This book was written to help school personnel combat drug and alcohol abuse among students. It gives readers a basic understanding of drugs and their effects on the mind and body. The stages of chemical dependency and the vocabulary of the drug scene are reviewed and reasons that children and adolescents take drugs are discussed. Signs of student drug use are presented. The interrelationships of drug use, behavior problems, eating disorders, chronic truancy, teenage pregnancy, running away, and delinquency are noted. The book emphasizes the importance of schools' working with parents, students, government, and business to combat student alcohol and drug abuse. The major part of the book focuses on methods of preventing student drug and alcohol abuse and what to do when abuse occurs. It includes descriptions of activities, materials, and programs that schools nationwide have found useful. The book also presents an overview of treatment programs and reviews the school's role in aftercare and reentry to school for recovering drug abusers. Relevant information is appended, including lists of State Drug Abuse Prevention Agencies and other organizations to contact for help. References are given and a bibliography of both professional and student resources is included. (NB)