How to Help Your Teen Survive Spring Break Sober

Teenagers aren't known for taking wild and crazy trips to Mexico on their spring break. However, if teens are going on international trips to areas where the drinking age is 18, they might be faced with a temptation. Temptation isn't exclusive to international spring break trips. At home where your teen developed their problematic relationship to drugs and alcohol, are all of their friends who they used with. Spring break is a time in the school year which lacks structure, organized time, and parental management. Take some of these suggestions to help your teen survive spring break with the sobriety intact.

Plan an Alternative Spring Break

Fitting in with peers is critical for teens, especially when they are freshly returned from treatment. During their time in treatment, your teen learned how to be proud of their sobriety and embrace their recovery as part of their lifestyle. Returning to the familiar politics of their old social life might trigger old desires to fit in with old crowds. Instead of your teen having to grin and bear it through spring break on a planned trip with friends, plan an alternative spring break instead. Take the family on a new and exciting vacation. Come up with activities to create a staycation at home. Road trip to local nature and explore the wilderness. Fly your teen out to see some friends they made in treatment or surprise them with a visit from their friends. Whatever it is you fill their time with, make it something exciting and enthralling which takes their mind off of everyone else's spring break.

Encourage Handiwork Around the House

Spring break can be a great time for spring cleaning. Is your teen bored on their spring break at home? Put them to work. Together, find projects which need to be completed around the house. Involve your teen at every stage from assessing, to planning and organizing, to executing the task. Make sure to reward your teen in healthy ways and acknowledge their accomplishments in doing something helpful with their spring break.

Spend Spring Break Volunteering

There are likely numerous opportunities to volunteer waiting for your teen to dedicate their time. On the other hand, there are many organizations and groups which coordinate service based spring breaks for teens. You can send your teen on an unforgettable trip to a far off country around the world where they will experience culture, travel, adventure, and giving back in a big way.

Remind Them Not to Drink, No Matter What

The truth of living in recovery from addiction is that temptation can be anywhere. What matters most is that your teen keeps in mind that a drink or a drug is no longer a solution in their lives today. Assure them that if they are tempted on spring break, they will be able to walk through that temptation. Urge them to call upon the tools they have been given, like picking up the phone and talking to someone when they are in a moment of temptation fueled crisis. Your teen has the capacity and strength to survive spring break clean and sober.

Stonewater Adolescent Recovery Center offers longterm residential care to adolescent and teenage boys struggling with addiction. Our foundation building, life cleansing program bring the family together again in mind, body, and spirit, for total healing. Call us today for information on our clinical programs and academic support system: 1-662-598-4214

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