Updated February 07, 2013.

Question: Would a Youth Intervention Stop My Teen From Becoming an Addict?

My 15 year old son has been acting strangely recently -- moody, disrespectful, and getting into trouble at school. Then someone told me he has been using alcohol and drugs. I'm so scared he is going to become addicted and ruin his life. I’ve seen people getting help for addictions on TV through youth interventions -- will a youth intervention stop my son from becoming an addict?

Answer:

Although shows featuring real life youth interventions are helpful in giving hope to teens and their families that they can overcome their difficulties, they don’t necessarily reflect an accurate view of reality. The reality for the individuals involved isn't quite as it appears on TV, and in the real world, youth interventions can sometimes cause more problems than they solve.

Before taking the step of a youth intervention, first be sure that you are really dealing with an addiction, substance abuse or alcohol problem. Normal teenage behavior often looks a lot like the behavior that can surround an addiction or substance abuse problem, as adolescence brings with it intense changes in mood and emotions, and as the young person develops new awareness of their individuality and autonomy, poor role modelling from peers, and perceived or real abuse, mistreatment or unfairness from adults can lead to disrespect for authority. It can be difficult to know the truth of whether your teen is indulging in addictive behavior because both addicts and teens can easily slip into compulsive lying to protect themselves, so check out the warning signs, identify any pills you have found, and talk to your teen one-on-one before jumping to conclusions.

From a professional standpoint, youth interventions cannot be recommended, simply because the research isn’t there to support their effectiveness. That doesn’t mean they can’t be effective, it just means that the studies we need in order to “prove” the effectiveness of youth interventions has not yet been carried out. But no therapy is 100% effective, and all therapies go through experimental stages and refinements before being considered effective.

From an anecdotal perspective, youth interventions have mixed reviews. Some families believe that interventions have been helpful in persuading their teen to get help. Others have had much more negative reviews, in which the intervention was poorly conducted or the youth was forced into treatment, causing even more resentment towards the family and more indulgence in substance use or addictive behavior by the youth in order to cope with their feelings of frustration and betrayal. Although it is understandable for you to feel anger towards your teen, extreme approaches describing themselves as "boot camp" or "tough love" programs may be too criticial, aggressive and bullying towards vulnerable teens to be helpful, and may leave them with damaged self-esteem and a lack of faith in the helping professions in the future.

So how do you know whether an interventionist is going to help your teenage child? What seems to be the crucial factor is the experience and skill of the youth interventionist leading the intervention -– perhaps this is why interventions appear so successful on TV shows with large budgets, the best trained experts, and teams of professionals providing back up support to the youth and their family. But in the real world, we currently have no specific systems for evaluating the credentials of youth interventionists, nor for providing backup if needed, so there is very little information on which to base your decision.

If, after considering the lack of research support, you still feel a youth intervention might be right for your teenage child, here are some common-sense considerations -- NOT based on medical fact -- to think about in making the decision to employ a youth interventionist:

• Do you know any other teens who were helped by the youth interventionist? If so, were their problems similar to those of your child? Were their characteristics (such as gender, culture and substance or addictive behavior) similar? A personal recommendation from someone dealing with similar issues is often a way that people make decisions about therapists.
• Talk to the youth interventionist. Did you develop a good rapport? Do they seem to geneuinely care about your teen, or do they emphasize controlling their behavior? Do you get a good “gut feeling” from this person?
• What is the financial investment? How much do you stand to lose if the youth intervention doesn’t work out? Could these funds be used on a different program which offers more credibility? Many families with problem teens benefit from working with a family therapist, and in contrast to youth interventions, this places responsibility on the family as a whole, rather than scapegoating the teen as the problem.

Remember that although many people working in the addictions field know what they are doing, and genuinely want to help their clients, there are others out there who just want your money, and will prey on the desperation felt by parents who are looking for a miracle cure. Remember, there are no miracle cures, and overcoming addiction is hard work, especially for the teens themselves.

You might also want to consider finding out about other treatment options for your teenage child:

• Detox
• Motivational interviewing
• Youth outpatient treatment
• Youth residential treatment
• Self help groups for youth, such as 12 step programs, SMART recovery, and Sober24.

Then read “Tips for Communicating with an Addict,” and “Stages of Change” before offering this information to your son.