This paper describes a treatment approach which focuses on a person's alcoholism as a multi-faceted illness rather than on the person's particular mandate into treatment. Specific techniques for successful referral by the mandating agency, and for successful engagement and treatment outcome by the alcoholism treatment agency flow from this individualized approach. Examples include alcoholic persons who are drinking driver referrals, others whose public assistance is conditional on entering treatment, and others whose mandate involves probation or parole. Client-related factors, treatment program factors, and the systems inter-face between clients and program are discussed.