Aftercare

To ensure the continued success of drug and alcohol intervention programs, aftercare must be a part of treatment. Aftercare is designed to help the teen and family recovering from an addiction problem continue to grow healthier. Generally these programs are set-up while the student is still in treatment. The programs include both in and out of school activities.

In-school aftercare may involve a decrease in course load, creative solutions to situations such as allowing the student to take only required courses and work the rest of the day, and regular meetings with their counselor or Student Assistance Program (SAP) advisor. In schools with strong SAP's, there may also be support groups to help recovering addicts stay straight.

Out-of-school aftercare includes counseling, participating in support groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous and volunteering for various community projects as a way to fill in the hours that the student had previously spent drinking or taking drugs.

Counseling is usually a part of aftercare. For students who were in an outpatient treatment program, a month or more of counseling may be necessary. Teens who were in an inpatient program, may need a year of counseling before the root causes of the addiction are dealt with.

This document was last updated 8/13/97 by Chandra Hawley.
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