Usually not. A program designed for adults isn’t set up for a 15-year-old’s family, schooling or stage of development, and teens tend to do best in care built for them. In 2026, the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) published separate treatment standards for young people, covering adolescents and young adults up to 25.12
Young adults aged 18 to 25 have the highest rate of substance use disorder of any age group. In 2025, about 8.6 million young adults (23.8%) and 1.9 million teens aged 12 to 17 (7.4%) had one in the past year. Fewer than 1 in 4 teens and fewer than 1 in 10 young adults who needed treatment got it, and most who went without didn’t think they needed it.3 So it’s often a parent who gets things moving.
Why shouldn’t a teen just go to an adult program?
The brain keeps developing well into a person’s 20s, and alcohol can alter that development.5 Starting young matters too. Most adults with a substance use disorder began using before 18,1 and people who start drinking before 15 are at higher risk of an alcohol use disorder later in life.5
ASAM’s standards call for youth programs to include:12
| What a youth program should include | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Family services | The family is treated as part of the “unit of care” |
| Mental health care in the same plan | In 2025, about 1 in 3 teens with a substance use disorder also had a major depressive episode3 |
| Attention to school | Educational needs are part of the assessment |
| Recovery support and risk reduction | Recovery is treated as long-term, with check-ups for teens in stable remission (Level 1.0Y) |
| Care matched to age and development | A 14-year-old and a 23-year-old need different things |
The standards are new, and many programs are still catching up.
What does good treatment for a teen look like?
Much of it can happen while your child lives at home and stays in school. NIAAA lists counseling and family therapy among the options for youth with drinking problems,5 and SAMHSA names approaches such as motivational interviewing and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).6 Our chart of the levels of care explains how outpatient, intensive outpatient and residential differ.
One detail parents often miss: you don’t have to wait for a diagnosis. ASAM recommends specialty outpatient care for young people who are using and at high risk, even if they don’t yet meet the criteria for a substance use disorder.1
What changes when your child turns 18?
At 18, your child is a legal adult in most states, and their treatment information is theirs. Federal confidentiality rules (42 CFR Part 2) set out when addiction treatment records can be shared,8 and in practice a program usually needs your adult child’s written consent to talk with you, even if they’re on your insurance. If they will turn 18 during treatment, talk with them about signing a release before that date.
You still have real influence. If your plan covers dependents, they can usually stay on it until 26, even if they marry or leave school.9 You can drive them to appointments, make the insurance calls and give them a stable place to live. When you compare programs, ask whether they serve people their age and help with school or work. Preparing for adulthood is a key theme in ASAM’s standards.1
You can’t sign an adult into most treatment. If your child refuses, a research-backed method called CRAFT teaches families how to raise the odds they accept help.
Should we consider a wilderness or out-of-state “troubled teen” program?
Hold a program far from home, sold as a fresh start, to the same standard as one down the road. SAMHSA advises checking any program’s credentials and approach before you choose it.6 Get its answers in writing, and walk away if you see any of these:
- Not licensed by the state for substance use or behavioral health treatment (how to check)
- Little or no family contact, or phone calls and letters used as rewards
- Harsh confrontation, isolation or shaming presented as therapy
- No psychiatrist or medical clinician involved, even for a teen with depression or opioid use
- No plan for coming home: school, outpatient care and family support
- Pressure to decide today, or a “transport” service offered to take your child at night
Our list of rehab warning signs covers more.
Where do we start?
With an assessment from someone who works with young people. Your pediatrician, family doctor or a school-based health center can do it or refer you, and you can find programs that serve adolescents on FindTreatment.gov or through the free, confidential SAMHSA National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357.1013 The assessment points to the level of care that fits. Before you agree to a program, take these questions to the call.
Questions to ask a teen or young adult program
- Fit for age
- Family and consent
- Care
- School and after
- Licensing
Frequently asked questions
Can I make my teenager go to rehab?
Parents usually must consent for a minor, but state law decides. Some states let teens agree to substance use treatment on their own, which also changes who must sign before the program can share details with you.1112 Either way, ASAM’s standards call for treatment plans that are “family-driven and youth-guided.”1
Can a teen get medication for addiction?
Sometimes, depending on the substance, their age and a doctor’s judgment. Medication for opioid use disorder can be part of treatment for young people.4 Since 2024, teens under 18 no longer need two documented unsuccessful treatment attempts before they can be admitted to ongoing treatment at an opioid treatment program,7 though a parent or guardian must still consent in writing unless state law lets the teen consent alone.12 For alcohol, NIAAA lists prescription medication to reduce cravings as an option for people 18 and older.5 See medications that treat addiction.
Sources
- American Society of Addiction Medicine — The ASAM Criteria, Fourth Edition: Adolescents and Transition-Aged Youth Volume (2026). asam.org/asam-criteria/adolescent-volume — accessed Oct 2026
- American Society of Addiction Medicine — New Standards for Adolescent Substance Use Disorder Care Announced (March 25, 2026). asam.org/news/detail/2026/03/25/new-standards-for-adolescent-substance… — accessed Oct 2026
- SAMHSA — Key Substance Use and Mental Health Indicators in the United States: Results from the 2025 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (2026). samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/reports/rpt57150/2025-nsduh-annual… — accessed Oct 2026
- SAMHSA — Substance Use Disorder Treatment Resources for Youth, Young Adults, and Families (updated December 2025). samhsa.gov/substance-use/treatment/youth-and-families — accessed Oct 2026
- NIAAA — Get the Facts About Underage Drinking (updated January 2026). niaaa.nih.gov/publications/brochures-and-fact-sheets/underage-drinking — accessed Oct 2026
- SAMHSA — Quality Treatment for Mental Health, Drugs and Alcohol (last updated 2023). samhsa.gov/find-support/learn-about-treatment/finding-quality-treatmen… — accessed Oct 2026
- SAMHSA — 42 CFR Part 8 Final Rule: Table of Changes (2024). samhsa.gov/substance-use/treatment/opioid-treatment-program/42-cfr-par… — accessed Oct 2026
- SAMHSA — Substance Use Disorders: Statutes, Regulations, and Guidelines (42 CFR Part 2 section; updated May 2026). samhsa.gov/substance-use/treatment/statutes-regulations-guidelines — accessed Oct 2026
- HealthCare.gov — Health insurance coverage for children and young adults under 26. healthcare.gov/young-adults/children-under-26/ — accessed Oct 2026
- SAMHSA — Mental Health, Drug, or Alcohol Issues: Helping Your Child (updated August 2024). samhsa.gov/find-support/helping-someone/helping-your-child — accessed Oct 2026
- Electronic Code of Federal Regulations — 42 CFR § 2.14, Minor patients. ecfr.gov/current/title-42/chapter-I/subchapter-A/part-2/subpart-B/sect… — accessed Oct 2026
- Electronic Code of Federal Regulations — 42 CFR § 8.12, Federal Opioid Use Disorder treatment standards. ecfr.gov/current/title-42/chapter-I/subchapter-A/part-8/subpart-C/sect… — accessed Oct 2026
- SAMHSA — National Helpline. samhsa.gov/find-help/helplines/national-helpline — accessed Oct 2026