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Information on Adolescent Drug Treatment

Last updated on: Friday, 12 May 2023

Treatment for adolescent substance use disorders involves detox, counseling or therapy, and aftercare support. Along with addiction treatment, these facilities also work with teens to help them avoid using drugs in the future, utilizing prevention and education. Drug Rehab Services has a directory of teen rehabs and other valuable information to help any family with teens struggling with addiction.

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  • What You'll Learn

What is Adolescent Drug Rehab?

Adolescent drug rehab is a rehabilitative service tailored to meet the needs of adolescents struggling with addiction. These options include detox centers, inpatient or outpatient programs, counseling, therapy, and different forms of aftercare support.

Guide To Finding Adolescent Drug Treatment

When searching for drug rehab for teens, there are some things to consider. Initially, most teens do not recognize the risks of using drugs or alcohol, which means most families are performing some type of intervention.  Consider the following tips:

  • Consult our directory that lists available detox, inpatient, and outpatient substance use treatment programs in your state. Begin contacting programs.
  • Detox is the first step, and this can be part of an inpatient or outpatient drug rehab center, but every program is different.
  • Select either inpatient or outpatient treatment depending on the severity of the addiction. Generally, adolescents benefit from a structured environment at a residential facility.
  • Inpatient treatment options are short-term (28 to 60 days) or long-term (3 to 12 months). Depending on what is available in your state, lengthier treatment is the better choice for teens.
  • Outpatient treatment lasts 12 to 18 weeks but requires an adolescent to attend the program daily and live at home.

Our experts recommend long-term inpatient care because treating all aspects of the addiction early is critical. Any addiction that begins in adolescence becomes progressively worse with no treatment. During adulthood, it becomes increasingly challenging to treat substance use disorders. In addition, there could be significant health problems.

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Is Adolescent Substance Use a Phase in Life?

No, it is not a phase in life. There is always a reason why teens begin to experiment with drugs or alcohol and why they eventually become dependent on or addicted to these substances.

When parents notice the signs of addiction, it is important to intervene. Substance abuse affects the growth and development of teens, especially brain development.

Teens will begin to engage in risky behaviors, such as unprotected sex and dangerous activities. Drug and alcohol abuse among teens also contributes to adult health problems, such as heart disease, high blood pressure, and sleep disorders.

Ask a Professional

  • How is adolescent drug treatment different?

    Adolescent drug treatment offers specialized services for patients between the ages of 18 and 19. Such programs may or may not admit minors for treatment. Substance abuse treatment facilities specializing in treating teens or adolescents offer services that specifically address the common barriers to helping teens recover from addiction. That often means a larger emphasis on addiction’s impact on the family dynamic and other focuses like relapse prevention.

  • Are teens restricted to adolescent treatment only?

    No, adolescents ages 18 and 19 may attend any facility that any adult can. However, minors who are technically children under 18 may only seek treatment at certain facilities. These facilities must be licensed to provide care to minors because entirely different sets of rules surrounding confidentiality, boarding, and care apply. Minors may even be legally forced into treatment by their parents in extreme situations, so these facilities must be prepared and equipped for such patients.

  • Are there benefits to adolescent drug treatment?

    Yes, adolescent treatment programs are geared toward helping teens recover from addiction and prevent relapse. Because these programs provide specialized services and pay extra attention to the needs of teens struggling with addiction, they can make a big difference in the patient’s success. In adult programs, teens may feel disconnected or like treatment doesn’t apply to them, significantly lowering their chances of finding success.

  • Want to know more?

    The questions from Addicted.org’s “Learn from our Experts” are answered by Michael Leach, CCMA. If you need further clarification on any of the questions above or have any other questions you can contact him directly at [email protected].

Common Terminology Surrounding Adolescent Drug Rehab

Term
Definition
Motivational Enhancement Therapy
is a therapy process that inspires teens to take part in drug addiction treatment. The therapy process is paired with other therapy methods to motivate teens to plan for recovery.
Adolescent Community Reinforcement Approach
typically used as an intervention method to help replace negative environmental factors with healthy ones. An approach used to help teens living in dangerous environments.
Contingency Management
a common treatment approach used to rewards healthy behaviors and focusses on improving teens’ support systems.
Family Behavioral Therapy
therapy sessions improving communication between families and addicts. The goal is to create a healthier family dynamic and improves family relationships.
Brief Strategic Family Therapy
therapy sessions targeting drug abuse in the family and provides counseling to family members and addicts.
Multidimensional Family Therapy
community-based treatment and support for troubled or violent teens. The programs connect families with a school or the juvenile justice system.
Inhalants
are volatile substances that produce chemical vapors that can be inhaled. These are common household products that are easily accessible by teens.
Hallucinogens
these drugs are a diverse group of substances that alter a person’s awareness of their surroundings as well as their own thoughts and feelings. Teens commonly abuse hallucinogens as a recreational drug.
Synthetic Marijuana
synthetic cannabinoids, K2, or Spice are man-made mind-altering chemicals that are sprayed or dried on the shredded plant material so it can be smoked. Teens commonly use K2 or Spice.
Vaping
is inhaling of a vapor created by an electronic cigarette or other vaping device and is common amount teens, especially with marijuana and tobacco-based products.

CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS ARTICLE

MARCEL GEMME, DATS

AUTHOR

More Information

Marcel Gemme has been helping people struggling with addiction for over 19 years. He first started as an intake counselor for a drug rehabilitation center in 2000. During his 5 years as an intake counselor, he helped many addicts get the treatment they needed. He also dealt with the families and friends of those people; he saw first-hand how much strain addiction puts on a family and how it can tear relationships apart. With drug and alcohol problems constantly on the rise in the United States and Canada, he decided to use the Internet as a way to educate and help many more people in both those countries. This was 15 years ago. Since then, Marcel has built two of the largest websites in the U.S. and Canada which reach and help millions of people each year. He is an author and a leader in the field of drug and alcohol addiction. His main focus is threefold: education, prevention and rehabilitation. To this day, he still strives to be at the forefront of technology in order to help more and more people. He is a Licensed Drug and Alcohol Treatment Specialist graduate with Honours of Stratford Career Institute. Marcel has also received a certificate from Harvard for completing a course entitled The Opioid Crisis in America and a certificate from The University of Adelaide for completing a course entitled AddictionX: Managing Addiction: A Framework for Succesful Treatment.

MICHAEL LEACH, CCMA

MEDICAL REVIEWER

More Information

Michael Leach is a Certified Clinical Medical Assistant, who has over 5 years of experience working in the field of addiction. He spent his career working under the board-certified Addictionologist Dr. Rohit Adi. His experience includes working with families during their loved one’s stay in treatment, helping those with substance abuse issues find treatment, and teaching life skills to patients in a recovery atmosphere. Though he has worked in many different areas of rehabilitation, the majority of his time was spent working one on one with patients who were actively withdrawing from drugs. Withdrawal and the fear of going through it is one biggest reason why an addict continues to use and can be the most difficult part of the rehabilitation process. His experience in the withdrawal atmosphere has taught him that regardless of what approach a person takes to get off drugs, there are always mental and emotional obstacles that need to be overcome. He believes having someone there to help a person through these obstacles can make all the difference during the withdrawal process.