Adolescent Drug and Alcohol Addiction Treatment

What is adolescent drug and alcohol addiction treatment?

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, over twenty years of research on drug addiction treatment and adolescents reveals that treatment can be effective for this population.

Treatment for teenagers is available. While desperate parents may seem to have a variety of choices, not all treatment modalities are the same nor are the treatment outcomes. The best choices are those that are based upon research, or “evidenced based programs”.

The following types of treatment modalities are all evidenced based:

Adolescent Community Reinforcement Approach (A-CRA). This method approaches each component individually. The adolescent is treated separate from the parent/caregiver treatment. The parent/caregiver is treated alone; finally the adolescent and the parent/caregiver are treated together.
Motivational Enhancement Therapy/Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: This approach includes adolescent treatment and family treatment. These therapies seek to alter behavior through learning skills, abstaining from drugs, problem solving, anger management, dealing with criticism, building better support networks, etc.
Multidimensional Family Therapy (MDFT): Includes partial hospitalization or outpatient treatment for co-occurring substance abuse and mental health disorders. It uses assessment and treatment that target specific social interactions to alter behavior and emotional responses.
Brief Strategic Family Therapy (BSFT): A brief intervention modality used for adolescents who use drugs or alcohol and who also have developed behavioral problems. BSFT is based upon three principles: 1) Families are organizational systems. What affects one member of the system affects all members. 2) Patterns of interaction influence the behavior of all members. For example, when the parents argue, the adolescent behaves in a manner that calls attention to him or herself and away from the arguing parents. 3) Targeted actions and interventions to change the patterns of interaction.

(http://archives.drugabuse.gov/txmanuals/bsft/BSFT2.html)

If you are looking for a treatment facility or a therapeutic environment for your child, speak with your primary care physician or a therapist familiar with adolescent treatment.

We know you want the best for your child. Research the philosophy, the accreditation, the treatment protocols, life skill training and more carefully. Treatment works but the choice of facility should be determined by a trained therapist who has evaluated your child.