DSM IV Substance Abuse Criteria
Substance dependence is defined as a maladaptive pattern of substance use leading to clinically significant impairment or distress as manifested by one (or more) specific criteria, occurring within a 12-month period. The DSM is also known as the Diagnostic and Statistical Manuel.

Substance Abuse and Child Welfare
This article provides you with some of the fundamentals of drug and alcohol abuse and dependence, their effect on individuals and families, how abuse and dependence may be recognized, and their implications for child welfare practice.

Adolescent Substance Abuse
One of the most telling signs of a teen's increasing involvement with drugs is when drug use becomes part of the teen's daily life. Preoccupation with drugs can crowd out previously important activities, and the manner in which the teen views him or her self may change in unrealistic and inaccurate directions. Friendship groups may change, sometimes dramatically, and relationships with family members can become more distant or conflictual. Further signs include more frequent use or use of greater amounts of a certain drug, or use of more dangerous drugs, such as cocaine, amphetamines, or heroin. Persistent patterns of drug use in adolescence are a sign that problems in that teen's environment exist and need to be addressed immediately.

AACAP Alcohol and Drug Abuse
Warning signs of teenage drug or alcohol abuse from the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP)

How to Access Mental Health Services
This is a general reference that can be used to explain what steps to take to access mental health and substance abuse services for your child. It explains what to do in an emergency, a non-emergency, when you have insurance questions, and how to apply for Disabled Child's Medicaid, a type of insurance that is based on the child's diagnosis (Axis I and some Axis II diagnoses) and the child's income - NOT THE PARENTS' INCOME - so this is a way of getting benefits that one's private insurance does not cover.