Texas, December 3, 2025 - A new educational blog from Bricolage Behavioral Health, “Treating Teen Substance Use Disorders Through the Seven Challenges: An Effective Alternative to Abstinence-Only Approaches,” is taking a closer look at why conventional 12-step programs often fall short for adolescents and how a collaborative, teen-centered model can help more young people engage with treatment. Written for parents, caregivers, and professionals who work with teens, the piece explains why so many young people resist abstinence-only messages and outlines a different approach that respects their autonomy while still addressing serious substance use concerns.
The article begins by acknowledging how overwhelming teen substance use can feel at home. For families in Texas, the issue is far from rare. An estimated 216,000 adolescents in the state are living with a substance use disorder, a condition that goes far beyond experimentation and can shape school performance, relationships, and long-term health. Against that backdrop, the blog describes how parents often feel as if they have “tried everything” but still cannot get a determined teen to step away from marijuana, alcohol, or other substances.
From there, the blog examines why traditional 12-step models, originally built for adults, do not always translate well to a teenage audience. The prescriptive nature of these programs, with firm rules about complete and immediate abstinence, can trigger resistance in adolescents who are still testing limits and forming their own beliefs. While some teens do benefit from 12-step participation, the blog notes that overall engagement rates remain extremely low. For many young people, messages such as “you must stop all use right now or face a lifetime of addiction” feel disconnected from their experiences and lead to quick disengagement from treatment.
In contrast, the blog introduces The Seven Challenges, an evidence-based counseling model developed specifically for adolescents. Rather than delivering directives, The Seven Challenges are presented as a series of guided reflections that help teens examine their relationship with substances over time. The focus is on honest conversation, exploring both the perceived benefits and the real risks, and gradually linking substance use to the teen’s larger goals and values. Therapists weave these challenges into natural dialogue instead of moving through a rigid checklist, which allows teens to encounter each idea in a way that feels less confrontational and more respectful.
The blog offers a plain-language overview of each challenge, illustrating how the process works in practice. Early challenges invite teens to speak openly about themselves and about substances, creating a foundation of trust where their perspectives are taken seriously. Later challenges encourage them to consider whether substances have caused harm or could cause harm, to sort out what they can control and what they cannot, and to picture where their current choices may lead. The final challenges focus on making thoughtful decisions about substance use and following through on those decisions, with the understanding that setbacks are opportunities to return to earlier work rather than reasons to give up.
One of the central themes of the piece is empowerment. Instead of framing treatment around what teens are “not allowed” to do, The Seven Challenges help them clarify what they want from life and how substance use fits into that picture. The blog explains that this goal-focused lens reduces shame and increases motivation. Progress is measured not only by abstinence, although that may be the ultimate aim, but by meaningful steps toward safer choices and healthier coping skills. When slips occur, teens and therapists revisit the challenges together, unpacking what happened and reinforcing the idea that growth is a process.
The article also highlights how The Seven Challenges naturally uncover underlying issues that drive substance use. As teens talk through why they use and what they feel they gain from substances, patterns often emerge related to anxiety, depression, trauma, or unmet emotional needs. The blog notes that this deeper understanding allows treatment teams to address both substance use and mental health concerns at the same time, which can lead to better long-term outcomes.
In its closing section, the blog connects this framework to the broader clinical philosophy at Bricolage Behavioral Health. Based in Flower Mound and serving the greater Dallas–Fort Worth area, Bricolage provides intensive day treatment and intensive outpatient programming for adolescents, with an emphasis on evidence-based care, skill building, and whole-family involvement. The Seven Challenges model is described as a natural fit with the organization’s commitment to strength-based, science-backed therapy that treats teens as partners in their own recovery.
Throughout the piece, the message is clear that parents are not alone and that resistance is not the end of the story. By shifting away from purely abstinence-only demands and toward respectful, structured conversations about goals, responsibility, and consequences, families and treatment providers can create more space for honest engagement and lasting change.
Parents, caregivers, and referral partners interested in reading “Treating Teen Substance Use Disorders Through the Seven Challenges: An Effective Alternative to Abstinence-Only Approaches” or in learning more about adolescent substance use treatment at Bricolage Behavioral Health can contact 469-968-5700 for information about programs, family involvement, and next steps in care.
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For more information about Bricolage Behavioral Health, contact the company here:
Bricolage Behavioral Health
Bricolage Behavioral Health
469-968-5700
information@bricolagebehavioral.com
3204 Long Prairie Road
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Flower Mound, TX 75022