This article describes a strengths-based alternative to substance abuse treatment. Many contemporary youth are experiencing problems with alcohol or other drugs but reject the message of total abstinence and disease models of treatment. The authors draw from their experience and research to combine a strengths perspective with a harm-reduction…

The narrow preoccupation with abstinence causes many substance-abusing youth to react either with dishonesty or resistance. Drug education and treatment programs need to help youth rethink their use of drugs, rather than utilize harshly confrontational tactics. Drug courts can provide sanctions, while treatment interventions such as the Seven…

Juvenile justice officials across the United States are embracing a new method of dealing with adolescent substance abuse. Importing a popular innovation from adult courts, state and local governments have started hundreds of specialized drug courts to provide judicial supervision and coordinate substance abuse treatment for drug-involved…

This document contains seven papers from the ninth World Conference of Therapeutic Communities (TCs) that deal with drug education and prevention. Papers include: (1) "State of the Art of Drug Prevention Programs: A Five Year Retrospective of School Curricula" (Natalie Silverstein, et al.); (2) "TCs: Education for Wholeness"…

Evaluates the Personal Experience Inventory for convergent and predictive validity in a clinical sample of 140 youths being evaluated for drug treatment referral. Compares problem severity scales to concurrent client and parent measures of drug abuse and related psychosocial functioning at intake and one year later, to counselor intake ratings, to…

Analyses of the data and youths' prescriptions concerning prevention of abuse yielded 12 program recommendations. These programs can create the awareness that led to concerted programs to stop the war and pollution. When designing educational-information programs, one must be aware of the total system of causal factors. (Author/BEF)

This report compares current trends in national and Maryland drug abuse rates; reviews social and psychological factors associated with drug abuse; describes the physiological effects of frequently abused substances; reviews the State's drug and alcohol enforcement programs targeted to adolescents; and outlines Maryland's prevention and treatment…

Assessed differential effectiveness of three models of adolescent drug abuse treatment: Family Systems Therapy (FST), Adolescent Group Therapy (AGT), and Family Drug Education (FDE). FST appeared more effective in stopping adolescent drug abuse than AGT or FDE, registering twice as many apparently drug-free clients as FDE and three times as many…

The World Federation of Therapeutic Communities is an international association of drug treatment centers that use the "Therapeutic Community" (TC) to combat chemical dependency and drug addiction. Their 1985 conference focused on bridging services between the TC and the traditional human service systems. A total of 85 separate papers…

Discusses reasons community-based youth-serving organizations are natural settings for drug prevention programming. Is based on a three-year study of a school-based drug prevention program adapted to the Boys & Girls Club setting that serves high-risk youth. Presents strategies used to achieve success in a nonschool setting where program…

Investigates treatment outcomes for all admissions to an adolescent chemical dependency program over a 10-month period. Interviews with parents of patients were conducted. The effect of various pretreatment and treatment factors on outcomes were investigated. Better treatment outcome was associated with older adolescents, greater participation in…

This book is a collection of essays and information representing the experience, perspective, and insight of professionals whose careers have been closely associated with the problem of youthful substance abuse. The first chapter outlines those circumstances that might make it more likely that a young person would experience drug-related…

The problem of adolescent drug/alcohol abuse seems to have once again intensified during the 1980s. When the school is the only constant in an adolescent's life and when those same teenagers bring drugs and alcohol-related problems to school, the school has an obligation to implement change. The first step is identification of the problem. Beyond…

Substance abusing adolescents (n=30) with Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and substance abusing non-ADHD (n=30) adolescents were compared in terms of treatment outcomes. Although treatment outcomes did not vary significantly, a difference was observed in actual length of stay. Those with a behavior diagnosis stayed an average of 36…

Discusses what to do when substance-abuse-prevention efforts for adolescents fail, examining differences between normal experimentation and substance abuse, how to spot a problem, where to turn for help, how to get adolescents into treatment, treatment options, and aftercare for continuing support. One sidebar explains that no drugs are harmless;…