When teens go off to join high school, they are children; but when they graduate, they come back home as young adults. In four years, they go through many changes and experiences, including a lot of self-discovery. This experimental phase is what most parents dread, since at this stage most of their kids get their first encounters with alcohol and drugs. Sadly, many of them get addicted to these substances and parents have to look for treatments before it's too late.
Most people associate drug addiction treatments with full-time residential rehabilitation facilities or detox centers. Yet, residential rehab is just one of many programs available to help people kick the addictions. Here are some drug addiction treatment options for teens addicted to drugs.
7 Individual Counselling
Watch the 'Addiction Counselors" Their Role in Recovery' video here.
Here, specialists use one-on-one counseling sessions to explore personal issues. A teen may not be comfortable discussing in a group session or in a parent's presence. It not only focuses on stopping drug abuse but also addresses other underlying issues. These include peer pressure, domestic issues, social relationships, or illegal activities, among others.
Individual counseling usually emphasizes immediate behavioral goals. It helps them refrain from drug use, cultivate coping techniques, and maintain abstinence. Most counselors encourage patients to have 12 sessions, at least once or twice a week. He or she may make referrals for supplemental medication and psychiatric evaluations.
6 Group Counseling
Watch the 'Recovery Group Therapy for Drug & Alcohol' video here.
Most treatments for teens with drug addiction are usually done in a group setting. This helps by utilizing the social support offered by group discussions. Recovered peers help to encourage others to promote a drug-free lifestyle during sessions.
Group counseling can also be useful in conjunction with one-on-one drug counseling. while observing contingency management to achieve positive results. These sessions usually comprise of about six to ten teens. A counselor presides over discussions about their experiences, and struggles.
5 Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
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Also known as psychotherapy, this type of therapy seeks to comprehend the thinking behind a teenager’s drug addiction. It uses these thought patterns to reshape his or her mindset.
Psychotherapy works under the principle that human thoughts cause behaviors, perception, interpretation. Using this treatment, a teen is encouraged to develop their coping skills by identifying what triggers their use of drugs. They also learn a few strategies on how to avoid risky places, situations, and people.
4 Recreation Therapy
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Recreational therapy is also referred to as therapeutic recreation. It engages teens who are addicted to drugs in active recreational activities. They include art, crafts, sports, and games, to name a few. Healthy recreational activities can benefit a recovering teen addict in many ways. Recreation therapy emphasizes treating not only the mind but also the whole person.
If a teenager is too deep in addiction, he or she may forget how to live their life outside the addiction. Using this treatment helps them rediscover the positive aspects of their personality. They also relearn how to healthily interact as they bond with other recovering teens. Therapeutic recreation helps the teen to improve their self-worth and self-esteem. It also helps their physical health and learning of new skills.
3 Family Therapy
Watch Family Therapy video here.
This type of therapy focuses on the role of family, or lack thereof, in a young teen’s drug addiction. During family therapy sessions, people who are closest to the drug-addicted teen come together to address issues.
They include cohesiveness, problem-solving, and communication. Of course, this is presided over by a professional counselor. Family offers the most long-lasting and intense influence on the teenager’s development. This includes modeling good or bad behaviors and values.
2 Contingency Management
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Addicted teens develop a strong relationship with drugs, affecting their brain function. Their reward centers can get rewired by drug abuse. For instance, a teen can be used to celebrating by smoking cannabis when they accomplish something. Their brain rewires itself to expect cannabis as a reward, and nothing else will do.
Contingency management tracks a teen’s soberness progress and rewards them with prizes. They may be in form of electronics, clothes, gift certificates, or cash. He or she will strive to remain sober if the prizes please them. In the long run, their brain retunes to appreciate a reward that is not drugs-related.
1 Continuing Care
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Also known as follow-up care, this treatment includes the treatment prescribed after a teen completes a drug addiction program. It is an indispensable support plan that ensures teens successfully apply the tools and skills acquired during their treatment, in the real world.
Also, there are schools specifically meant for recovering teens. They are surrounded by other recovering peers in a controlled environment. They are a supplement to the above-named treatments and not an alternative.
Sources: drugfree.org, drugabuse.gov, therecoveryvillage.com, crossroadshealth.org, luxury.rehabs.com, addictioncenter.com.