The position presented is that substance abuse among adolescents should be viewed as rule/norm-violating behavior occurring during a developmental period in which the individual is undergoing considerable physiological and psychosocial change and stress and further that it should be viewed as part of the more general problem of social deviancy. Acceptance of this position opens the door to the use of a number of theories and intervention technologies which have been found useful in understanding and treating other behavior dysfunctions. It also has implications for the organization and delivery of services. General deviance theories can be grouped into several categories: socialization or value-development theories, institutional provision and opportunity theories, peer group theories, family theories, personality and self-image theories, and biogenic theories. These six categories of theories can be translated into six focal points for treatment. For some youth, the treatment plan must address value development or change in values. For others, affecting societal institutions and lack of opportunities becomes crucial, and in still other cases, peer groups, family influences, or intrapsychic conflicts should be the main concern. In cases where biogenic factors are involved, special programs and approaches must be developed to at least neutralized the negative effects of the factors. One reason for the relatively poor success of substance abuse programs has been the tendency to force all clients into a single conceptual category and to use a single explanation of their behavior, which results in a single treatment approach. The assessment process must provide a systematic means of ensuring that consideration is given to a wide range of alternative explanations. In proposing an assessment framework based on the six categories in theory, this paper presents a matrix which can be used to assess person or subgroups and to plan specific intervention. One figure and 55 references are listed.