Staying Clean After Teen Drug Rehab

Sometimes being clean is painful. I got clean really young in an adolescent drug treatment program, and have stayed clean since. My life has grown and I have a wonderful existence thanks to being sober. I have all kinds of opportunities that I never had when I was using, like going to college or keeping a job. It gets painful when you stay clean and other people don’t. It gets really painful when some people don’t make it.
My friend died of an overdose this week. When I got sent away to treatment, I had to cut myself off from my using friends. It was really hard, and they didn’t understand why I couldn’t talk to them anymore. I just couldn’t. I couldn’t be around people when they were using. It was too hard for me. After I had been clean awhile, some of my friends checked out some AA or NA meetings with me. I got really excited that we would all be clean together and have fun. A few of my friends stayed clean for a bit, and then would go back to using. I had had such a strong foundation in teen drug treatment that I knew I couldn’t “dabble” in using again. I think that if I use again, I will die.
My friend died this week. She overdosed and died. She was 18. Sometimes I wonder why I stay clean and others don’t. I wonder how I didn’t die when I was using and why others do. I wonder what I could have done to help my friend and I know that I did what I could. I just feel really sad. I feel really angry with drug addiction. I know that I don’t have to use over the feelings I’m having, and that the only thing I can do is to stay clean and try to help other teens see that they can stay clean too. I’m really going to miss my friend. She was an amazing person who really struggled with addiction. I know her death was an accident, and that she didn’t believe she might die from this. I wish addiction didn’t exist, and that this wouldn’t happen to people, but it does. So I just stay clean, and stay close to my support group in Hartford Connecticut like I learned in treatment. I just feel really sad today. Please contact us for teen drug and alcohol rehab if you or a loved one needs help.

My "Summer Vacation" In Malibu Adolescent Drug Treatment

I was recently talking to a new girl that I’d met in AA and asked her what she was doing for her summer. “I’m in rehab!” she responded, laughing. I could relate. We joked about her getting to say she spent the summer in Malibu, hanging out with new friends from all over the country, and eating good food, but really, summer is a great time to go to rehab. Some kids go to summer camp, and some of us go to adolescent drug treatment in Malibu.
Long stretches of days full of nothingness and minimal supervision are a good recipe for problems for a drug using teen. For me, summers were a big chunk of time that I got loaded and got into a lot of trouble. Rehab in the summer didn’t interrupt my life in any way, other than my using, and it kept me doing something functional during those long summer months. I was in a safe place where I couldn’t hurt myself and I learned to take personal responsibility for my actions. I began to want to change. By going away to teen drug treatment in the summer, I could return to my life with a new attitude and new tools to help me deal with my life. The extended adolescent outpatient program in Brentwood let me ease back into my world as I continued to be surrounded by other teens who were staying clean and learning to live life without drugs.
At first I was angry that I would be missing out on whatever my using friends were doing, but now I have a different opinion. No, I didn’t get to go on an exotic vacation like some of my friends, but I got to go on a trip that has turned into a lifelong journey. When people asked me how I spent my summer that year, I could tell them I spent it changing my life.

12 Step Program for adolescents

A recently published article in the journal, Addiction, reports on 12-step affiliation and recovery outcomes for adolescents. As little is known about adolescents and 12-step affiliation, the study sought to observe the recovery outcomes of 357 13-18 year olds who attended substance abuse treatment in Northern California and San Francisco. The study measured the teens’ success based on drug and alcohol use, 12-step meeting attendance, and other forms of social or religious support. The study concluded that at one year past treatment, 12-step meeting attendance was marginally significant, and that at three years, the relationship between continued sobriety and 12-step affiliation was strong. The study concluded that 12-step affiliation was important in maintaining long term sobriety.

In treatment I was introduced to 12-step programs such as AA and NA. We used the 12-steps to address issues inside of treatment and I also began to work the steps with my sponsor. I soon learned that there was a difference between treatment and recovery, and that the responsibility of my sobriety fell on my shoulders when I left treatment. In treatment, I learned that I have a choice in what I choose to do with my sobriety. I have chosen to remain actively vigilant in preserving and developing the recovery that I have worked so hard on. 12-step meeting attendance has greatly enhanced my life, as I have found a group of like-minded individuals who support me and who are trying to become better people themselves. I am accountable to my support group and an example to those newer than me. It is a great feeling, to be a part of something that saved my life, and to have a chance to help someone else. I never thought about helping other people when I was using, and being an active member of the 12-step community has led me to think of others and to consider how my actions affect other people. Treatment helped me deal with the acute problem that was my active addiction, and provided me with tools so that I was able to leave treatment and practice maintenance myself.

12 Step Program for adolescents

Adolescent drug and alcohol rehab center

Before going to residential drug rehab, I lived in Santa Monica, I had made several half-hearted attempts at getting clean. I tried going to AA and NA meetings and working with a therapist. I’d even been enrolled in a juvenile outpatient program. After each potentially successful attempt, I would inevitably return to using, to everyone’s dismay and frustration. I felt that I was destined to be an addict and alcoholic. Every time I went back to school, the drugs were still there, and I didn’t have enough of a foundation in recovery to face it without using. As a last-ditch effort, my parents sent me to an adolescent rehab, where I was removed from my entire life at home in order to focus fully on my recovery. As my time in the treatment center went on, I began to doubt my ability to stay clean after leaving the safety of inpatient treatment. My counselors and I began to focus on relapse prevention. I had put in so much hard work in treatment that I couldn’t bear to see my sobriety slip away.

I continued to build my support group. With the treatment center’s encouragement, I got a sponsor that I check in with daily. Frequent meeting attendance led me to start seeing familiar faces in the rooms. I identified some of my triggers- the things that make me want to use, and began to do work to take some of the power out of them. I began to recognize my own power of choice. Nothing could make me use; I made the decision whether or not I used. As one counselor put it, “You can choose to go there in your head, or you can choose not to.” Even today, when my head starts spinning over a particular issue, I remind myself that I choose whether or not I run with the thought or not. I can make a deliberate shift in what I’m thinking about. For example, if I am spinning over an issue, I’ll stop and think about what it’s like to ride a horse, or what my favorite birthday present was. It works for me. I also imagine that I am playing air hockey- just knocking the disturbing thoughts right out of my brain. I have begun the long process of replacing the old negative information in my brain with new useful information. As I have stayed clean, I have held onto the basic tools I learned in residential treatment. I am so glad that I was given the chance to learn some good tools that help me to make the right choices today.

Ask about adolescent rehab in Santa Monica or elsewhere

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From Visions Adolescent Treatment Center Blogger Pictures

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Working in Adolescent Drug Treatment

An Outsider’s Perspective

When I started working at Visions Adolescent Drug Treatment Centers two years ago, I didn’t know the 12 Steps from a 12 pack. I wanted to familiarize myself with the program not only for my job, but to satisfy my own curiosity. What I found is that the principles of AA definitely apply to my life. When you get down to it, AA is really about living a life of integrity and service, and staying the course when things go bad. I found that it is about taking care of ourselves and each other, and taking the appropriate actions to right our wrongs. I am lucky to be surrounded by so many recovering adolescent alcoholics and adolescent addicts, and I have nothing but a great respect for those Adolescents and adults who have been reborn through AA, NA, CA or any “A” for that matter!

Alcoholics Anonymous Making Waves In...Fashion?

Alcoholics Anonymous making waves in……………..Fashion????? At 27 years old, I feel almost archaic at young peoples meetings. Comparable to a pager amongst cell phones, I’m not exactly a spring chicken in the young peoples’ circuit of Alcoholics Anonymous. Recently, I decided to get in touch with my roots, and re-visited one of my old youthful home groups. Mind you, I hadn’t been to this particular meeting in about three years. As I approached the entrance, a warm feeling came over me. It had all the familiar sights, sounds, and smells that had once signified comfort to me, but something was different. I immediately noticed that kids from ages 12-20 were dawning symbols of AA. Whether it was chips worn as bracelets, necklaces, or earrings, leather purses adorned with the double “A” moniker, or ripped jeans sewn with the universal triangle and circle, I couldn’t believe that Alcoholics Anonymous had become somewhat of a fashion statement. It brought a smile to my face. Was being in AA cool? Was this debilitating affliction, hidden for so long, becoming a fad? Who knew?
It was amazing to me that kids were wearing tributes to their alcoholism as accessories. Comparable to badges of honor, these bits and pieces spoke more loudly than words. They said, “We are the new generation of AA. We are proud of whom and what we are and we are not afraid to show it. I giggled to myself quietly and couldn’t help but wonder what Bill W and Dr. Bob would make of this situation. I’m pretty sure they would be giggling too!

Veronica Verderame

Our Annual Ski/Snowboard

This past weekend was our annual ski/snowboard trip with all of our visions outpatient and alumni. The trip was such a blast, and everyone got along so well. We sang songs in the car on the drive up, and we all went skiing and snowboarding together. The staff and the kids came together so well, and it was just such a great time. We went to meetings and met new people, and fellowshipped with the AA up in Big Bear. The kids got closer to each other, and we all created a strong bond with one another. It really helped everyone to open up with each other and to have fun while being sober! There were some challenges everyone faced, some people were drinking at the mountain, but the kids didn't let that faze them. It was great for them to see that you don't have to drink in order to have fun! We all helped each other out on the trip. Some helped others to learn how to ski, some helped to give emotional support when it was needed. All in all, it was a successful trip. I'm greatful I was able to be a part of something so amazing.

The Chemical Dependency Counselor: Nurturer

A Chemical Dependency Counselor is both a nurturer and a disciplinarian. The clients that we work with at Visions definitely need structure. They are in denial that their lives are spinning out of control. Most of them have a dangerous combination of low self-esteem and an invincibility complex. Academically, their grades are dropping due to a lack of motivation and numerous absences. Their family is falling apart because of a breakdown in communication. By the time our clients reach us, their parents have lost trust and are extremely frustrated. That’s where I come in.

As a Chemical Dependency Counselor, I attempt to help the client put the fractured pieces of their lives back together. The trick is finding a balance between providing the necessary structure, but in a nurturing way. The basic problem with the kids I see is that they don’t have the tools they need to deal with the problems of adolescence. They try to fix themselves with drugs and alcohol. I teach them new ways to cope with the stress of being a teenager. My clients are educated about addiction as a disease of the mind and the body. They need to find new ways to process their feelings. I assist them in finding outside support, such as a sponsor and good 12 Step meetings. I meet with them individually throughout the week, formally and informally. When the client leaves Visions, the clinical team tries to make sure that everything is in place so that the transition will be easy. Working with the clinical team, I help in planning a home contract that will keep them on the road that they started in treatment. Even though we do everything possible to ensure success, not knowing how things will work out is one of the hardest parts of my job.

My path began during my adolescence. I went off the deep end. I “bottomed-out,” felt lost, and had nowhere to turn (or so I thought). Fortunately, I found AA and now I am a recovering addict, so I bring a wealth of experience to my job. I’ve been working at Visions for three years. I started out as a Program Aide and I am now a counselor. I completed a two-year program at Glendale Community College. I have helped many young people regain their hope and sanity. I remember one particular client who came in with low self-esteem. He couldn’t imagine life without alcohol. After a couple of months of working the program and sharing his feelings, he used his personality to become a leader, sharing his confidence, and speaking at meetings. Now, others want to be like him because he has the structure and the discipline that he lacked while he was using.

Brian Wildason