Getting Help for your son or daughter who is using alcohol, other drugs or gambling

Are you worried that your son or daughter is in trouble with alcohol, other drugs or gambling? Are you feeling stuck, afraid, bewildered? Are you feeling like the situation is beyond your control? Do you feel like there’s nothing more that you can do?

The first step is to remember that you know your teen better than anyone else does. You can still do more to help yourself and your child than anyone else can. The fact is that this might be a situation where you and your teen may also need someone else’s help.

As a parent, you have more influence over your child than you know. There are many different treatment options available, and if parents can convince troubled youth to help themselves, they can help those teens to choose the treatment that suits them best.

At the very least, parents can change how they respond to this challenging situation. They can get help to keep themselves healthy, which is a must when your child is in trouble.

Many people have been down this road before, and you don’t have to figure out the next step by yourself. AADAC counsellors have helped thousands of parents to get their own lives back, and thousands of kids to come back from addiction.

Are you sure that what you’re dealing with is a problem with alcohol, other drugs or gambling?

You may want to check out AADAC’s brochures, “A Drinking Problem: How Can I Tell?”, “A Drug Problem: How Can I Tell?” and “A Gambling Problem: How to Tell?”

An AADAC counsellor can help

You may also want to speak to an AADAC counsellor, who can help you identify the signs of use. A counsellor can also help you find the best way to talk with a child about their use of alcohol or other drugs, or their gambling. No matter what you and your child decide to do, a counsellor can help you to help yourself.

There are many treatment options

AADAC and its Funded Services offer many treatment options for young people. An AADAC counsellor will help you and your son or daughter choose between group counselling, attending a support group, regular visits with an addiction counsellor (“outpatient” treatment), or more intensive treatment.

Some of our Funded Services offer residential treatment. Some offer treatment in an Aboriginal context. Many AADAC and Funded Services offices offer treatment for the family as well, keeping in mind that when someone has an addiction problem, usually everyone in the family has been affected.

Your local AADAC office can tell you what is available in your community

AADAC has a wide range of services for youth and their families. AADAC area offices across Alberta offer outpatient treatment and mobile services.

For youth aged 12 to 17 whose lives are severely affected by problems with alcohol, other drugs or gambling, a counsellor may recommend intensive treatment at one of AADAC’s Youth Services centres in Edmonton and CalgaryThis is a day program lasting approximately 12 weeks, focusing on what teens most need to learn and the best ways to help them learn. Clients continue to attend school at the treatment centre. In addition to learning how to stop using and prevent relapse, they learn the skills they need for life, such as making decisions, dealing with their emotions and relationships with others, and finding healthy ways to have fun. Much of the learning is experiential (for example, games, special outdoor trips, problem-solving exercises, and other hands-on group and individual activities). The program also provides family counselling and support for parents.

AADAC Youth Services in Calgary and Edmonton also offer detoxification and residential treatment programs to youth throughout Alberta. Youth detox provides stabilization and support to help youth withdraw from substance use and get ready for treatment. Youth residential treatment offers intensive live-in programs for substance abuse and related issues. The Calgary program provides treatment in a wilderness setting in the Bow Crow Forest area, while Edmonton’s program is based in the city. Information and referral for youth intensive day treatment, detox and residential treatment are available through any AADAC office in Alberta.

Helping the rest of the family

AADAC counsellors say that when they ask parents, “What are you doing to help yourself?” the answer is often, “Nothing. I’m too worried about my kid.” A difficult message for many parents to hear is that they have to look after themselves, or they will not even be able to help their child

The health of the family is very important when a teenager goes into treatment. When one of your children seems to be in urgent trouble all the time, it is easy to forget to put energy into keeping yourself, your partner and the other children in the family healthy.

The Protection of Children Abusing Drugs Act (PChAD)

Effective July 1, 2006, the PChAD Act gives you another option to help your child when all treatment options have been tried or if your child is refusing help. If your child is under 18 and has a serious alcohol or other drug problem that has caused or is likely to cause harm to them or others, you can ask the court to have your child admitted to a protective safe house for up to five days. If the court supports your request, your child will have a safe and supportive setting at the protective safe house to begin detoxification, and an AADAC counsellor will help you and your child develop a treatment plan to follow after your child leaves the protective safe house. For more information about PChAD and the court-ordered detox and assessment program, please see “What if I’ve tried every option?” in this series.

For more information

AADAC staff understands that everyone’s needs are different. Whether you want to prevent your child from using alcohol, tobacco or other drugs, or you want to help your child deal with a drug problem, we can help. From information and prevention programs to group and family counselling, outpatient and residential treatment, and even a wilderness program, AADAC and its Funded Services offer a full range of services to help your child and your family.

For more information, contact your local AADAC office or call the AADAC Help Line at 1-866-33AADAC. We are available to give you information and support.