Why "Luxury" Treatment May Not Work for Young Adults in Recovery

Why "Luxury" Treatment May Not Work for Young Adults in Recovery

Many rehabs and treatment centers offer "luxury" amenities such as extravagant pools, oceanside or mountain views, horseback riding, premier chefs, and large estates or mansions for recovery.

While this may be a more suitable environment for more mature adults and professionals (in specific cases), this can be a significant misstep for young adults who need the structure and humility of a "back to basics" approach to getting their lives back together.

Research shows that living within a recovery community that offers structure increases the chances of a successful recovery. This often means incorporating chores, cooking, cleaning, and social contracts with others that benefit everyone involved.

Let's discuss the positive impact of structured treatment programs for young adults and why amenity-rich treatment programs may not be ideal for these individuals.

Positive Impacts of Structured Treatment Programs for Young Adults

Young adults face many challenges that can make recovering from addiction even more difficult. Some of these challenges include:

  • Taking on more adult responsibilities
  • The immortality complex (not considering the long-term effects of their actions)
  • Peer pressure influences
  • Family or personal history of substance use
  • Physiological and psychological changes

Many factors influence a person’s experiences, including age, gender, and socioeconomic status. Age in recovery is one factor that researchers are looking into further to determine appropriate courses of action for treating young adults (age 18 to 25) in recovery.

With more than 5 million young adults struggling with addiction, it’s vital to their recovery to take a holistic approach incorporating a more structured treatment program. These programs help prevent relapse in young adult recovery, by giving them tools to work through:

Understanding Triggers

Triggers can be people, places, and things that can bring a person back to their previous behavioral patterns. It is essential to help people in recovery understand their triggers so that they do not allow their peers and environment to hinder the effectiveness of treatment.

Many people learn coping mechanisms during recovery so they can deal with their triggers in a healthier and more productive way. By understanding what prevents successful sobriety, you can better avoid situations that threaten sobriety.

Coping With Emotions

For many people, drugs and alcohol repress thoughts and emotions. Without these substances, people must face the choices they've made and the actions they might regret.

While spa-like treatment facilities allow you the opportunity to "get away" from your triggers, they often lack the substance to help you cope with uncomfortable or painful thoughts or emotions.

Falling back into old habits is tempting after leaving treatment unless you gain a healthy support network and place coping mechanisms to help.

Understanding Behavior Patterns

Along with coping with your feelings about past traumas, decisions, or behaviors, it is essential to understand what may have led you or your loved one to use drugs or alcohol in the first place. This can help you learn to better deal with your drug use history and avoid pitfalls — or relapses — in the future. A more structured treatment program will offer you the tools to understand your behavior patterns better.

Where Young Adults Find Lasting Recovery

When we are in recovery — especially early in our treatment journey — it’s vital to take a holistic approach that enables us to work on the root causes of our harmful behaviors. A structured treatment program has proven to be more effective for young adults. Here at Ethos Recovery, we offer a structured program that can help you or your loved one through early recovery and beyond to help young people find lasting recovery.

Are you a young adult looking for a more structured approach to recovery treatment? Contact us today to speak to one of our caring recovery specialists.