Young Adult Drug Addiction Program

Posted by brandoniswrite on February 5, 2012

There are a number of reasons why young adult drug program need to be targeted to a specific age group. This population is generally defined as young men and women between the ages of 18 and 25. The human brain does not become fully developed before the age of 30.

Permanent Damage

Alcohol or any other form of addiction before the brain is fully developed can cause permanent damage. This is a huge problem. In 2000, more than 100,000 men and women between 18 and 25 were in rehabilitation. The actual number of people in this group who had addiction problems but who lacked the resources to get a place in a program was likely much, much higher.

The Three Priorities

Psychologists describe three key tasks that an individual completes during their formative years. These are to find a mate, to become independent from their parents and to identify their life’s work. Being distracted by an addiction or other mental health problem interferes with this natural progression.

12 Steps

Some programs are centered around the 12 Steps, originally proposed to help alcoholics to overcome their addiction. The process starts by admitting they have no control over their compulsions. They are encouraged to recognize that there is a higher power from whom they can draw strength and making amends to those who have been hurt or damaged as a result of their addiction.

Gender

Young women have different rehabilitation needs from men. From a physiological point of view, they are more easily addicted than men. The alcohol or drug use environments can encourage them to form destructive relationships, especially with men. Their treatment needs to be structured with their specific needs in mind.Men, too have special needs and there are programs that are structured specifically to address them. Young men are trying to establish their own identity at the same time they are negotiating the many obstacles encountered as they make the transition from adolescence to becoming an adult. They have a strong need to be understood.

Religious Convictions

Many intensive outpatient services utilize the Twelve Steps. The Twelve Steps recognize a higher power who figures prominently in this approach to mental therapy. This begs the question of what approaches are available for atheists who require rehabilitation. They do not acknowledge the presence of a higher power and if they did, they would not blame Him for their problems. At this sensitive age, they certainly do not need to be made to feel like failures for not believing. Atheists respond best to approaches that are not based on a deity or a faith but on scientific principles. Motivation Enhancement Therapy, Behavior Therapy and Cognitive Behavior Therapy have all been used with good results in this population.

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