Rehab Treatment

In general, there are three kinds of programs. Your child can live at home and take treatment on an outpatient basis, but the success rates are only about 30%. Success rates are better in residential programs because your child can start fresh in a substance-free environment, away from his current friends who drink and use drugs with him.

Wilderness therapy programs and therapeutic boarding schools. Wilderness therapy is similar to summer camp and often lasts less than three months. Physical activity is very intense: teens live outdoors and pitch tents, gather firewood, make their food, and hike for long periods of the day. Students participate in therapy such as group and individual counseling, journaling, stress reduction classes, and spiritual awakening through experiences of nature. The group should be small and led by counselors with good professional credentials.

Wilderness therapy \"jump-starts\" addiction recovery. Follow-up studies of participants indicated that two years later, up to 95% believed the experience was crucial to their eventual recovery. However, aftercare is very important, which may include a stay at a therapeutic boarding school or outpatient therapy from home.