Sober Student Goes To College

I got my first acceptance letter to a college today and I’m pretty excited. I’ve come a long way since going to rehab. As a teen , I never thought that I would ever get it together enough to go to college. I really didn’t think I had it in me. After finishing adolescent drug treatment , I continued in the outpatient program and attended sober high school. I maintained my support system which helped me finish high school, even though my ADHD made it really difficult. In treatment, I learned how to keep going even when things were difficult, frustrating, or seemingly endless. These tools have now enabled me to keep going towards a great, rewarding life. If you had told me a few years ago that I would go to rehab, get clean, stay clean, and get into college, I would have never believed you. I’m so glad that other people believed in me and helped me get back on track. If I can do it, anyone can.

Find out How to get off drugs.

Tips For Finding Treatment For Teens

Tips for finding treatment for teens:

1.) Does the program specialize in adolescents? Teen addicts face a very different set of circumstances than adults. A program that focuses on teen recovery provides the essential facet of peer identification and support.

2.) Does the program provide treatment for the entire family? Teen drug and alcohol abuse affects the entire family. Proper counseling for the family is necessary to ensure a productive environment upon the teen’s return home. Also, it is important that the family get to process the anger, fear and frustration that comes with dealing with a teen in active addiction. Both teens and families must learn to break old destructive cycles and habits.

3.) Does the facility treat all aspects of the disease? Addiction affects the mind, body, and spirit. Good drug programs should offer group and individual counseling, medical supervision, and a nurturing program to continue beyond treatment, such as an introduction to 12 step fellowships like AA and NA.

4.) Does the program offer aftercare? Experts have concluded that a “soft landing” into the outside world after treatment greatly aids in ongoing sobriety. This can include sober living houses, sober high school, and outpatient treatment.
Visions Adolescent Treatment Center works to address all aspects of teen addiction, working with the teen and their family to create an individualized program geared towards lifelong success.

Please click here for more information about adolescent drug treatment.

Drug Treatment For Adolescents in Newport Beach

What happens after rehab is just as important as what happens in rehab for adolescents. CNN.com, April 14, 2009 emphasizes the importance of “soft landings” after adolescent drug treatment, like sober high school, where teens can avoid being dropped back into their old environments, where the threat of relapse increases. In recovery, I learned that I had to change everything- including who my friends were and where I hung out. Returning to my high school after treatment without any kind of support would have been a disaster.
Being in treatment feels safe, and the first couple of weeks out made me feel like a baby deer trying to walk. It can be lonely and scary. Luckily, I continued with outpatient treatment and was able to stay connected with the support group I had begun to form in treatment. Back in Orange County, I kept going to AA and NA meetings regularly which allowed me to expand my support base further. I’m grateful for my “soft landing” out of treatment. I learned in treatment that I didn’t need to test my recovery or put myself in situations where drugs were around. I eased back into the world and my awesome support system helped me feel stronger and more confident in my recovery every day.