Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment

Adolescents deal with a lot of emotional problems, sometimes from their homes or other outside sources, but also within their peer groups. They are under a lot of stress as they try to adjust to the changes taking place in their bodies, and they may feel out of control. Many teens may experiment with drugs or alcohol and become addicted to these substances as a method to deal with their stress and problems. Adolescent substance abuse treatments are designed to help teens beat their harmful addictions and come in many varieties.

Function

• Adolescent substance abuse treatment programs were created to help adolescents who suffered from some form of drug or drinking addiction. Teenagers addicted to prescription drugs, street drugs or alcohol can find a program that will counsel them and help them to take steps to kick their habit. These treatments range from mild to severe depending on the addiction and the severity of problems it creates for families and the teen.

Counseling

• For teens with a mild addiction or drinking problem, seeking help from a professional therapist may be all that is needed. The reason behind their behavior may be related to other problems and they may not have reached the addiction stage. A school counselor or professional counselor can help teenagers learn to cope with their feelings and emotions, and give them advice for dealing with difficult problems they may be facing.

Rehab

• Rehab can come in two forms: residential programs, which are discussed in Section 4, and outpatient services. In outpatient rehab, teens are paired with one or more doctors and therapists who monitor their condition and try different methods of counseling to help them overcome their problems. This method is for teenagers with a severe drug addiction, and those who cannot solve the problem by outside counseling, such as a school counselor. In rehab, a team of counselors will be available 24 hours a day to help patients.

Residential Programs

• Residential programs are a form of rehab where the teenager stays in the center during the course of his treatment. Instead of coming in for appointments, he lives in the rehab center. He receives personalized treatments to help with his addictions and to deal with the emotional aspects of being forced into rehab. Teens can place themselves in rehab, but often a parent is the one who forces a teen to go, and this can cause hostility toward the parent from a teen who doesn't believe he has a problem.

Wilderness Retreats

• A less common, but still popular, version of counseling is a wilderness retreat, or camp. These programs aim to help groups of teenagers to interact with each other and develop personal skills and values that can help them overcome their addictions. Set up like a summer camp, they provide counseling and group support to build a teen's confidence and encourage her to beat her addictions. This type of retreat may seem less hostile than many rehab centers.