The Case for Residential Treatment
It takes up to the age of 23 for the brain to develop and mature. This means that experimenting with drugs or alcohol can do great harm to the brain’s developing circuitry. In other words, the more addicted a young person becomes, the more damage there is to the brain. If this dependency is not resolved during puberty, it is highly likely the youth will battle substance abuse for the rest of his or her life.
This is why it is so important to address teen substance abuse right away, and the best way to do this is through residential treatment — where the teen is removed from bad influences, placed in a 24/7 facility for at least three months and given the help he or she needs to shake the dependency.
Many youth who become dependent on alcohol or drugs come from non-supportive family environments (even highly dysfunctional), as well as low-income or single-parent homes. But youth from affluent backgrounds are also developing substance abuse disorders, mainly because they have the financial means to buy alcohol and illegal drugs.
Youth with prolonged addiction issues are also heavy users of the health care system (emergency department, public health, mental health and addiction treatment) and social services, including social assistance and police.
It is vital that youth be separated from their home and school environments, where exposure to peers, high-risk situations and other negative influences can cause them to relapse.
To be effective, a residential youth treatment program must:
- At a minimum cover a three-month period
- Connect with the youth (individual therapy based on the young person’s needs) and develop an appropriate clinical treatment plan using behaviour modification techniques
- Provide a transitional environment where everyone is focused on preparing the youth for the difficult weeks and months after discharge
- Include the family in the recovery process (rebuilding relationships and educating the parents)
- Provide a continuing care program for three to four months after the youth has been discharged, involving weekly meetings and regular phone contact with community volunteers who will act as mentors or role models and provide a direct link to the clinical staff
