Adults suffering from alcohol and drug abuse can go to rehab and detox centers to get clean. They might have to take weeks off from work but, in the majority of cases, they are able to take a leave of absence. But what happens when an adolescent has to go to rehab or detox? The school year doesn't stop just because someone has to go to rehab. On it goes leaving the student, who is in the midst of recovery, left behind. Sure, they can stay back a year, but what happens if relapse is a continual process? In addition to the trying period of recovery these students have to watch their friends graduate without them while they struggle to get clean.
The good news is that there is a place where adolescents can recover without interrupting their education. It's called a recovery high school and there are three in Massachusetts alone, with a fourth opening in December. These schools are just like any other high school. They are publicly funded and are taught by certified public school teachers. The students are referred to by other schools, parole offices, their parents, or rehabs or detox centers. Dr. John Kelly, the associate director of the Center for Addiction Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, explains the benefits recovery high schools can offer adolescent substance abusers: "The students get the peer support and the recovery norm that they would get in a rehab except it is in a school setting. The expectation is easier because they don't have to hide or feel stigmatized. The curricular is designed to deal with substance abusers and the academic curriculum is sensitive to that, allowing for the presence of the disorder."
Recovery high schools incorporate the therapeutic aspects of treatment into the academic aspects of a regular high school. According to Dr. Kelly, "For the most part it is an academic environment that is sensitive to the fact that these students are going through recovery. There are varying degrees; however." These varying degrees include urine toxicology screens, counseling support and rules that are particular to each school. Some schools are more strict than others when it comes to enforcing sobriety. Sobriety is certainly encouraged and monitored, but students are not just kicked out if they slip up or fail a drug test; the schools provide support to get the students back on track. If they need further treatment it is the schools job to make the connections necessary to support the students' recovery.
Recovery schools follow a "harm reduction" approach to treatment, meaning that they have a non-judgmental way of helping patients reduce the impact of substance abuse in their daily lives. This approach is based off of the belief that each individual has a different relationship with drugs and alcohol based off of his or her own biological, psychological and social influences. Dr. Kelly explains that most people are in favor of harm reduction strategy because it is basically claiming that any step in the right direction is positive. "The optimal outcome is abstinence because that allows for better brain functioning and better overall health; but not everyone is ready all at once to go straight to abstinence. So for these schools, I think having a harm reduction approach, if it keeps the students engaged in school and treatment while lowering their risk of harm, is a good way to go."
In one article I read it discusses how the adolescent brain is more susceptible to drug abuse because it is less matured and not as fully developed as an adult brain. This seems like an important reason for there to be more treatment options out there for teens. Ironically, Dr. Kelly informed me that there are actually less treatment options available for adults. "There is outpatient and intensive outpatient levels of care. The standard of care for adolescents is 1.5 hours of treatment 3 days a week for most of the day, or 4 or 5 hours of treatment each day of the week." There are rehabs and detoxes for adolescents and teens; however they do not provide these young brains with the educational incentive that will increase their chances of future success.
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