Introduction

This is the lead article in a special series of papers on the prevention and treatment of adolescent and young-adult substance use. We introduce three studies that provide preliminary evidence for successful approaches to (a) smoking cessation or reduction among adolescent substance abusers (), (b) reducing alcohol use among high-risk college students (), and (c) reducing or preventing drug use, drinking, and driving after drinking among high school students (). All three approaches are brief (one to six sessions), share a cognitive-behavioral theoretical basis, and have been examined in controlled trials. This article addresses commonalities among the three programs and describes future directions for prevention efforts among these age groups.