Purpose:

To coordinate prevention services with youthful alcohol and drug offenders, parents, police agencies, and juvenile courts. The Teen Alcohol Program is a service offered to the schools and courts as an early intervention program for first-time juvenile alcohol offenders. Parents are also required to attend some sessions. Four one-hour classes focusing on learning about alcohol issues, improving decision making skills, and increasing family communication.

Objectives:

A. Assess the youthful offenders for

1. Alcohol, marijuana, and other drug usage
   
2. Progress at school
3. Family and social adJustment
   

B. After completing the assessment, the therapist will make recommendations for group and/or individual therapy.

C. VMH offers a 4 hours of group therapy for offenders and their parents

D. Course-work will cover:

1. Values discovery exercise
   
2. Discussion of mind set paradigm
   
3. Understanding each participant's paradigm
   
4. Each participant will '"tell his story''
   
5. Discuss the continuum of drug experimentation to drug
   addiction
   
6. Help participants to place themselves on this continuum
   
7. Compare treatment of drug abuse with heart disease
   1. Genetics
      
   2. Treatment methods
      
   3. Quantify doses of medicine to measured amounts of
      alcohol
8. Drinking for affect verses drinking within their family's traditional
   drinking pattern
   
9. Understanding their drug use pattern in relationship to
   movement towards addiction or non addiction.
   
10. One hour joint meeting with youth and parents
    1. Review with parents what we discussed as ~ group
       
    2. Talk about drinking or drug use patterns
       
    3. Discuss Safe Driving Contract
       
    4. Talk about communication with their children.
       

Evaluation:

Each participant will be asked to fill out an evaluation of the program which will cover the effectiveness of the course content, effectiveness of the instruction, most valuable thought or concept covered, and suggestions for information or topics which could be covered in future classes.

Methods:

The methods for the classes are therapist-led group discussion with youth and their parents. The therapist will give some direct information about illegal drugs and how to develop life skills to avoid drug use. It individual therapy is needed, that option is also available.