Young Adults - Recovery.com Resource Library

California is home to more than just breathtaking scenery, iconic beach culture and a world-famous entertainment industry—it also hosts some of the most innovative and effective rehab centers in the world. With its top-notch professionals, state-of-the-art technology, emerging holistic practices and year-round perfect weather, the Golden State is a coveted rehab location. But with seemingly endless options available, people seeking treatment may have a hard time deciding just which center is right for them. Let’s take a look at some available resources for rehab in California, and some factors to consider when choosing the right one.

Types of Residential Addiction Treatment Centers in California

Most rehabs in California offer inpatient (or residential) treatment options. Inpatient usually refers to living at and receiving care from the same treatment provider. The most intensive level of treatment, inpatient rehab offers the benefit of removal from your normal using environment, triggers and other factors that could complicate your recovery. Therapeutic outcomes in residential care tend to be experienced more quickly. This option is usually recommended for people with especially complicated or high-risk concerns such as co-occurring disorders or the need for medically supervised withdrawal (or detox).¹

Residential Rehabs on a Campus

In this “campus”-style residential setting, guests live on-site and work through a full schedule of therapy and activities for typically a minimum of 28 days, with the option to extend treatment for continued development and support. Little transportation is needed since living quarters and clinical spaces are all on one location. The center may have outings or certain activities that require transportation, as well as transportation to personal appointments (like a doctor’s appointment).

Residential Rehabs With Separate Buildings and Transportation

Some residential rehabs house clients in separate living facilities nearby and provide daily transportation to clinical facilities and activities. While the treatment may be similar to a “campus”-style center, the logistics will look a little different. You can still certainly obtain high-quality, intensive treatment this way. It’s just good to know up front so your expectations are more informed.

If living on a campus is important to you, you may want to ask the center about it. Most rehabs who employ the above model—sometimes called “hub-and-spoke” (although this term means other things too)—do not openly advertise it, so it’s something you’ll want to bring up when you talk to the admissions team. You can be direct and ask if clinical and living facilities are connected on the same property lot, or indirectly. It’s also a good idea to ask what a day in their program looks like.

Holistic Rehabs

The West Coast has always been on the cutting edge of new age remedies, and rehab is certainly no exception. Californian rehabs are home to robust program offerings for alternative therapies like yoga, reiki, crystal healing, sound- and movement-based therapies and nutrition-focused approaches. Holistic treatment methods aim not only to treat addiction, but to promote overall wellness and healing of the mind, body, soul and spirit through diverse practices that may be able to access parts of the brain that more conventional therapies don’t reach. Holistic rehab may be a good option for you if you’re looking for a broader lifestyle change, if you’re spiritually inclined or if you prefer natural remedies to more Western-style treatment methods.

Executive Rehabs

Seeking treatment can pose specific challenges for executives and business owners, who may have difficulty attending inpatient treatment when they have a business to attend to, or feel pressures surrounding their reputation. California is home to several executive rehabs offering various options to accommodate the lives of busy, high-achieving professionals, such as relaxed technology and internet use policies, business facilities and flexible scheduling. Keep in mind, however, that there are pronounced benefits to leaving your nine-to-five at the door while attending inpatient treatment—a conversation with your rehab’s admissions team and/or an initial assessment with an addictions counselor should help you decide what type of program best fits your needs.

Rehab for Teens and Young Adults

Treating addiction in adolescents and young adults requires a different approach. While adults are likely to have already developed a more severe addiction after years of substance abuse, young people are often in an experimental phase that has more to do with behavioral issues than actual dependency. However, because addiction has especially pronounced impacts on the developing brains of under-25-year-olds,² treatment for these issues is just as urgent. Many Californian rehabs specialize in youth addiction treatment and offer cool program options like surf therapy, wilderness therapy and exciting group outings. Most youth-focused facilities are gender-specific—look for a center that caters to your desired age range and, if applicable, academic preferences.

Ready to Go to Rehab in California?

When choosing a treatment center, it’s helpful to keep a few, key decision-making criteria in mind. Have a short list of questions on hand as you contact potential treatment centers. For example:

What is your treatment philosophy?
Do you offer on-campus accommodations or do clinical services take place at a different location?
Do you specialize in the treatment I’m seeking? What specialists do you have on staff?
What does a typical day look like?

Decide what’s important to you, and ask the right questions to make sure the rehab you’re considering can provide what you need. To learn more about available treatment centers and their price range, check out our comprehensive list of California luxury rehabs.

Frequently Asked Questions About Rehab in California

How much does rehab cost in California?

Most luxury rehabs in California cost between $25,000-$50,000 per month. Some ultra-exclusive programs cost over $80,000.

Where will I live during rehab in California?

Residential rehabs in California offer 2 main types of living arrangements: on-site and off-site, which involves commuting to clinical facilities. If staying on campus is important to you, ask admissions about accommodations. Some rehabs don’t clearly state that their housing is off-site.

What kind of rehabs are there in California?

As a leading rehab destination, California has many highly specialized centers. You can find holistic rehabs with cutting-edge alternative treatments, executive rehabs, rehabs for teens, and much more.

We are excited to share about an international teen and young adult treatment center who just opened their doors this past month in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The Wave Youth Clinic, or just The Wave for short, has a far-from-new team behind it, though. The leadership has a breadth and depth of experiences in treating individuals and families affected by alcohol and drug abuse and mental health disorders.

I had the opportunity to speak to one of the co-founders, Fiona Yassin. It’s hard to sum up Fiona’s accomplishments in a one-sentence intro. She’s both highly skilled and incredibly compassionate. (Read more about The Wave Clinic here.)

Great Need for High-Quality Care for Youth

Fiona mentioned “a massive hole for this age group.” She’s right. For luxury, international treatment dedicated to adolescents and young adults, the selection is quite limited. We recalled The Edge (Thailand), who serves only young adult males, and then, Yes We Can Youth Clinics (Netherlands), who serves adolescents and young adults, both female and male.

Complex issues can leave a family feeling hopeless. Teens and young adults are struggling with high levels of anger, anxiety, fear, isolating; they’re failing or have dropped out of education, abusing drugs or alcohol increasingly, and are often considered a letdown. Parents feel like they’ve done everything and there’s nowhere else to go. They’ve given up and, in a sense, start grieving for the outcome of death or prison rather than a pursuit to medical school for their child, yet weighed down by immense guilt.

This led Fiona and her team to start The Wave—to provide a place where young girls and young boys can go, especially when they seem to be failing other treatment options. Fiona believes it’s the other way around, “Treatment is failing them, not them failing treatment; treatment has to move with them.” She adds, “There has to be someone at some point who’s going to sit with that; they have to have hope.”

the wave youth clinic slide 1 — A client room at The Wave. The Wave has set out to create a personal, safe space for each client that is ideal for reflection and growth.

Putting Families Back Together

Not only does The Wave offer high quality and individualized care for the youth themselves, but also for the family. The program has a family week every 5 weeks, so mid-way and at the end of the 10-week program.

“We’re keen on taking the whole family. We want to offer as much family space and time as needed,” says Fiona. Often, complex issues mean a complex family with everything very intertwined.

She enjoys “putting families back together when everyone has had enough and seeing families being able to re-function.” Fiona shares a story of one family who had sent a little thank you. They were able to go out as a family on a Sunday—something that was not possible a year ago.

Potential of Hope and Learning to Do Life Differently

I asked her why this age group and why the complex cases, something that she’s gained a reputation for taking on. Fiona’s answer was simple, yet profound. “The potential of hope,” she replied.

“Everyone around them is saying they’re not good enough, not well enough, not going to be successful. Everyone around them has given up hope, thinking they’re going to die or go to prison. And then you can see small changes. First, they don’t want to go to therapy at all. Then, after a week, they’re actually looking for a therapist because they have something they want to say,” Fiona continued.

She describes The Wave like a family, a small space, where a teen or young adult cannot hide, but rather they will be seen. Staff is around all the time, so it’s easy to make a connection, which then fuels more connections.

“We do not rely on punishment; it’s about learning to live life in a different way,” says Fiona as she describes the approach. “Life as a teenager can actually be fun. They learn they can do things quite fun and exciting without substances. We’re surrounded by really cool stuff to do, water sports, adventure sports; they’ll get to build other friendships, start short courses for education … It’s a lifestyle option.”

An example of learning to live life differently while at The Wave:

It was inspiring to hear Fiona’s passion first-hand. You can read more about The Wave’s program or contact them for specific questions about the program. It’s an ideal fit for teens, young adults and their families facing complex issues. Treatment is offered in English and Arabic.

NOTE: While the above post is editorially independent, we would like to mention that The Wave Clinic is a paid advertiser on our site.

Tag: Young Adults

California Rehabs: What’s Available and What to Ask to Make Sure You Know What You’re Getting