ADIC-India was established in 1988 as the outcome of a State Level Seminar convened by the stalwarts of the Temperance Movement in Kerala Late Mrs. Lakshmi N. Menon (Former Union Minister for External Affairs, Govt of India), Late Mr. A. P. Udayabhanu (Veteran Social Worker, who has also served as the Chairman of the Kerala Government Prohibition Commission) and Mr. Johnson J. Edayaranmula (Social Activist & Founder General Secretary, Kerala State Youth Council for Prohibition), seeking pragmatic solutions in controlling and preventing the increasing menace of alcoholism and substance abuse in the country.

Though ADIC was registered in 1989 and was officially Inaugurated in 1990 by H.E. the Governor of Kerala Dr. Saroop Singh and the Dy. Director General of the Narcotics Control Bureau, Govt. of India Mrs. Kiran Bedi IPS, the activities were initiated much earlier. ADIC has played a strategic role in the Substance Abuse Prevention arena both in India and abroad, through its innovative, multi-faceted, low cost, co-ordinated programmes and projects. Thanks to the great support provided by Mr. Derek Rutherford and the United Kingdom Temperance Alliance, ADIC-India was able to establish its own office and other infrastructure