The extent, nature and evolution of delinquency and of psychoactive substance use among adolescents are fairly well documented. They are hot topics in the media. However, there have been fewer studies and public forums dealing with how youths interpret their trajectories of deviance and of recovery. An overview of Brunelle’s work on the trajectories of juvenile deviance will be presented, along with the more recent results from Bertrand and colleagues regarding the recovery trajectories of young addicts in treatment. Particular attention will be given to the evolution of youths’ motivations for using substances and committing crimes as well as of the reasons that they believe explain why they stopped or reduced these behaviours at certain points in their trajectory. The factors that triggered their request for services will also be presented. The importance of the relationships between drugs and delinquency in these trajectories will be highlighted. Possible avenues of intervention will be proposed according to the stages of the youths’ trajectories of substance use and based on typical recovery trajectories.