When parents discover their son or daughter has a drug problem, their first instinct is usually to attack the problem right away. And who can blame them? They want to protect their children and help them move on from this dark period of their lives as quickly as possible.
But while parents are ready to dive right in, teenagers are often less willing. The most effective recovery is likely to come about from a compromised pace, and that is what the Seven Challenges system is all about.
As the Seven Challenges Program states on its website, “Most young people do not seek drug treatment of their own free will. Most are dragged to counseling by their collars…. (The Seven Challenges) avoid the pitfall of teaching people to be drug free before they have honestly decided to be drug free.”
Designed specifically for teenagers and adolescents, The Seven Challenges uses several tactics to get through to drug users, including storytelling, a back-and-forth written dialogue, and focused activities and counseling. As the program’s website puts it, “Rather than presenting ourselves as antagonists who want to take away drugs from them, we reposition ourselves as problem-solving partners. We help them overcome their co-occurring problems. We empower youth to meet their needs in positive ways.”
The “Seven Challenges” themselves are:
1) We decided to open up and talk honestly about ourselves and about alcohol and other drugs.
2) We looked at what we liked about alcohol and other drugs, and why we were using them.
3) We looked at our use of alcohol or other drugs to see if it has caused harm or could cause harm.
4) We looked at our responsibility and the responsibility of others for our problems.
5) We thought about where we seemed to be headed, where we wanted to go, and what we wanted to accomplish.
6) We made thoughtful decisions about our lives and about our use of alcohol and other drugs.
7) We followed through on our decisions about our lives and drug use. If we saw problems, we went back to earlier challenges and mastered them.
Of course, like all treatment programs, it is up to the family to decide whether or not the Seven Challenges approach is what’s best for it and its child. There are a plethora of treatment options for teens struggling with substance abuse, and The Seven Challenges system is available at many of them. Just remember to take the time to explore your treatment options—that way, you can confidently devise a substance abuse treatment plan that will best serve your family.