Teenagers are some of the most vulnerable individuals to drug and alcohol addiction and abuse. They’re susceptible to peer pressure, and their brains are still developing, which can compromise decision-making. If you or a loved one need help, you must know when to contact an adolescent treatment center near Des Moines, Iowa.

Teen Drug Abuse in Iowa

In Iowa, teenage drug abuse is a severe problem. For example, in January 2020, Iowa ranked 17th in pain reliever misuse and tobacco use 1 and 10th in binge alcohol drinking compared to the other 50 states.

According to more recent statistics, almost 8% of Iowa teenagers use drugs,2 and over 11% of teenagers use alcohol regularly. These numbers are concerning for parents throughout Iowa.

Unfortunately, it’s challenging to prevent drug and alcohol use entirely. But if your teen is at risk of drug abuse or addiction, you can get them the assistance they need at an adolescent treatment center like Ember Recovery.

What is an Adolescent Treatment Center?

An adolescent treatment center is a specialized wellness facility that provides teenagers with the support and mental health tools they need to recover from addiction and drug abuse symptoms.

Think of an adolescent treatment center as a specialized wellness center that tailors its approach, methodologies, and therapeutic practices to teens. This can be highly beneficial, as teenagers have unique requirements. And much of their behavior may be informed by processes or thought patterns they don’t fully understand.

More importantly, adolescent treatment centers often incorporate parents or entire families into therapy. With the right teenage treatment center, you’ll know precisely how a therapist will help your teenager. And how you can support them as they recover socially, in school, and at home.

It’s worth noting that not all centers for adolescent addiction treatment are sterile and uninviting. Our center locations are home-like environments with warm and comfortable settings for teens to feel at home while they work through treatment.

How Can an Adolescent Drug Treatment Center Near Des Moines Help At-Risk Teens?

Adolescent treatment centers help at-risk teens in a variety of ways. Many of the best teenage treatment centers offer personalized or tailored solutions for each patient. They ensure that every patient receives the attention and care they deserve and need.

Here are some examples of treatments you can expect at Ember Recovery.

Inpatient Residential Treatment

At Ember, we offer inpatient residential treatment for boys, girls, and teenagers who are members of the LGBTQIA+ community. We separate recovery patients by gender because we firmly believe they have better responses, especially in conjunction with our trauma-informed care model.

For example, in our boy’s residential treatment house, we can offer a safe and supportive environment for all male teens recovering from drug addiction or abuse. We also offer a girls’ residential treatment house that provides gender-responsive treatment programming to give young women the skills and support they need to recover fully.

Many teens aren’t comfortable in traditional gendered housing arrangements, which is why our LGBTQIA+ inclusive addiction treatment program is tailored to them. If your teen is a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, we’ll work with your family to determine the best treatment program based on their needs and preferences.

Dual Diagnosis Treatment

In many cases, teenagers don’t just struggle with drug addiction; they also work with other mental health conditions, such as depression, anxiety, and so on. Drug abuse or addiction can sometimes be a secondary symptom of an underlying mental health disorder.

That’s why Ember Recovery provides dual diagnosis treatment—helping address the addiction and any underlying mental health issues that may be causing the addiction or risky behavior. This approach is widely regarded as the best way to produce long-lasting, positive results for at-risk teens, not just to treat them in the short term.

Individualized Recovery Plans

As noted above, Ember Recovery provides individualized, carefully tailored recovery plans for each patient. We know that a one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work with something as crucial as addiction recovery. Every person is unique, after all.

Our knowledgeable specialists and therapists will match individual patients to different therapies based on their experiences, backgrounds, and personalities. It starts with a personal assessment you can attend as a parent. We’ll also include you in the process and break down our recommendations. So you know exactly why we believe one therapy will be more effective.

Therapeutic Support and Treatment

At Ember Recovery, we offer many different types of therapeutic support.

Core to our program is trauma therapy. Trauma-focused therapy addresses teenagers who suffer from early-age trauma, such as PTSD, mood disorders, and other problems that arise from early physical or sexual abuse or violence.

We also leverage cognitive behavioral therapy techniques. Which involves breaking down and understanding harmful thought patterns or behaviors, then replacing them with more positive alternatives. Through these and other approaches, we can help give your teen the tools they need to:

  • Identify risky situations
  • Determine negative thought patterns that put them at risk of relapsing
  • Build better thought patterns, so they lead healthier, more responsible lives

When to Contact an Adolescent Treatment Center Near Des Moines

You should contact an adolescent drug treatment center near Des Moines soon. If you believe your teenager is struggling with drug addiction or is at risk of drug abuse, there’s no time to waste. Ember Recovery can help get your teen back on track and give you and your teenager the tools they need to thrive. Contact us today to learn more.