ABSTRACT
This chapter suggests that anywhere between 20 and 40 percent of high school students use alcohol or drugs excessively. By their senior year of high school, 90 to 95 percent of students will have experimented with some type of drug or alcohol. he psychosocial and physiological results of chemical dependency are manifest in adolescents regardless of gender, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, or area of residence. Clearly, substance abuse is one of the most serious health hazards confronting our youth. Adolescents are at particular risk from the effects of mood altering substances. The findings suggest that interventions should not be limited to psychological and medical services, but should address needed changes in the individual's social environment as well. William Filstead and Carl Anderson describe a system of care and clinical issues which are central to the delivery of services to adolescents with alcohol/drug problems.
