Why Young Adults Need Age Specific Substance Abuse Treatment
The young adult, or 18-25 year old, is often forgotten in the greater drug / alcohol treatment world. They aren’t teenagers, they have some freedom, and society expects them to act like adults. However, they aren’t truly adults yet, either.
Parents and young people alike often report attempt after attempt at sobriety or treatment. Upon further investigation, we often find that these individuals have been in and out of adult treatment centers. Sometimes these programs work well for young adults, but more often than not they fall flat. While we do not wish to disparage adult treatment programs, they don’t tend to meet the 18-25 year-old’s needs very well.
Why is this? We hope to examine the reasons in this post, as well as offer a few viable solutions for parents, young adults, or mental health professionals seeking guidance on working with college-age individuals in a rehab or treatment setting.
Young Adults vs Adults in a Rehab Setting
Much has been written and said about the adult alcoholic or drug addict. For obvious reasons, the treatment and recovery world is designed around the older adult alcoholic. This typically refers to a 45-55 year old individual who has experienced serious consequences – divorces, DUI’s, legal battles, with serious career-related implications.
These individuals may enter treatment on their own or at the behest of a loved one, but they are almost always seeking to alleviate consequences. The classic 30-45 day rehab program is very much designed to serve this type of individual, and the “young adult”, or college-age drug user is often lumped into this group.
It’s important to understand that young adults aren’t in treatment for the same reasons as an adult. They haven’t endured 15-20 years of hard drinking, they haven’t lost businesses, they haven’t been through divorces. They aren’t “fed up” with getting high, even if their lives have been miserable for a few years.
These individuals are over 18, but they haven’t totally started their lives yet. Their brains aren’t fully developed, they are almost always single, and in many ways they think and act like adolescents (more on that later). Their experience is somewhere in between the adolescent and the adult.
They’ve often lived on their own, had jobs, or rented apartments. They may have owned (or wrecked) a car or three. They may have even experienced consequences, such as a DUI, a serious breakup, or expulsion from a college or university program. In many ways their “drug using careers” are just getting started.
Rehab for Young Adults vs Teens
Similarly, much has been written and talked about where adolescents and drug abuse is concerned. We all generally understand that an individual under 18 is a different animal than an adult alcoholic or drug addict. They are (typically) still under the guardianship of a parent, parents, or family members. They are required to go to school, and their drug and alcohol use is almost always motivated by a desire to have fun and obtain peer acceptance. They often haven’t totally crossed the “invisible line” into true addiction or alcoholism, and there are numerous treatment approaches tailored directly to the teen drug user.
Young adults can’t be treated as if they are teenagers, because they are in a different phase of life. Legally, they are adults. Parents don’t have the same leverage over their young adult that they would have over a teen.
Additionally, young adults’ have usually progressed further into their substance use disorders than teens have. They have often been using drugs for more than just a couple years. They’ve progressed into harder drugs and often experience withdrawal symptoms upon cessation of use. When presented with facts about addiction, they usually nod their heads in agreement, rather than glaze over like an adolescent would.
Considerations for Young Adult Specific Drug Treatment
Because young adults often get lumped in with adults, they end up in treatment programs that aren’t designed for them. They usually don’t feel that they relate to their peers in treatment, and upon discharge, they are handed off into various 12-step programs where they continue to struggle to relate.
Consider a few generalizations about the 18-25 year old phase of life:
Young adults have a high social need
Being single and young means these individuals still have a high social need – programs need to incorporate fun, opportunities for social connection with a new peer group, and a clean hand-off into a high quality long-term Aftercare program.
Delayed emotional growth still applies
Parents are often frustrated as to why their 23 year old acts and responds like a 16 year old. We often think of delayed emotional growth with teens, but this applies to young adults as well. Young adults who used drugs through high school and college haven’t experienced the emotional lessons during these years. They often present as “23 going on 16,” and retain the black-and-white logic of a teenager.
Parental involvement is important for this age group
They are often still financially and emotionally intertwined with their parents. It is important that parents of this age group have support as their young person goes through the young adult addiction treatment process.
Parents and young people alike benefit from the parents having tools to manage the high emotions involved in the early recovery process. Parents of young adult drug users often also need family therapy, coaching, and support as they decide when and how to financially disconnect from their young adult.
They feel that they are behind in life
Being college-age means these individuals will be thinking about starting their lives after they sober up. Young adult programs need to consider helping individuals sort through what their goals are, and what steps they can take towards the lives they want to create.
Young adults have also likely gotten in more legal trouble than teens, and may need some coaching and support through the process of cleaning up their past.
A 12-step program with depth is usually necessary
Young adults often have crossed the “invisible line” into being dependent on alcohol or drugs. A strong personal 12-step program will be necessary earlier in the recovery process than it will be for teens.
Is there hope for a young adult alcoholic or drug addict?
Absolutely, yes. We see young adults sober up all the time. They are some of the most fun-loving, smart, funny, and energetic individuals we get to work with.
Though we often say there are no guarantees in the substance use disorder treatment world, we believe that seeking age-appropriate young adult rehab programming is just as important for young adults as it is for teens. Their odds of success improve dramatically when the treatment is age-appropriate, their social needs are met through support groups, and their parents are involved.
If you have any questions about the treatment process for young adults, or would like to inquire regarding a substance abuse evaluation, please reach out to us. We are always happy to answer any questions and assist in developing a plan of action for your family or your young adult.