Teens and Substance Abuse Relapse

It is no secret that substance abuse among teens, concerning both alcohol and illicit drugs, is an issue. It has been reported that in 2011-2012 for minors, ages 12-17, 4.6% met the standards for having an alcohol use disorder, and in 2009 4.3% met the standards for having a nonalcoholic substance use disorder. While dealing with the issue of substance abuse and substance recovery, an important factor towards the healing process is the concern of relapse. Research supports that multiple relapses are a typical part of recovery; however, it is clinician’s and researcher’s goal to prevent relapse as much as possible. Studies have shown that relapse often follows certain patterns and triggers. Cognitive and behavioral research models support identifying situational triggers, identifying these can be helpful when finding successful coping mechanism for the individual when these situations occur. This study tests whether predictors of relapse are the same for the first relapse as well as those relapses that often follow.

            This study used samples of youth, ages 13-18, that were drawn from seven adolescent inpatient alcohol and drug psychiatric programs in the San Diego area. These individuals were first assessed while they were in treatment and had been sober for at least two weeks. They were then assessed once more 6-12 months after they had been discharged from their treatment program. These adolescents were given the Relapse Review, which asked open-ended questions about their relapse occurrence, and then further questions about their thoughts, feelings, setting and actions before, during and after the relapse incident. This study found that the two primary triggers for relapse were either social factors or negative personal factors and social pressures. This study also reported that almost half of these participants reported that the reason for their first relapse differed from the reason for their second relapse. These findings indicate that those working with addicted teens need to take a general approach when discussing high-risk situations, prior to discussing high-risk situations that are unique to the client. It also suggests that adolescents need to learn appropriate coping skills to deal with internal and external pressures, which usually coincide with one another. Thus, although there are limitations to this study, considering that these teens all have experienced treatment and are all from the same area, clinicians can still use this information to more effectively counsel adolescents and help prevent substance abuse relapses among this population. 

Ramo, D. E., Prince, M. A., Roesch, & S. C., Brown, S. A. (2012). Variation in substance use relapse episodes among adolescents: a longitudinal investigation. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 43(1), 44-52.  DOI: 10.1016/j.jsat.2011.10.003

Abstract