Teen Addiction Treatment & Drug Rehab

Nearly 8% of Texas teens met the criteria for a substance use disorder in 2022. That’s over 200,000 kids – more than double the entire population of Flower Mound. 

That’s a lot of kids whose lives are currently dictated by a substance.

If that’s your child, you’re concerned. Their grades are dropping, they’re damaging all the positive relationships in their life, and you’re worried about their future. With fentanyl being prevalent in much of the drug supply these days, they can even be at risk of overdose. 

Know you are not alone in this situation. After all, the parents of 200,000 kids know exactly how you feel. 

At Bricolage Behavioral Health, we get it, too. We work with kids with all kinds of behavioral health symptoms every day, and we’re happy to report that we see them get better every day, too. Your child can overcome this and heal. Our youth substance use disorder treatment can help.

When a child comes to us for treatment, our priority is figuring out the motivations behind their behavior and personal goals. While a diagnosis can be helpful, the reason the child developed the condition is significantly more important than what we call it. 

If your child has been illicitly taking prescription medications, for example, our goal is for them to recognize the challenges and problems caused by substance use in their life today and in their future. 

When your child first starts substance use treatment, they may have no intention of stopping. This is normal for teens. Your child probably has a very different goal. For treatment to be successful, we must address the underlying causes of substance use – not just the substance use itself. For example, your child’s goal in taking prescription medications might be to dull their emotional pain. That means our primary goal has to be managing that pain more healthily. Once we introduce new coping mechanisms and skills to enable their healing, substances won’t feel necessary anymore.

We also utilize an approach called “The Seven Challenges,” a program tailored to teens that research has found very effective. Unlike traditional 12-step programs, the challenges aren’t linear. They guide how we talk to them and question the teens in our care. The Seven Challenges are:

1. We decided to openly and honestly talk about ourselves and about substances.
2. We explored what we liked about substances, and why we were using them.
3. We considered our substance use and if it has caused or could cause harm.
4. We examined what our responsibility is, and what is the responsibility of others.
5. We thought about the path we were on, and where we wanted to be in the future.
6. We made thoughtful decisions about our lives and about our use of substances.
7. We followed through on our decisions. We mastered any challenges that were difficult for us along the way.

We naturally work through The Seven Challenges with your child while they’re in treatment. They’ll learn more about themselves, what they want, and what they can accomplish.

Teens at Bricolage participate in our unique whole-group therapy. We’ve pioneered this technique to keep teens engaged for the entirety of every session. It also ensures they get plenty of time and ways to practice the skills they learn in therapy. We tackle challenges through videos, journaling, reading, audio, and more – all to provide a diverse learning experience and drive the lessons home in the kids’ brains. They also build relationships and communication skills to thrive socially once they leave us.

It’s true that the presence of substances doesn’t necessarily mean your child has a substance use disorder. That doesn’t mean you should ignore it or assume it’s a one-off situation, though.

Illicit substances tend to be significantly more alarming than alcohol. After all, 16% of youth ages 12-20 in Texas drink alcohol every month. While there can be serious outcomes from excessive use, such as overdose or alcohol poisoning, most teens need help with milder challenges – trouble with the law, poor academic performance, isolation, and risky behavior. At Bricolage, we identify your child’s specific concerns and create a treatment plan targeted to them and their substance use.

Most kids’ instinct when they’re caught with a substance is to lie. A common one is, “This is my friend’s!” Unless your child decides to confess, there’s no way to know if that’s the truth or not. You can approach this situation by advising your child to pass some information to “their friend.” Present your child with facts about substances and the risks that come with them without making accusations. Just saying, “substances are bad” isn’t enough. They need to know why and conclude they aren’t worth the risk on their own. It’s very helpful to have the child identify consequences related to their use. It’s more convincing than an authority figure simply telling them.

If you catch your child in the act of substance use, the conversation doesn’t have to be much different, aside from speaking to them directly instead of offering suggestions for their “friend.” It’s easy to say “stay calm,” and a lot more difficult to actually remain level-headed in the moment, but starting an argument or “freaking out” will often cause more harm than good. If you approach the topic calmly and practically, your child is more likely to listen and more likely to talk to you about why they got involved with substances in the first place. They’re also a lot less likely to take your aversion to their substance use as more reason to rebel. 

You also don’t want to downplay your child’s involvement with substances. Sometimes, we want to believe it was a one-time experiment, but you don’t know that, and you should always take it seriously. Start a conversation about how they got the substance, and why they started using it. There’s always a deeper motivation, even behind experimentation. Maybe they really wanted to fit in with their friends, or they thought the substance would relieve some of their stress.

It’s worth seeking help from a mental health professional for these motivations. If they’re influential enough to drive your teen to substance use, they’re a “big enough deal” to get extra help. Remind your child that therapy and counseling can help them become the best version of themselves and achieve their goals in healthy ways. It also doesn’t mean there’s “something wrong with them.” You’re just getting an expert involved to help them stay on track.

Whether your child has had a substance use disorder for years or you’re concerned one is just beginning, help is available. Addiction extends well beyond substances. It often involves unaddressed mental health symptoms or trauma, and your child needs to heal from all of these to successfully leave substances behind for good. Bricolage offers the treatment they need to overcome everything standing in the way of them living a happier, healthier life.

Bricolage Behavioral Health, located in Flowermound, Texas, provides behavioral health care for youth. We treat the “why” behind every condition – not just the diagnosis. We get to know your child and their motivations and help them find healthy ways to achieve their goals and live the lives they want. We love watching kids grow and overcome adversity to thrive. We’re ready to help your child, too. Call 469-968-5700 today to get started.

Bricolage Behavioral Health: Where Teen Minds Matter

Bricolage Behavioral Health is strength-based, skills-based, evidence-based, and medication-light. We empower your child or teen to develop the skills they need to take control of their mental health with effective, science-backed therapy.