Specifically Created Young Adult Drug Addiction Program
There are several reasons why methods of young adult drug treatment have to be targeted specifically to this age group in order to succeed. The targeted population is young men and women between 18 and 25 years of age. Their brains will not fully develop until the age of thirty.
Permanent Damage
Becoming addicted to alcohol or drugs while the brain is still developing can lead to irreversible damage. The scale of the problem is massive. In the United States at the beginning of the 21st Century, 115,000 young adults were enrolled into rehabilitation programs. The actual number of young addicts would have been considerably higher, given that only a small proportion of them have access to rehabilitation facilities.
The Three Priorities
There are three key development milestones that a person goes through during the formative years before the age of thirty. These are finding a life partner, choosing their life’s work and gaining independence from parental supervision. Being sidetracked by a life influenced by drugs or alcohol can seriously impede the realization of these milestones.
12 Steps
Many rehabilitation programs employ the now-familiar Twelve-Step program. This was established originally to help alcoholics overcome their addiction and its associated problems. First, they admit that they are powerless over their addictions. Next, they acknowledge that there is a higher power in whom they can find strength to overcome their problems. Finally, they are encouraged to make a list of those who have been damaged by their actions and to find them and make amends.
Gender
Young women have very different needs from those of men and their rehabilitation must be structured accordingly. Their treatment needs to be planned with their age and gender in mind. Women are more easily addicted. Alcohol or drug dependence can force them into harmful relationships with people who manipulate them for their own gain.Men, too, have needs that are specific to their gender. These are the years when they establish their own identity. They require understanding as they metamorphose from adolescence to becoming an adult.
Religious Convictions
Many intensive outpatient services are based on the Twelve Steps. At the heart of this philosophy is the recognition of a higher power. Where does this leave the atheists? This group does not acknowledge the presence of a deity and, even if they did, they would choose not to blame him for their addictive behavior. They do not need the burden of feeling like a failure because they do not recognize a deity. Atheists respond well to methods that are based on hard scientific facts. Techniques such as Behavior Therapy, Motivation Enhancement therapy and Cognitive Behavior Therapy have all shown promising results with this population.