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Help Page #3

What if I or my loved one cannot come into a Teen Challenge residential program?

Some people are not able to commit to the 12 month residential Teen Challenge program. 

• A parent who is the financial provider for the family.
• Parole or probation restrictions prohibit them from leaving the state to enter a Teen Challenge program.
• Mother may not be able to find temporary placement for her children.
• The person may be on medication that disqualifies them from being admitted into a Teen Challenge program.
• The person’s problem with drugs or alcohol may not be severe enough to qualify them for entry into a Teen Challenge residential program.

What Teen Challenge offers to those who are not able to enter a Teen Challenge program.

1. Crisis counseling is available to assist your family and loved ones and recommend options on actions you can take to get help for all involved.
2. Referrals are available for on-going counseling, either by Teen Challenge staff or other counselors in your area.
3. You may want to find a local support group for the one who has the problem or addiction. Support groups are also available for family members to help them process the hurt and damage they have experienced. These support groups also communicate how you can best help your loved one with the life-controlling problem.
4. If the person with the problem cannot enter a Teen Challenge residential program, you may want to try a 30 day program in your area. Teen Challenge may be able to refer you to some of these options in your area. (Click here to for contact info.)
5. It is important to realize that life-controlling problems and addictions do not go away on their own. To do nothing will not solve the problem.
6. The person with the problem needs to be accountable to someone. This needs to be a person who can meet regularly with the one who has the problem. This person of accountability needs to ask tough questions to determine if the person with the problem is making responsible choices on a daily basis. This type of strict accountability may provide the person with the help they need to change their lifestyle and overcome their addiction.
7. The person with the addiction needs help to do more than stop the addiction. This person must also find new ways to cope with life without returning to drugs. For the person who uses drugs, the drug use is not the root problem. Drugs are used to cover the pain of other problems or to give a person a sense of joy or self-worth.

At Teen Challenge, residents attend daily classes that teach new life skills. You can order this curriculum and study it on your own, or use it in a small group setting. For more information on this curriculum, click here.

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