Outpatient Care

Outpatient care may be the primary intervention for a teen addict, or it may act as a transition for students returning to school after inpatient care. If the patient needs medication or supervision while going through withdrawal, inpatient treatment will be recommended. However, if the addiction is not as severe and the student wants to break the chemical addiction, outpatient care may be more appropriate. Outpatient care allows the student to continue his or her normal school activities while recovering from an addiction.

Research indicates that the most effective treatment environment for people addicted to any substance is group therapy. In the case of adolescents, this often means meeting after school with other teenage addicts for over two hours every day. Their families meet twice a week with other families going through the same thing.

An example of an outpatient program can be found in a small midwestern community where outpatient treatment offers in-depth treatment for both the addict and the family. The counselors believe that teens need to learn problem-solving and decision making skills while building communication skills and learning to take responsibility for their lives. To complete the program, the teens must prove to the counselors that they are ready. This includes:

participating in a local chapter of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), Narcotics Anonymous (NA), or some other similar organization.
finding a sponsor from NA or AA who has been straight or sober for at least three years
completing improvement plans that list:
developing free-time activities to replace previous drinking/drug habits
parents acknowledging that there has been a difference in the teen's behavior and attitude

Treatment does not end suddenly. The sessions are merely spread out until it is not necessary for the family, including the adolescent, to return.

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