Minority group adolescents may be strongly influenced by the social ramifications of being dependent on Federal aid programs. Many minority youth perceive that members of the mainstream reject them, causing them to feel different, isolated, and unappreciated. On the other hand, some characteristics of minority group members facilitate growth and development or aid in the recovery process once a problem has been addressed; for example, many minority group members are supported by a deeper religious faith than their majority counterparts. Preventive alcohol and drug education must be innovative for minority adolescents. It is also important for alcohol and drug treatment centers to interface with schools and courts, since early interventions with teenage minorities come more often through these organizations than through the family or counseling centers. Interview instruments and questionnaires typically used with adolescents to help make decisions regarding treatment may not be useful with minority youth because evaluation instruments generally contain cultural bias. Every outpatient treatment center located in an area where minority groups live must make the hiring of appropriate minority staff members a visible goal. Any rehabilitation program for minority adolescents must include a strong academic component. Further, it is important for every residential treatment center to have a fixed number of beds available for indigents. Treatment approaches are detailed for specific minority groups, including Blacks, Mexican-Americans, Puerto Ricans, Cuban-Americans, and Native-Americans. 49 references.