Malibu, CA -- (SBWIRE) -- 04/30/2015 -- Every rehabilitation center and sober living community in all states has one definite goal – that is to help addicts achieved sobriety to help them get back on track. With the implications that drug and alcohol addiction may bring to people where their bodily and mental functions were impaired, finding the best treatment to improve the quality of life are now being questioned since the known 12-step programs is not a one-fits-all kind of treatment. And since addiction has been one of the prevailing issues that every nation has to face, it's not surprising that health care providers are starting to give more attention to finding the best treatment services for drug dependent teenagers.

Recently, a study conducted by the Case Western Reserve revealed that there's a social strategy that can be used along with service activities to help addicted teenagers to avoid the occurrence of relapse and gain a successful transition from being a drug dependent person to a person who achieve full sobriety. In the 200 teenagers that Psychiatry Professor Maria Pagano had observed and studied, most of them displayed high prevalence to societal anxiety issues which had proceeded from the initial use alcohol and other drugs for two consecutive years. According to Dr. Pagano, 42% of youths observed are acknowledging severe societal fears while 15% of them were diagnosed to have the social anxiety disorder.

Based on the study, it was found that most teens consume alcohol and drugs to get relief from the pervasive sense of being not part of the group and to treat their hypersensitivity to criticism. The sense of belongingness became an important factor for many youth to get recovery from societal fears aside from staying in communities like the Mesa AZ sober living; while the 12-step services becomes more effective on teens with social anxiety. So when Dr. Pagano along with other colleagues observed the way teens participate in service activities, they found out that those teens with social anxiety show great participation in the activities.

Another worth considering result of the study is a cut on the risk of relapse and incarceration that was detected in the half of the six months' posttreatment. The researchers have noted that 43% of the youths that are suffering to social anxiety become great helpers during the treatment in comparison to the 30% of teens that does not have social anxiety. Thus the researcher concluded that service activities is indeed useful for teens with social anxiety since most of the formal treatment that are delivered in group only triggers the fear of negative criticism from the peers. Yet, with service activities, it allows a conversation to occur naturally and provides independence to youth to contribute and benefit from the 12 step principles taught to them while under rehabilitation.

Consequently, teenagers who are not active in the service activities are prone to have relapses during the treatment process when compared to active teens to participate the service activities. That is because low-intensity service, as Dr. Pagano describes, is a more gentle way to make youths feel that they belong. Moreover, they gain connectedness to other people who are also facing the same challenges. Thus, the sense of isolation, anxiety and depression that pushed teenagers to become dependent on drugs and alcohol are eliminated.

About Soba Recovery Center
At Soba, they are dedicated to helping their friends overcome the destruction of addiction and substance abuse. No one suffering from addiction planned it. No one wants to admit they really have a problem. Drugs and alcohol are many times the only solution we know. At Soba, with the help of their staff, they will help patients understand what seems so confusing right now. They will prepare a personalized plan for them to find the underlying causes of their addiction and ways to address it. Soba's program takes a holistic approach of different therapies with the most experienced and professional staff in the field of treatable psychological disorders designed to provide long-term care for individuals seeking treatment for drug and alcohol addiction.