Sarasota Coalition on Substance Abuse, Inc.

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Nine Elements of Effective Alcohol Treatment for Adolescents

An Example from Wisconsin

David Poehlmann has been counseling people recovering from alcohol addiction for more than two decades. He focuses his work on adolescents and employs numerous approaches researchers consider key to effective treatment.

“We’ve worked with thousands of kids and it’s a thrill to bump into them or their families in the community and have them talk about how they’ve been successful in their lives,” Poehlmann says. At any given time, Poehlmann works with about 40 patients at the Lawrence Center, a part of Waukesha Memorial Hospital/Pro Health Care. Waukesha, a county of 66,000 people, is tucked into the southeastern corner of Wisconsin, about 25 miles from Milwaukee.

Philosophically, the Lawrence Center adheres to two tenets. First, its staff reaches out to teens by setting up a treatment program that can build on whatever personal strong points a client might have. Second, says Poehlmann, “We will always look for parents to be involved in the adolescent treatment process.” The program treats young people on an outpatient basis.

Throughout the U.S., concerned citizens have established many prevention programs to educate young people about the consequences of drinking. Fewer resources have been allocated to raising awareness of what to do if drinking does become a problem. Each year, three million young Americans develop a serious alcohol problem that significantly increases their risk for experiencing life-altering problems such as dropping out of school, getting arrested or needing emergency room care. Many people: don’t realize the necessity of providing professional help for teens who are addicted to alcohol or use it in hazardous ways; don’t know the extent of treatment options, and remain unaware of the fruitfulness of such treatment.

“There are so many barriers for adolescents seeking treatment,” notes alcohol recovery advocate Samantha Hope-Atkins of New Orleans. “Removing these barriers and seeing that they have the necessary support in their community to flourish and grow as a young person” is critical. A distinguished group of physicians, including a former surgeon general, estimates that only 10 percent of the adolescents who have problems with alcohol or other drugs receives treatment, and that of those who receive treatment, only one in four gets enough care to make an impact on the problem. If a teen can overcome the stigma associated with seeking help, he or she then often faces the challenges of identifying people who can help them, securing insurance coverage for their treatment and finding an open slot in an appropriate treatment program. Many privately insured health plans restrict coverage for treatment of addiction through benefit limitations and higher copays for services.

In evaluating a broad spectrum of treatment programs and approaches, researchers have identified common themes among the treatments that are most effective in helping teens. Drug Strategies, a Washington-based nonprofit research institute that promotes more effective approaches to the nation’s drug problems, found these key elements in an extensive review.

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