)) was the instrument used before and after the treatments. The data generated on research question was analyzed by using percentages, mean and frequency counts while data obtained on the hypothesis raised was analyzed using t-test. The results indicated that didactic counselling has significant effect on students� behaviour on substance abuse in senior secondary schools, Gombe State. Furthermore, the findings showed that tutoleen syrup, tramol tablets, suck and die (sukudayir) and alcohol were the most common abused substances. The researcher recommends that the use of didactic counselling should be adopted in treating substance abuse problems among senior secondary school students.