Adolescent Substance Use addresses prevention, early identification, and treatment of alcohol, cannabis, nicotine/ENDS, stimulants, and prescription misuse during the teen years. This page translates evidence into practical steps—developmentally aware screening, risk stratification, and family-centred care—so teams can act before problems escalate. If you’re comparing events like an adolescent substance use conference, you’ll find guidance on building trust with teens, respecting confidentiality laws, and using motivational strategies that fit school and home realities. We distinguish substance-induced presentations from primary anxiety, depression, ADHD, and trauma, then map care pathways that combine brief interventions, skills work, and staged pharmacotherapy where indicated. Because social context drives risk, we integrate peer dynamics, online behaviour, and community factors into plans that are feasible for families and clinics.

Implementation hinges on accessible, low-threshold entry points. Primary care, school clinics, and emergency departments can embed youth-adapted SBIRT, naloxone distribution, and harm-reduction education while ensuring warm handoffs to same-week follow-ups. Family-based approaches (communication coaching, boundary setting, routines) amplify treatment effects and reduce relapse; sleep, circadian stability, and learning supports help maintain gains at school. When safety issues arise—overdose, polysubstance use, self-harm—teams stabilise first, then phase trauma-focused therapies as risk falls. Long-acting or abuse-deterrent formulations reduce diversion; digital supports and text follow-ups sustain engagement between visits. For continuity and community programming, see Youth Mental Health Services, which complements this page with coordinated school, paediatric, and family pathways.