For teens struggling with substance misuse, dependence, and addiction, making a decision about rehab can be difficult. As with anyone who is ready to engage in rehab, teens’ families may be grateful for a less expensive, outpatient option. But there are other excellent reasons to consider an outpatient program for your adolescent. If you are interested in talking to one of our professional staff at Pennsylvania Adult & Teen Challenge (PAATC) we’re here to help. Use our online form or call 844.442.8673 to ask questions.
Alcohol And Drug Addiction Among Teens
Substance misuse is on the rise among adolescents across the country. Alcoholism among teens has seen the steepest climb. The genetic, social, and cultural causes and effects of addiction differ from person to person. Furthermore, the triggers for addiction based on personal experience, from abuse and other traumas to poverty, housing insecurity, and more. If you have noticed some changes in your teen and suspect substance abuse, it’s a good time to find support. Then, you can decide the next steps.
Look for changes in the following categories:
- Mood or personality changes, including being withdrawn, depressed, unmotivated, deceitful, angry, hyperactive, or lethargic
- Behavior, such as truancy, locked doors, secretive, money problems, loss of coordination, use of gum or eye drops to cover symptoms of drug or alcohol use
- Hygiene and appearance changes, like unusual smells on breath or clothes, poor hygiene, flushed face, long sleeves in summer to cover track marks, unusually slovenly habits
- Physical health problems, including frequent sickness, slurred or pressured speech, nosebleeds, sores or abrasions on face, mouth, and skin, weight loss, seizures, or vomiting
Parents often have trouble noticing early signs. They think, “Teens are difficult and uncommunicative slobs anyway; this is probably nothing to worry about.” But you know your teen. If their secretiveness, anger, poor health, or other changes seem extreme to you, find out more.
3 Benefits Of Outpatient Rehab For Teens
You and your teenager are on the same page. You both want to find help. But neither of you think a residential program is ideal for your family. You wonder if an outpatient option would be more conducive to your family life and upholding your son or daughter’s routines. Consider these benefits of outpatient programs:
- In outpatient venues, teenagers can maintain academic schedules and commitments while being held to account by their outpatient care providers and leaders, and, most importantly, their rehab protocol. The outpatient program staff provides guidance, accountability, and support and acts as a bridge between addicted teens and their concerned parents. The teen will not have to feel anxiety about school and will benefit from daily routines to structure each day of recovery.
- Teenagers are still kids who need parenting and the support of family. If the family situation is a healthy one, staying connected at home while in treatment is an enormous benefit to adolescents. The schedule of an outpatient program is designed to allow for life to go on while attending to activities required by their recovery protocol and having the chance to engage in therapeutic treatment with professionals.
- Involving the whole family, as appropriate, in the recovery process is more easily achieved in an outpatient model. The reasons for a young person’s addiction are as wide-ranging and complex as those of an adult. Because of the family’s primary role in children and adolescents’ lives, when growth, learning, and behavioral changes can happen for all the parties involved, outcomes are more holistic and lasting. At PAATC, we use a Christian faith-based model, another important avenue to empowering the whole family in the recovery process.
Seek Treatment at Pennsylvania Adult and Teen Challenge
At PAATC, we believe in the synergy of mind, body, and spirit. Once the body has been freed of the addictive substance through detox, root causes and triggers that exist on a mental or emotional level are addressed in therapy.
When a teen is undergoing outpatient treatment, individual and group therapy is ongoing. It can and often does continue beyond the endpoint of the rehab program. Continuity of care, a warm hand-off to the family’s healthcare providers, and ongoing therapeutic support are all possible. With regular and ongoing counseling for the teen who suffers from substance use disorder, your loved one can thrive.
Pennsylvania Adult and Teen Challenge does not provide treatment for those under the age of 18. However, we pride ourselves on providing treatment for those over the age of 18. Please contact us to learn about the treatment options at 844.442.8673 or reach out through our online form.
