Kids who are exposed to addiction during their formative years are 4 times more likely to become addicted themselves. When this happens, everybody loses.
Addicted children tend to miss a lot of school and typically fail to graduate. As they get older, they are often left to fend for themselves without proper education, healthcare or support. Soon, the community must step in with extensive resources for multiple social services, or incarceration.
The Family Effect helps to support key programs at the Phoenix Center aimed at saving adolescents from the darkness of addiction.
Abusing alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs isn't just an adult problem. While we'd like to think that adolescents don't have access to these substances, the reality is that they do. In Greenville county 17% of adolescents have need for substance abuse treatment for a substance use disorder.
Adolescents try alcohol, tobacco and other drugs for many reasons. They may be doing what other family members do. They may be trying to impress friends. They may be curious and seeking thrills. Or, they may be trying to dull the pain of their lives. Whatever the reason, it is dangerous behavior and the child is at risk of developing a substance abuse disorder. Research proves that the earlier the intervention, the better the prognosis.
At the Phoenix Center, our counselors work with adolescents, ages 12-17, who are involved in risky behaviors, have emotional problems, and/or need help with family problems.
Through our Adolescent Outpatient program, adolescents are taught life-skills needed to change behaviors that could result in negative consequences.
At the Phoenix Center, adolescents:
- Are provided quality treatment
- Learn the risks of substance use
- Are provided educational groups to teach life-skills needed to change behaviors that could result in negative consequences
- Develop positive alternatives to cope with the difficulties of adolescence
- Learn relapse prevention techniques
- Learn how to live effectively within a family system
Since a substance abuse disorder involves the entire family, family members are strongly encouraged to attend the family sessions.
A World-Class Clinical Program
Outpatient Adolescent Services is a clinical program that is part of an ongoing collaboration with renowned professionals such as Jeffrey M. Georgi (M.Div., M.A.H., LCAS, LPC, CGP) of Duke University Medical Center, and Dr. Aaron White with Duke University Medical Center and the National Institutes of Health. A wide range of counseling and treatment activities is focused on engaging the teens in their own recovery and bringing about positive changes in their lives. In addition to individual and group counseling, treatment experiences include:
- High and low ropes challenge courses
- Music and recreational therapies
- Life skills and anger management
- Family therapy
We invite you to get involved
We invite you to learn about volunteer opportunities for our adolescents.
The statistic on the likelihood of childhood addiction is drawn from a report by the Prevention Research Institute, 2004.