My dad and I are looking at colleges this week. On a tour at UC Berkeley, a lot of kids seemed interested in student life, namely the parties. As their parents looked around uncomfortably and nervously asked questions about rules at the dorms, my dad looked at me and said while smiling, “Wow, I don’t feel worried about you getting into trouble anymore.” He’s right. I’m not choosing campuses based on the parties. I’m looking for ways to keep my life moving forward after going to teen drug rehab.
After teen rehab, I was afraid of what going off to college would mean for me. Being a teen that had a drug and alcohol problem, I was afraid college life would be too tempting. My parents and I have been doing a lot of research about how to keep my recovery safe when I go to school. We’ve been looking into dorms with sober floors, where teens pledge to keep drugs and alcohol out, or even off-campus housing, away from the dorms. I’ve researched 12-step meetings surrounding campuses, and have checked out school support groups. Thanks to teen rehab, I know how to use the resources at my disposal.
I’m not the only young person trying to get through college without using drugs and alcohol. Teen drug and alcohol rehab taught me how to make my recovery a priority. I used to feel like I was missing out, but now I know that drugs were what was making me miss out on life. Sober high school helped me see I was on the right path, and after restoring my grades and learning a lot more life lessons than my peers, I feel like now I have an advantage as I go off to school, not a disadvantage. I have tools to help me adjust to new situations, tools to help me prioritize, and tools to keep me clean and sober as I tackle this next phase of my life. If it weren’t for teen drug and alcohol rehab, I wouldn’t be going to college at all. Teen rehab made me feel different when I first got there, but as I learned and changed, I realized that different was just what I needed. I’m proud to be who I am today, and of my experiences. I feel better prepared for life than I ever would have been without teen rehab.