Around 1.6 million young people receive treatment for addiction every year [1]. Not only do young adults have a high risk of developing a substance use disorder (SUD), you also have extra barriers that can make accessing treatment more complicated.
You may be studying — college is often where young adults are exposed to environments and social dynamics that can facilitate substance use — or working. Academic, employment, and financial demands can all contribute to addiction-forming behaviors due to stress, uncertainty, and peer pressure. These factors can be both a trigger for addiction and a reality to navigate while you undergo treatment.
But it is possible to balance work, school, and addiction treatment without compromising the level of care. In fact, you can learn distress tolerance, time management, and other skills in treatment that lead to a multifaceted, meaningful, sober life.
Why the Balance Matters
Dropout rates for people aged 19-29 in treatment for an SUD reach up to 90% [2]. If you feel you are unable to balance commitments such as work and school with treatment, you are more likely to prematurely end essential care. You’re therefore more likely to relapse and become more embedded in the cycle of addiction.
As a young adult, you’re still developing cognitively. During your 20s, the part of the brain responsible for impulse control and decision-making (the prefrontal cortex) is still maturing. Wider networks in your brain haven’t stabilized yet either, meaning you respond strongly to high-intensity emotions.
By establishing a sense of control and a calm balance across your treatment and life responsibilities, you learn to emotionally regulate. You feel less overwhelmed and can connect more deeply with treatment without jeopardizing your life and prospects outside of the program. The equilibrium reassures you of your resilience and potential in general.
Tips to Balance Treatment & Daily Responsibilities
Each young adult’s addiction treatment looks different and should be tailored to your specific needs. However, if you’re working or studying while in treatment, these tips can help make things easier and help you stay on track:
- Use a calendar or agenda. Planning your time is important. You need a clear, consolidated space where you know where you have to be when. It sounds simple, but this overview helps you be punctual and informed, which can be very rewarding feelings.
- Communicate to a few, trusted people. Whether it’s a professor you like or a colleague you trust, letting the people you feel safe with know you’re in treatment can be helpful. They can give you more flexibility, provide emotional support, and help you deal with any friction caused by people who aren’t aware of your situation.
- Create “buffer” times around treatment. Setting aside 10 minutes before and after you attend a treatment session ensures you don’t rush from place to place without allowing takeaways to settle in. They can also be moments to simply breathe and recenter if you need to transition to work or study.
- Integrate movement into your daily routine. Movement can lower stress and help change your perspective or thinking patterns. It doesn’t have to be another task to fit into your schedule; it can mean walking or cycling to the health center instead of driving, or using a standing desk to study.
- Learn to say ‘no’. You may have lots of social plans and activities you could be doing, but you have to recognize when it’s too much. It may come with some FOMO, but turning down offers at this time protects your energy.
- Journal. Studying and/or working while in treatment means you’re juggling many narratives at once. Writing down your thoughts or recording yourself talking about them is a good form of release throughout the day, and can also be brought into your treatment to understand how you talk to yourself.
- Look after yourself. Good eating and sleeping patterns go a long way when you’re busy. Consider meal prepping for the week to structure a balanced diet that you don’t have to think about each day. Set yourself a time to wind down in the evenings, a time to go to bed, and a time to wake up. It’s not glamorous, but it positively impacts your mental health, energy levels, and self-esteem.
- Keep support close. Check in with your parents, friends, sponsor, or whoever you can be vulnerable with on a daily basis. Even just one call makes a difference. You don’t have to always discuss treatment with them, but sustained connection is correlated to better treatment outcomes and better performance at work or in school.
- Prioritize reachable goals. It’s tempting to seek a promotion at work or take another class while you’re undergoing treatment as a way of proving something to yourself, but you don’t need to. What matters now is engaging with treatment and being able to maintain your world around it. Stay focused on small, digestible goals rather than overachieving.
How Outpatient Programs Help
Outpatient programs are when you receive high-quality addiction care at a center during the day, but return home in the evening. This type of care is suited to young adults who are stable enough to live independently, but require intense support.
At Trinity Wellness Group, we have a full-day outpatient program running Monday to Friday from 9am to 3pm, or a half-day outpatient program from 9am to 12pm on the same days. Sessions integrate evidence-based therapies such as Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to address the root causes of addiction with a licensed therapist. We also provide Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) when clinically required to alleviate cravings for substances and to treat severe withdrawal symptoms. We additionally lead wellness activities, including yoga and mindfulness.
The flexible nature of outpatient programs allows young adults to study or work around care. You can stay in touch with family and friends, stay present in your familiar surroundings, and apply takeaways from treatment directly into your daily life.
Outpatient care nurtures your independence while also providing you with a team of people to guide you through your recovery. Research shows that young adults in almost all types of outpatient programs see a reduction in substance use [3]. Another study found three years after finishing an outpatient program, three-quarters of young adults had no ongoing substance use [4].
Addiction Treatment for Young Adults at Trinity Wellness Group, Massachusetts
Addiction doesn’t have to stop your life. You can access life-changing (and life-saving) care at our center in Milton and still continue working or studying.
Our team of licensed specialists ensures you receive tailored treatment that fits around your responsibilities and can even help you manage and perform better in them. Our blend of therapies, MAT, and holistic activities helps you become sober, confident, and ready for a long, prosperous life.
Start with a phone call. We’re here when you want to get started.
Sources
[1] National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics. 2025. Drug Abuse Statistics. drugabusestatistics.org.
[2] Nordheim, K. et al. 2016. Young adults’ reasons for dropout from residential substance use disorder treatment. Qualitative Social Work.
[3] Tanner-Smith, E. et al. 2012. The Comparative Effectiveness of Outpatient Treatment for Adolescent Substance Abuse: A Meta-Analysis. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment.
[4] Boson, K. et al. 2024. Long-Term Outcomes of Adolescent Outpatient Treatment for Substance Use Problems: Exploring the Co-occurrence of Mental Health and Substance Use Problems. Scandinavian Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychology.