Substance Abuse Group (like NA or AA) for teens?

[Anonymous]

I am struggling to find an age-appropriate substance abuse/alcohol group for my high school student. The ones advertised on AA website that are for Young People (specifically, one that meets at Bethesda Presbyterian on Wednesday nights at 7:30pm) are attended by adults - not teens. Does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks in advance!

[Anonymous]

Call the Washington Area Intergroup Office of AA and/or the equivalent for NA. They may be able to help you.

Call Suburban Hospital and/or Kolmac and/or Fr. Martin’s andsee if they know of anything.

Talk to the school counselor office if you’re comfortable doing that.

Attend one or more different meetings and ask if anyone knows where you can find what you’re looking for.

With due regard for age-compatibility, the presence in meetings of people with longer term sobriety/abstinence is a very valuable thing, so a teen/youth-only meeting might be missing something.

Do not give up on recovery because of a preconceived notion of what a meeting needs to look like.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Call the Washington Area Intergroup Office of AA and/or the equivalent for NA. They may be able to help you.

Call Suburban Hospital and/or Kolmac and/or Fr. Martin’s andsee if they know of anything.

Talk to the school counselor office if you’re comfortable doing that.

Attend one or more different meetings and ask if anyone knows where you can find what you’re looking for.

With due regard for age-compatibility, the presence in meetings of people with longer term sobriety/abstinence is a very valuable thing, so a teen/youth-only meeting might be missing something.

Do not give up on recovery because of a preconceived notion of what a meeting needs to look like.

While this is true, I know from personal experience that there can also creeps be at AA/NA meetings and I would be hesitant to send my underaged child to one.

[Anonymous]

When I was looking at them for a different service they provide, I found that Transitions in Alexandria offers a service like this. Now given you mention Bethesda that might not be workable for you: https://www.transitionscorp.com/services/