Substance Use Disorder Support

What is Addiction?

Addiction/substance use disorder is a chronic brain disease, causing people to have such a strong psychological or physical need for a substance that they will do anything, including risking negative consequences, to meet that need.

When people become physically addicted to a substance, they may seek it out to stop withdrawal symptoms. They may also compulsively seek out substances because their brain can only focus on one thing, putting that substance into their body. At this point, using substances becomes a reflex, not a choice. The body believes it needs the substance to stay alive and feel healthy, even if the substance is killing the person.

How to Connect to Treatment

There are a lot of starting points, including speaking with your child’s primary care physician and asking for a referral to an agency providing adolescent substance-use treatment.

Many Seattle Public Schools partner with an agency providing onsite mental health and/or substance use treatment. You may call your neighborhood school’s main office, ask which agency provides onsite services, and to be connected to the clinician. You may also reach out to one of these agencies directly and connect to services outside of school. Seattle Public Schools maintains a list of approved youth substance use disorder agencies in the Seattle area that you can access on the Substance Use Disorder Agencies page.

If you are doing an online search for local services, consider using phrases like “Adolescent Substance-Use PHP Treatment King County,” “Adolescent Substance-Use IOP Treatment King County,” or “Adolescent Substance-Use Residential Treatment Washington.” Many young people have had success with Sundown, Visions, and Renacer. (Scroll below to learn about types of treatment such as PHP and IOP).

Usually, to qualify for substance use treatment, a person will need to complete a substance use assessment. This assessment, which can take 1.5 to 2 hours, that determines the severity of a person’s substance use disorder and recommends a type of treatment. Insurance will only cover the type of treatment an assessment recommends. Sometimes, teens are not comfortable enough to be honest during an assessment, resulting in a recommendation that doesn’t align with their needs.

It is recommended that the agency conducting the substance use assessment ask your child to sign a release of information (ROI), giving you permission to accompany them to the assessment, access the assessment, provide feedback to the assessor, find out what the assessor recommends, etc. The ROI is necessary because the state of Washington allows individuals aged 13 and older to opt in or out of behavioral health treatment. Without the ROI, your child and the agency may withhold information.

Treatment Options

If your child is diagnosed with a substance use disorder, the type of treatment your child needs will depend on the severity of it and if there is also a mental health need to address. Some options include:

• Weekly counseling with a Substance Use Disorder Professional (SUDP) or a co-occurring specialist (someone licensed in mental health and substance use counseling).
• Intensive Outpatient (IOP) is usually 3 or 4 days a week after school.
• Partial Hospitalization (PHP) is a full day, usually 5-6 days a week.
• Residential Treatment, also known as rehab, involves your child staying at a treatment facility. In the state of Washington, residential treatment stays range from 1-6 months.
• Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) such as Suboxone and Sublocade, are often used to support individuals struggling with opioid use, and Vivitrol is used to support individuals struggling with alcohol and opioid use. Ryther and Harborview have MAT programs for youth and young adults. MAT services may also be combined with another form of treatment such as IOP, PHP, or residential treatment.

Recovery: How to Help Your Child Sustain Their Sobriety

The opposite of addiction is connection and community. Your teen needs new friends, sober friends who are also in recovery. Consider enrolling your child in Interagency Recovery Academy and Bridges.

Interagency Recovery Academy

Interagency Recovery Academy is modeled after recovery high schools, evidence-based approaches proven to help teens sustain their sobriety, develop a recovery lifestyle, and complete their diploma. Recovery schools play a critical role in the continuum of care, supporting teens in the early stages of action and maintenance. An onsite Substance Use Disorder Professional (SUDP) creates recovery plans with students, provides counseling, and facilitates a daily recovery support circle. Although often initially encouraged by parents, students self-elect to enroll and commit to sobriety. Interagency Recovery Academy incorporates the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) Four Dimensions of Recovery – Health, Home, Purpose, and Community. Together, these four dimensions support an individual’s recovery. SAMHSA defines recovery as, “A process of change through which individuals improve their health, wellness, live self-directed lives, and strive to reach their full potential.” In this sense, recovery is a process with many pathways, not an end state. Because Interagency Recovery Academy is an Alternative Learning Environment within Seattle Public Schools, enrollment occurs on a rolling basis and is open to students through age 21 living in or outside of Seattle school district. Interested students and families are encouraged to visit and learn more. Watch a short video about Recovery Academy.

BRIDGES

BRIDGES is a Seattle based nonprofit providing activities for sober teens in recovery. It follows the Alternative Peer Group (APG) model, which is a community-based, family-centered, and professionally staffed peer support program offering prosocial fun substance-free activities. Many students enrolled in Recovery Academy also participate in Bridges. However, any teens aged 14-18 in recovery from substance use disorder may participate. During the school year, Bridges offers after school activities Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Over school breaks, including summer break, days and hours change slightly. The Bridges team supports teens and families throughout the early stages of recovery by providing counseling for its teens and parents. Examples of activities include swimming in lakes, thrift shopping, go-karting, and camping. Depending on funding, graduating seniors may receive a partially funded, supervised trip to the International Conference of Young People in Alcoholics Anonymous. It is common for folks to participate in Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous, regardless of their drug of choice. 

Many students are connected to Alcoholic Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous and find these groups to be incredibly supportive. To connect with more young people in recovery, Recovery Academy students started No Matter What, a young person’s AA meeting. Although this meeting aims to engage youth and young adults, it is an open meeting, and anyone can attend. You may also call the Recovery Academy and ask to be connected to a student or alumni in recovery. Young people in recovery will often offer rides and support to newcomers. Positive peer pressure is powerful.