If you or a loved one is struggling with a substance use disorder, the time to act is now. Contact us to get started on the recovery journey.
Substance use disorder in young adults negatively affects every area of their life. Over time, recreational substance use can lead to severe addictions that threaten young people’s mental and physical health, relationships, finances, and goals for the future.
Newport Institute’s drug rehab for adults is designed to create long-term recovery by addressing the underlying issues that catalyze substance use disorder. Our treatment programs for young adults support them to recover from drug or alcohol addiction by processing past trauma, building resilience and self-worth, and developing healthy coping skills.
Substance Use Rates in Young Adults 18 and Up
The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) tracks substance use rates among adolescents and adults. According to NIDA, the most frequently used drugs among young adults in the United States include both illicit substances and legalized drugs:
- Marijuana
- Misused prescription drugs, including opioids, stimulants, and sedatives
- Anabolic steroids
- Cocaine, which is being used at higher rates among young people
- Fentanyl
- Hallucinogens, such as ketamine and DMT
- MDMA, also known as Ecstasy, E, or Molly
- Methamphetamine
Substance use rates from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration show that 2 in 5 young adults (ages 18–25) use illicit drugs and 1 in 3 young adults 18 to 25 use marijuana. Moreover, as many as 30 percent of those who use marijuana may have a marijuana use disorder.
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Warning Signs of Young Adult Substance Use Disorder
- Drug use is making it difficult for you to function and disrupting your daily life and your relationships, but you keep using the drugs anyway.
- Your tolerance increases, meaning you need more of a substance in order to feel the effects.
- Once the drug wears off, you experience symptoms such as headaches, nausea, exhaustion, and sadness.
- You have trouble sleeping, and you’ve either lost or gained weight.
- Substance use has gotten you in legal trouble, or you’ve come close to being in legal trouble as a result of drug use.
- Much of your time is spent thinking about how to get the drug and when you can use it again.
- Even when you give yourself a limit for how much of the substance you will use, you end up using more than you planned to.
- Activities you once enjoyed or valued no longer seem important or interesting.
- While using the drug, you engage in risky behavior, such as driving or unsafe sex, and you mix alcohol with prescription drugs.
- You try to hide how often you’re using the drug from the people around you.
Diagnosis and Treatment for Substance Use Disorder in Young Adults
Diagnosis of substance use disorder in young adults involves a complete physical and mental health assessment. A substance use evaluation may include any or all of the following:
- A physical exam to determine how substance use is impacting your physical health in addition to mental health
- Lab tests to find out whether substances have affected the body’s systems
- In-depth interview with a physician, psychiatrist, or other addiction specialist or healthcare provider regarding the frequency of your drug use and your behaviors regarding drug use
- Discussion of the appropriate care required—residential treatment, an inpatient rehab, partial hospitalization, or an intensive outpatient program
Know the Facts
Young adults are are more likely than any other age group to have a substance use disorder or alcohol use disorder.
Is there a connection between substance use and mental health?
Problem substance use in young adults is often a form of self-medication. They use substances to cope with the painful symptoms of a mental health condition, such as depression, an anxiety disorder, trauma and PTSD, bipolar disorder, or other issues. Then the problematic drug use becomes an addiction.
Furthermore, a young person may begin using drugs, such as steroids or stimulants, in order to improve their academic or athletic performance. Hence, before they realize the risk, they develop a chemical dependency.
What will I experience during substance use disorder treatment?
The first step in treating drug addictions is detoxing from substances. This is a medically supervised process of ridding the body of drugs. Newport Institute partners with preferred detox programs to support young adults as they begin a drug rehab program. We also have some locations that provide withdrawal management/detox as part of substance use disorder treatment.
Once withdrawal management is complete, the real work of addiction treatment begins. At Newport Institute, our team of addiction specialists includes psychiatrists, medical doctors, individual therapists, family therapists, life skills coaches, and recovery counselors. Our addiction 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 problem drug use and learn coping and emotion-regulation skills to support ongoing recovery. Another benefit of addiction treatment in an outpatient or 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 drug addiction treatment and substance 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 problem drug use. Hence, our integrated approach to young adult rehab takes into account every aspect of an individual—their physical, emotional, relational, psychological, and spiritual health.
Newport addiction treatment includes 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 use disorder for at least three months have substantially better outcomes and lower relapse rates.
Our Treatment Programs for Young Adult Substance Use Disorder
Newport Institute’s residential young adult addiction treatment offers more than a typical inpatient rehab. During your stay, you will experience powerful healing modalities guided by caring, compassionate experts. Each client has a treatment team made up of addiction specialists who design a tailored treatment plan that includes clinical milestones, specialized counseling, and a variety of different therapy sessions.
Our residential treatment plans 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 strengthen self-care skills
- Art therapy to support emotional processing
- Mixed Martial Arts to build self-mastery and confidence
Newport Institute also has a robust alumni program, providing support groups and resources to help ensure ongoing recovery.
Where to Find Our Addiction Treatment Centers
Newport Institute’s locations are in close proximity to multiple cities across the United States. We treat young adults ages 18–35 (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 drug addiction and related mental health conditions.
Newport Institute’s substance use disorder treatment programs for ages 18–35 are located in Northern and Southern California, Connecticut, and Minnesota, with more programs in development in areas where young adult mental health and substance treatment are most needed.
Get Started Now
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
What are the early signs of addiction?
What are the 5 Ds of addiction?
What substance use issues are common in early adulthood?
