The results of this study reinforced the existing literature that individuals who had experienced out-of-home care had higher levels of risk for substance abuse. More than half of the foster care sample had begun using alcohol before they were teenagers. The findings on the treatment outcome indicators were not quite as clear as the findings on the risk and vulnerability factors. The data made it clear that individuals who had been in foster care enter substance abuse treatment with risk factors that were more intense and severe than individuals who had not experience substitute care. The child welfare and substance abuse systems are integrally linked through the children and families they both serve. However, there is a lack of knowledge on how children who have experienced foster care fare when they are treated for substance abuse issues as adults. The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which adults who spent time in foster care during their youth differed from a matched sample of adults who did not experience placement in out-of-home care. The study was a secondary analysis of the Alcohol and Drug Services Study (ADSS) and focused on pretreatment risk factors and post treatment outcome factors. Tables and references