The authors argue that parents and families are a valuable resource for increasing the effectiveness of substance abuse-prevention programs for youth and adolescents. It is hypothesized that prevention interventions aimed at strengthening the family's role in socializing the child will decrease adolescent substance abuse. General evidence demonstrating the value of including families in prevention activities, and currently available family-oriented programs are discussed. Research indicates that although most prevention interventions have been developed for use in community or school-based programs, a growing number of family-oriented interventions have been developed specifically as substance abuse-prevention programs. These include behavioral management techniques for decreasing inappropriate behaviors in children and increasing positive parental interactions, school performance, self-esteem, family communication and problemsolving. Further investigations using these techniques are recommended because of their demonstrated effectiveness in other contexts and cost-effectiveness as prevention programs.