The manual advises that adolescents with substance-use disorders must be treated with methods and techniques that differ from those used with adult substance abusers, because adolescents differ from adults both physiologically and emotionally as they make the transition from childhood to adulthood; treatment, therefore, must be adapted to their developmental characteristics and needs. In order to treat adolescent substance-abusers effectively, treatment providers must address the issues that play significant roles in an adolescent's life, such as cognitive, emotional, physical, social, and moral development, as well as family and peer environment. The first chapter details the scope and complexity of the problem of adolescent substance abuse, followed by a chapter that identifies and discusses factors that must be considered when making treatment decisions. The next chapter profiles successful program components, and three chapters describe the treatment approaches used in 12-step-based programs, therapeutic communities, and family therapy. This was followed by a chapter that discusses adolescent populations with distinctive treatment needs, such as those involved with the juvenile justice system. The final chapter discusses legal issues that pertain to Federal and State confidentiality laws. A 164-item bibliography and appended table on the medical management of substance intoxication and withdrawal