Finding out your child is addicted to drugs or alcohol is devastating. Fortunately, there are specific adolescent programs for addiction located throughout the country.
Before you being your search, learn more about teen addiction and addiction programs.
Teen Drug and Alcohol Use Facts
Use and abuse of alcohol for teens fluctuates incrementally from year to year. For instance, abuse of the drug du jour is always increasing while use of long-time standards (e.g. cocaine) remains little changed.  Here are the most recent findings according to the Monitoring the Future Survey.

  • Daily marijuana used increased among 8th, 10th, and 12th graders from 2009 to 2010.
  • In 2010, 21.4% of high school seniors used marijuana in the past 30 days, surpassing the percentage use for cigarettes.
  • Past year use of Ecstasy increased for 8th and 12th graders.
  • Non-medical use of Vicodin among 12th graders decreased nearly 2%.
  • Non-medical use of OxyContin is unchanged among 9th, 11th and 12th graders but has increased for 10th graders over the past five years.
  • Past-month use of alcohol among high school seniors fell from 43.5% to 41.2%.

Five Stage of Drug Use
According to Medicinenet.com, these are the five stages of teenage drug use and abuse.

  • Stage 1: Access to drugs but no use yet
  • Stage 2: From experimentation to occasional use to regular weekly use of drugs
  • Stage 3: Increasing frequency of use and using one or more drugs on a regular basis. In addition, the teen might buy, steal or drug deal.
  • Stage 4: The teen is preoccupied with getting high and they develop social, educational and/or family problems.
  • Stage 5: They only feel "normal" when they are using. This stage can include stealing, drug dealing, engaging in fights, unprotected sex, and having homicidal or suicidal thoughts.

What to Expect from Adolescent Addiction Programs
There is no one-size-fits-all treatment program for teens. And there is no guaranteed success. Treatment is just the beginning. But it can build a foundation of abstinence for life, giving a teen tools to carry into adulthood.

Residential adolescent addiction programs are anywhere from 30 days to two years. Once in a problem, your child will likely undergo the following steps:

  • Physical and psychological evaluation
  • Detoxification
  • Addiction counseling
  • Psychological counseling
  • Addiction education
  • Family and group therapy
  • Substance abuse education
  • 12-step approach
  • Counseling for issues such as peer pressure, self-image problems, education, etc.

Professional Staff
Treatment programs offer a variety of specialists trained in particular aspects of the addiction and recovering process. Here are the kinds of professionals you'll find to support your teen:

  • Medical doctors
  • Psychologists
  • Psychiatrists
  • Licensed therapists
  • Counselors
  • Registered dieticians
  • Nurses
  • Other therapists trained in a specific discipline such as art therapy

Initial Evaluation
Once in treatment, patients receive an assessment, which includes medical and family history as well as a mental health evaluation.
Often, teens will have a mental disorder in addition to their addiction. This is called a co-occurring disorder or  dual diagnosis. Because one affects the other and vice versa, the addiction and mental disorder should be treated simultaneously. Most adolescent programs for addiction are prepared to handle treatment for both.
For the physical assessment, a doctor draws blood to determine the patient's health baseline. At this time, the doctor will determine whether you need to enter detoxification.  
Individual Counseling
Individual counseling sessions occur weekly at a minimum. Here patient and counselor explore issues related to the addiction, looking for the root causes. You'll learn ways to cope with your addiction including identifying triggers, avoiding relapse situations, and picking a healthy support system.
Group Counseling
Group counseling offers a supportive environment where teens can discuss their addiction and other issues like peer pressure and social acceptance. Teens learn from other teens while also feeling that they are not alone.
Family Therapy
Family therapy is crucial for success because parents must learn how to communicate with their kids and vice versa. Families learn about addiction; how it works and how it affects their child. Families also learn how their behavior can enable their kid's addiction.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is psychotherapy that seeks to change a teen's unproductive thought patterns and undesired behaviors. It helps them learn about their addictions, including what triggers alcohol and drug abuse and how to cope with these triggers. Specifically, CBT helps to:

  • Change the way you think about drugs and alcohol
  • Teach you ways to cope with cravings
  • Distinguish between thoughts and feelings
  • Be aware of ways thoughts can influence your feelings in negative ways
  • Develop skills to notice, stop and then correct biased thoughts
  • Identify and avoid "triggers" to your drinking and drug use.

Academic Programs
For teens that are in school, most addiction programs provide school credits through on-site classes. Educational therapists assist those who need help in certain areas so they don't fall behind when they re-enter their school. Poor school performance is a recipe for a relapse.

Holistic Therapy
Holistic therapy's philosophy is to treat the whole person—body, mind and spirit. So in addition to the above treatment approaches, holistic therapy may involve art therapy, equine (yes, horses) therapy, nature therapy and others.

Summing It Up
For many parents and their children, an adolescent program for addiction is their best hope. These programs are designed to get your child clean and give them the tools for success once the hard part of living life again happens.

Search the Recoverycorps.org database for an adolescent addiction program near you.

See an alternative to traditional addiction programs: "Teen Wilderness Camps."