Relative to information about adults in drug and alcohol interventions, information on the nature of substance use and associated problems among adolescents seeking treatment is scarce; comparisons with adults in treatment or adolescents in the general population are even rarer.

This paper presents data on the substance use patterns, HIV risk-taking behaviours, criminal behaviour, social functioning, physical health and psychological distress of adolescents who applied for an intensive, residential treatment intervention.

It is recommended that a comprehensive, intensive, longer-term treatment intervention is needed to address the variety and severity of problem areas evident in the sample. It is further recommended that greater attention be given to earlier community-based interventions to prevent drug abuse and related problems among at-risk adolescents from escalating to the levels seen in this sample. Schools, police, community services, health workers and the juvenile justice system are in a position to identify and intervene with the adolescents and their families long before they present to a residential treatment program.

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