If you or someone you love has an alcohol use disorder, it’s essential to seek care as soon as possible. Contact us today to learn more about our young adult alcohol abuse treatment.
If a young adult has risk factors for alcohol use disorder, social drinking and partying can lead to a severe alcohol addiction that threatens every area of a young adult’s life. That includes mental and physical health, relationships, finances, and goals for the future.
Newport Institute’s alcohol rehab for adults is designed to create long-term recovery by addressing the underlying issues that catalyze alcohol use disorder. Our treatment programs for young adults support them to recover from alcohol addiction by processing past trauma, building resilience and self-worth, and developing healthy coping skills.
How many young adults abuse alcohol?
Alcohol abuse in young adults is a growing problem, particularly among young women. Statistics from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration show that young adults ages 18–25 have the highest rates of alcohol abuse.
In the past, men were three times as likely as women to engage in risky or problematic drinking. However, recent research shows that ratio is now closer to 1-to-1 globally. And US data shows that rates of alcohol abuse in women have reached the same levels as men.
However, more than a third of male college students engage in binge drinking. Overall, 41 percent of 21-year-olds engage in binge drinking. This type of heavy drinking can increase the risk of developing an alcohol use disorder.
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Symptoms of Alcohol Abuse in Young Adults
How do I know if I’m abusing alcohol or becoming dependent on alcohol?
An alcohol abuse diagnosis isn’t based solely on how often or how much you drink or how often you drink alcohol, although these may be signs of alcohol abuse. It’s also about how your drinking behavior affects your life and daily functioning, and whether or not you have the ability to control your alcohol consumption.
Whether a young adult has alcohol use disorder is determined by a specific set of criteria listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, which is used to diagnose mental health conditions. Individuals who meet any two of the 11 criteria within one year receive an AUD diagnosis. Depending on how many criteria are met, the alcohol use disorder is categorized as mild, moderate, or severe.
The criteria is based on whether, during the past year, you have experienced any of the following signs of alcohol abuse:
- Your drinking behavior included more drinks or lasted longer than you intended, more than once
- Wanting or trying to cut down or stop drinking but were unable to
- Spending a lot of time drinking or getting over the after-effects of drinking
- Found that drinking or the after-effects often interfered with daily life
- Continuing to drink alcohol even though your drinking habits caused problems in your relationships
- Reducing activities that you used to find enjoyable in order to drink
- Experiencing a craving for alcohol
- Finding yourself in risky situations, more than once, during or after heavy drinking
- Continuing to drink alcohol even though it was making you feel depressed or anxious or adding to another health problem
- Having to drink much more than in the past to get the effect you wanted
- Suffering from alcohol withdrawal symptoms, such as trouble sleeping, shakiness, irritability, restlessness, nausea, or sweating, when the effects of alcohol were wearing off
Diagnosis and Treatment for Substance Abuse in Young Adults
Diagnosis of alcohol abuse in young adults or other types of substance abuse involves a complete physical and mental health assessment. An alcohol abuse evaluation may include any or all of the following:
- A physical exam to determine how alcohol consumption is impacting your physical health in addition to mental health
- Lab tests to screen for liver disease and other medical impacts of long-term alcohol abuse
- In-depth interview with a physician, psychiatrist, or other addiction specialist or healthcare provider regarding your drinking habits, including the frequency of your alcohol use and additional drinking behaviors
- Discussion of the appropriate care required—residential treatment, an inpatient alcohol rehab, partial hospitalization, or an intensive outpatient program
Know the Facts
Young adults are are more likely than any other age group to have an alcohol use disorder.
What’s the connection between alcohol abuse and mental health?
Underlying mental health disorders are a primary cause of alcohol abuse and other substance abuse issues. Alcohol use disorder in young adults often arises as a form of self-medicating. Young adults drink alcohol as a way to cope with the painful symptoms of depression, an anxiety disorder, PTSD, bipolar disorder, or other mental health disorders.
Young adults may begin using alcohol as a way to relax, overcome inhibitions, or feel more comfortable in social situations. Hence, before they realize the risk, they develop alcohol dependence. Young adults are more vulnerable to alcohol use disorder if they have family members who abused alcohol or had prenatal exposure to alcohol.
What will I experience during alcohol abuse treatment?
Because alcoholism in young adults includes a physical alcohol dependence, the first step in treatment for alcohol use disorder is detoxing. Newport Institute partners with preferred detox programs to support young adults as they begin an alcohol abuse treatment.
Once detoxing is complete, the real work of addiction treatment begins. At Newport Institute, our team of addiction and mental health specialists includes psychiatrists, medical doctors, individual therapists, family therapists, life skills coaches, and recovery counselors. Our alcohol abuse treatment addresses all aspects of a young adult’s physical and mental health to support long-term healing and recovery.
In addition, our young adult rehab helps clients uncover the root causes of their alcohol abuse and learn coping and emotion-regulation skills to support ongoing recovery. They develop healthy ways to work with challenging emotions rather than using heavy drinking to self-medicate. One of the primary benefits of alcohol use disorder treatment in a residential treatment center is connection with others who are also on the healing journey.
Young Adult Rehab at Newport Institute
At Newport Institute, we address alcohol use disorder by helping young adults process past trauma and replace destructive behaviors with healthy coping skills. Rather than addressing symptoms alone, we guide young adults to dig deeper so they can create the foundation for a thriving, substance-free life.
To achieve long-term, sustainable recovery, young people need specialized counseling to understand and address the internal and external conditions that set the stage for alcohol abuse. Hence, our integrated approach to young adult alcohol addiction treatment takes into account every aspect of an individual. That includes their physical, emotional, relational, psychological, and spiritual health.
Newport alcohol addiction treatment may include individual therapy, group therapy, family therapy, life skills programming, and experiential activities like Adventure Therapy, yoga, art, and music. We have residential treatment programs for young adults around the country, as well as Partial Hospitalization and Intensive Outpatient Programs.
Know the Facts
People who stay in treatment for substance abuse for at least three months have substantially better outcomes and lower relapse rates.
Our Treatment Programs for Young Adult Alcohol Use Disorder
Newport Institute’s residential treatment for alcohol use disorder offers more than a typical inpatient rehab. During your stay, you will experience powerful healing modalities guided by caring, compassionate experts. Each client’s treatment team designs a tailored treatment plan that includes alcohol counseling as well as treatment for mental health issues underlying alcohol abuse. Marital and family counseling, recovery counseling,
Our residential treatment for both young adults and older adults may include:
Clinical Modalities
- Motivational Enhancement Therapy to break through resistance to treatment
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy to shift unhelpful thinking and build coping skills
- Dialectical Behavioral Therapy to increase stress tolerance
- Marital and family counseling to create greater harmony among family members
- Recovery counseling to build new, healthy habits
Experiential
- Adventure Therapy to foster peer community
- Yoga and meditation to increase mindful self-awareness
- Music therapy as a form of self-expression
- Culinary arts to build self-care skills
- Art therapy to support emotional processing
Newport Institute also has a robust alumni program, providing support groups and resources to help ensure ongoing recovery.
Where to Find Our Alcohol Rehab Programs
Newport Institute locations are in close proximity to multiple cities across the United States. We treat young adults ages 18–32 (depending on location) and their families from all 50 states and abroad, providing a full continuum of care. Our residential and outpatient treatment centers offer serene environments, within beautiful natural settings, where young adults can find long-term healing and recovery from alcohol use disorder and related mental health conditions.
Newport Institute’s alcohol rehab programs for ages 18–32 are located in Northern and Southern California, Connecticut, Minnesota, and Virginia, with more programs in development in areas where young adult mental health and substance abuse treatment are most needed.
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Fill out the form above to set up a confidential conversation with one of our admissions experts. We realize that the hardest part of seeking treatment is getting started, and we’re here to help make that part easier, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Concerned about how to pay for addiction treatment? Newport Institute works with most major insurance companies, both in and out of network, and we have a dedicated team of specialists to help you navigate your coverage.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does binge drinking mean I’m an alcoholic?
What causes young adults to drink?
How does alcohol abuse differ from alcoholism?
How does long-term excessive drinking affect the brain?
