According to the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, 1.1 million children between the ages of 12 and 17 have problems with alcohol and other drugs. However, only about 122,000 of them got treatment in 2000.

"Those kids are only the tip of the drug-abuse iceberg," said Mitchell Rosenthal, head of Phoenix House Foundation, the nation's largest nonprofit treatment program.

The study, which was conducted during the Clinton administration, was recently released by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Charles Curie, administrator of SAMHSA, said the study's findings emphasize the importance of early intervention.

"We need to target that young population. When we intervene earlier, the treatment results can be very effective," said Curie. "If we can address the addictive disease, we can give these children the opportunity to get a life and get a quality life."

As a result of the study, Bush administration officials said they would focus their efforts on people of all ages who sought treatment but were unable to get it for a variety of reasons. This week, President Bush asked the U.S. Congress to authorize a $127 million increase for drug treatment.

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