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Substance use is a persistent and pressing problem for adolescents and young adults. They tend to minimize the risk of addiction, which places them at greater risk for misusing alcohol or other drugs.

 

The effect of substance use on the developing brain

The human brain grows and evolves throughout adolescence into young adulthood, including the systems that govern emotions and impulses. Because these areas of their brains aren’t fully developed, adolescents and young adults tend to take risks, seek new sensations, and may be more easily influenced by their peers. The combination of these factors can lead to problematic alcohol or substance use.

Substance use at this age can interfere with crucial social development and compromise cognitive development. Many youth who need treatment don't believe they need help, or don't want it. Their parents may not realize the extent of the problem. But substance use can put a young person's dreams on hold — or end them forever. So early identification and intervention are essential.

 

Our treatment approach

Our clinicians utilize multiple modalities to individualize treatment including but not limited to motivational interviewing, cognitive behavioral therapy, and contingency management. Many of our clinicians are also certified in and utilize the Community Reinforcement Approach (CRA), a cognitive behavioral model for substance use treatment. This approach helps patients develop and strengthen relapse prevention skills by identifying external and internal triggers for use, patterns of using behavior, consequences of use, and effective techniques in resisting pressures to use.

We believe that an individual’s culture, background, family and belief systems are all important aspects of individualized care. We heavily emphasize the importance of parent or guardian involvement in care. In certain cases, we recommend separate parent guidance sessions, which are aimed to help parents/guardians navigate the challenges that accompany addiction. Patients are also strongly encouraged to participate in community support groups to assist in developing and strengthening their support network while in and after treatment.

 

What to do if you think your child needs substance use treatment

The first step is to receive a substance use assessment from a licensed professional. The Addiction Alliance of Georgia offers free, confidential phone-based screenings.

Our experts can tell you if it looks like your loved one is dealing with addiction or a mental health disorder and, if so, what treatment options would be most effective. They can also work with your insurance company to help you determine your coverage.

At the Addiction Alliance of Georgia, treatment for older adults address the following:

• Age-specific addiction issues related to physical health, family structure, career and financial security
• Health and wellness concerns such as chronic pain, nutrition, medication management and rediscovering purpose and meaning in life
• The stigma of addiction and how shame impacts recovery

 

Our specialized addiction care for older adults also includes:

• Comprehensive substance use and mental health assessments
• Group therapy
• Individual therapy
• Medication management for substance use and mental health
• Referrals to resources for education and support
• A supportive nonjudgmental recovery environment
• Individually paced care that fits your life, career, and needs

At the Addiction Alliance of Georgia, addiction treatment is integrated with mental health care. This is because addiction is often complicated by additional conditions such as anxiety, depression or trauma. These are known as co-occurring disorders.

With these complex conditions, the most effective care combines treatment for addiction and mental health — addressing multiple symptoms at the same time. Our team includes psychiatrists, psychologists, and other mental health professionals who provide diagnostic assessments, group therapy, family therapy and medication management.

Mental health assessments and counseling are important parts of your addiction treatment plan. Even in recovery, counseling and therapy can provide the support you need to continue healing.

Our outpatient mental health services include:

• Adolescent/young adult specific services
• Parent guidance and support
• Comprehensive behavioral assessments
• Group therapy
• Individual therapy
• Medication management
• Referrals to resources for education and support

 

Telehealth mental health services

If you're not located near our facility, or you have mobility/accessibility challenges, virtual appointments with our mental health experts are an ideal option. 

As part of our addiction treatment, we provide:

• Medication for alcohol use disorder including, but not limited to, monthly extended-release naltrexone injections (Vivitrol®)
• Medication for opioid use disorder including buprenorphine (Suboxone®), monthly extended-release buprenorphine injections (Sublocade®) and monthly extended-release naltrexone injections (Vivitrol®)

Helping families through education and support is essential to our treatment program at the Addiction Alliance of Georgia and is vital to recovery. For every individual affected by substance use disorder, there are countless others directly impacted. 

Families are often overlooked as a critical component of the treatment process. The family structure is often realigned with a focus on helping their loved one with a substance use disorder, and the family will often walk a parallel path of recovery with their loved one. Walking this path is a learning process that requires both the acquisition of new knowledge, skills and abilities and the letting go of unworkable strategies for addressing addiction. 

At the Addiction Alliance of Georgia, our primary purpose when working with families is to equip them with the knowledge and skills necessary for understanding addiction and supporting their loved ones. This provides the family with a clear path of recovery, creates a supportive recovery environment for their loved ones, and increases the likelihood of meeting individual goals.

We have several services for the family that include:

Family Education and Support Group: This group is open to all family members and provides a safe place to learn about substance use disorder, receive support from other family members, and receive practical guidance on healthy ways of supporting their family. Additionally, this group emphasizes learning to take care of oneself. Self-care is often neglected in the process of focusing on their loved one’s addiction. 

Parental Guidance: Our addiction specialists offer individualized parental guidance sessions aimed at meeting the specific needs of family members in a safe and supportive way. These sessions provide an intimate setting for families to process their feelings and ask questions about pressing issues.

Family Therapy: our licensed addiction specialists offer family counseling services to address many issues that arise in the recovery process. This service supports the individual work being done by family members. 

Student Immersion Program: This program provides education to healthcare students seeking to know more about addiction. Families have an opportunity to volunteer and share their experiences with students in a way that allows them to help others. Giving students the perspective of the family is a critical part of enabling them to effectively address addiction in a variety of healthcare settings.

Did you know that approximately 1 in 7 people who have experienced a traumatic event also meet criteria for a substance use disorder (Degenhardt et al., 2022)? At the Addiction Alliance of GA, we specialize in using evidence-based treatments to treat patients struggling with both substance use and a history of trauma because research and experience tell us that treating both at the same time is most effective.

We know that people with a history of trauma can experience a variety of symptoms, there’s not one response to trauma. Our team of psychiatrists, psychologists, and other mental health professionals work with you to provide a mental health assessment and individualized treatment plan. This plan could include integration of evidence-based treatment for:

• Posttraumatic stress disorder
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Borderline personality disorder
• Obsessive compulsive disorder

Evidence-based treatments that we provide include:

• Prolonged Exposure
• Cognitive Processing Therapy
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
• Exposure and Response Prevention
• Dialectical Behavioral Therapy
• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

Even in recovery, therapy can provide the support you need for continued healing. 

Call us today to start your road to recovery. If you’re not located near our facility, or you have mobility/accessibility challenges, virtual appointments with our experts are an ideal option. We look forward to hearing from you!

Citations:
Degenhardt, L., Bharat, C., Glantz, M. D., Bromet, E. J., Alonso, J., Bruffaerts, R., ... & Wojtyniak, B. (2022). The associations between traumatic experiences and subsequent onset of a substance use disorder: Findings from the World Health Organization World Mental Health surveys. Drug and alcohol dependence, 240, 109574.