Herman (1990) is correct in stating that "any behavior that can cause intense excitement and pleasure can become compulsive." Whereas drug addicts achieve excitement and pleasure through the consumption of a chemical substance, sexually abusive adolescents aim to meet their need for excitement and arousal through egocentric sexual behaviors that harm those who become objects for meeting their needs. Based on an addictions model, the treatment components recommended for the initial stage of treating adolescent sex offenders are education, involvement in 12-step or other support groups, refraining from masturbation, and writing a detailed autobiography. The following treatment interventions are recommended for the middle stage of treatment: 12-step meeting attendance and monitoring, group therapy, individual therapy, alternative coping/skills training, pharmacotherapy, behavioral intervention/arousal conditioning, continued education/contract review and modifications, and the identification of "triggers." This paper argues that the compulsive need for sexual arousal is not necessarily abusive unless it reaches the level of inflicting psychological and/or physical harm on another person. Unlike the goal in treating substance abuse disorders, which is abstinence from all psychoactive substances, the therapeutic goal for sex addicts is abstinence only from the compulsive sexual behavior that constitutes a problem for the addict and his/her potential victims. Tools for the later stages of treatment are reducing conditions that support "triggers," apology sessions, and comprehensive relapse prevention planning for long-term recovery. 25 References