Treatment of adolescent alcohol-related problems. A translational perspective

In the present chapter we have sought to articulate a translational perspective linking development during adolescence to alcohol treatment and its evaluation. Clearly adolescents with alcohol use disorders cannot be treated as younger versions of adults. The unique demands of their developmental stage permeate all aspects of their behavior, including alcohol use and abuse. Multi-dimensional developmental models help inform the design, implementation, and evaluation of alcohol and drug treatment programs. While an understanding of individual risk factors is informative, only through models integrating multiple risk pathways embedded in the context of adolescent development can we hope to build more efficacious and effective systems of intervention for youth with AUDs. Effective treatment of adolescent AUDs not only urges translation of the developmental perspective into pre-existing treatment approaches but argues for a paradigm shift towards alternative intervention designs and evaluation procedures and foci.