Free «Preventing Drug Abuse in Schools» Essay Paper

In Tony’s case, social influence seems to be the major cause of the teenager’s drug and alcohol addiction.  Therefore, there are several methods and techniques that can be integrated into his rehabilitation program. One technique that might be helpful to Tony is the formation of early intervention groups. Also called student or school assistance program, thistechnique will be very helpful, especially during the first two years of addiction. This technique is good because it allows for family, group and individual therapy. Therapy sessions may last for an hour every week or several hours a week. The good thing with this program is that it can be extended to Tony’s home. During these sessions, Tony and other members of the group will be taught about the effects of drugs to their lives and health.

Apart from forming early intervention groups, residential treatment is another technique that can be adopted. As a matter of fact, this technique is suitable for Tony because it is designed for teens with multiple addiction and those who are in a peer group or family where alcohol and drug addiction and use is prevalent (Botvin, G. (2000). Residency for this technique usually last for 30 to 45 days, depending on the progress of the abuser or addict. In most cases, residency aims at separating the affected party from those who might have influenced this behavior. Lastly, the rehab may enroll Tony for individual counseling. This technique works well, especially when it is combined with group counseling.

 

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Considering that Tony’s condition stems from his family, it would be a good idea if the family becomes part of the treatment. This is because the family will be a risk actor as well as a bad influence for Tony after his rehabilitation. It has been proven that rehabilitated addicts are more likely to continue abusing drugs if they come into contact with these drugs after a rehab. Therefore, rehabilitating both Tony and his family will ensure that no one influences the other to continue abusing drugs and alcohol. It will be a good to conduct Tony’s treatment at home. Since he is only 16 years old, separating him from his family will affect him emotionally and psychologically. It goes without saying that this will hinder his rehabilitation.  I believe the repercussion of him living at home during the rehabilitation will not be as bad as the repercussion of him living away from home. At only 16, Tony will need his family for emotional support, which is good for the rehabilitation process. However, if he forced to rehabilitate away from home, the entire process may not be successful due to emotional and psychological effects.

Based on social learning theory by Bandura, it is apparent that Tony learned this behavior through a process of imitation, modeling, and reinforcement.  These factors, together with Tony’s poor social and personal skills might have increased his susceptibility to the social influences that favor drug abuse. Similarly, the proposed techniques are good because they will allow Tony to imitate his family during the rehabilitation process. This is because the proposed techniques allow both Tony and his family to be rehabilitated.