Deciding to enter a teen drug treatment center is only one of many important decisions a teen will make throughout the treatment and recovery process. Every decision a teen makes will impact their road to recovery and effort to stay sober. As we explore the importance of responsible decision-making and the types of decisions teens will face, we’ll offer helpful tips on how teens can build the confidence they need to make decisions during this critical time.
The Importance of Decision-Making During Recovery and Teen Drug Treatment
Teens’ decisions during treatment and recovery are critical because they will impact their journey toward sobriety and success. Each decision will play a substantial role in the treatment and recovery process, from deciding who to spend time with to what foods to eat.
Learning to live a sober life involves making many small and large decisions that will contribute to a teen’s recovery effort. One of the most important things to remember is that responsible decision-making is a marathon, not a sprint. It will take time for teens to become confident in their decisions. Over time, they will build the confidence they need to make these critical decisions to help them recover more successfully.
Types of Decisions That Need to be Made in Early Drug Treatment & Recovery
During early drug treatment and recovery, teens need to make decisions that will either aid or hinder their recovery. This includes:
Choosing a Solid Support System With A Teen Drug Treatment Program
Looking for the right people to stand behind you and support your teen’s recovery will be instrumental in their success. Family members, peers who have gone through the same process, and friends not associated with their addiction to drugs or alcohol typically comprise the right support system.
Managing Triggers
No matter how hard your teen tries, they will encounter triggers to thwart their recovery. Deciding how they’re going to handle these triggers is especially important.
Looking for Healthy Alternatives
Exercising, eating right, and meditating can help in the recovery process. Deciding what healthy alternatives will best suit the recovery process will be an important decision they will have to make.
How to Handle Relapse
If relapse occurs despite your teen’s best efforts, they must decide how to handle it. They have to choose how they are going to overcome the situation and best continue their addiction treatment.
Ways to Make Decision-Making Easier During Teen Drug Treatment
Making responsible decisions comes with age and maturity. As your teen learns more about their addiction and how to overcome it, they will be better able to make decisions to help the process.
Here are some ways to help your teen build their decision-making skills.
Build Self-Confidence
Research shows that low self-confidence has been linked to the onset of drug use [1]. So, building self-confidence is essential to help your teen in all aspects of their lives. Ways you can help your teen build self-confidence include [2]
- Writing affirmations to help them feel better about themselves
- Accepting compliments
- Forgive past mistakes
Learning how to do all of these things can help your teen feel better about themselves and become more confident in their decisions.
Examine the Pros and Cons During Teen Drug Treatment
Evaluating the pros and cons of a decision can help your teen make sound choices. Have them make a list so they can visually see their decision’s good and bad consequences. This can help to steer them down the right path.
Learn from Mistakes
Learning from mistakes is an integral part of the growth process. Have your teen think about a mistake and what they’ve learned from it. This will help them decide better the next time they face a similar situation.
Seek Teen Drug Treatment at Ember Recovery
If your teen needs addiction treatment for drugs or alcohol, the team at Ember Recovery is here to help. We offer a variety of programs aimed at helping your teen learn how to live without drugs and alcohol and how to make responsible decisions to help with their recovery. Our residential programs for boys and girls give teens the tools they need to build their self-confidence and live a sober life.
For more information, call Ember Recovery today or contact us online.
Sources:
[1] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0306460316301095?via%3Dihub [2] https://www.verywellmind.com/five-ways-to-build-self-esteem-22380
Andrea Dickerson is a Licensed Therapist and Certified Substance Use Counselor who has worked in behavioral health since 1997. Currently, Andrea is the Director of Behavioral Health, overseeing the Ember residential treatment programs and YSS outpatient counseling clinics throughout Central and North Central Iowa. She became a Motivational Interviewing (MI) trainer in 2006 and provides MI trainings throughout Iowa.
Andrea specializes in working with adolescents and their families and enjoys seeing the family relationships grow through therapy. Andrea is also a CARF International Surveyor, going around North America ensuring behavioral health organizations are meeting required standards.
In her free time, Andrea enjoys cheering on the Iowa Hawkeyes and Chicago Cubs, as well as being an active member of Soroptimist International of the Americas (SIA), a global organization that provides women and girls with access to the education and training they need to achieve economic empowerment. She has been a member of the SI of Des Moines club since 2012 and has been actively involved at the regional level, currently serving as Co-Governor of the Peaks to Plains Region.
Through her involvement in SIA, Andrea has been actively involved in the Dream Programs, coordinating annual Dream It, Be It: Career Support for Girls projects, which give girls the tools they need to achieve their education and career goals, empowering them to break cycles of poverty, violence, and abuse.