Probably the most under-served populations needing drug and alcohol rehab help are young people under the age of 18. Not only are there a limited number of programs that work with adolescents, but the choices for types of rehabilitation programs are even more slim.
The most unfortunate side of this is that a majority of state-run adolescent addiction treatment centers take young people and diagnose them with some mental disorder or another and then destroy their developing minds and brains with harmful prescription drugs. I can’t tell you how many conversations I’ve had with parents who have sent their children to the local teenage drug rehab and had their kid come out in much worse shape down the road than when they first went in.
Young people often need guidance, structure, support and leadership – not more drugs. There are several faith-based organizations that provide programs like this, as well as wilderness programs. The most effective type of program we’ve found is an alternative treatment approach that uses a long term rehab program that is drug-free and focuses on empowering young people to take control of their lives. There are a few of these facilities that use the biophysical approach that can also work with young people under 18.