What is an Alternative Peer Group (APG)?

The Alternative Peer Group (APG) model works with youth to develop emotion regulation and life skills for goal attainment. By providing a safe and sober peer environment with adult supervision, the APG also seeks facilitate fun and positive activities and new social networks among group members.

The APG is one of the most important elements to making recovery sustainable. One of the hardest things for a young person in recovery to do is to figure out what to do with their free time that doesn’t involve living out a self-destructive lifestyle or hanging out with friends that are making destructive choices. A key element to sustained recovery includes the adolescent breaking the ties to unhealthy friendships and modeling their behaviors after new healthy and sober friends. A sober life can be an exciting, joyful life!

Our APG model addresses the emotional, psychological, spiritual, and social needs of young people struggling with substance use disorders. These are the basic components of the program:

• Psychosocial Education
• Case management
• Recover focused social events
• Community recovery support
• Counseling services
• Family support

PSYCHOSOCIAL EDUCATION

Non-clinical in nature, psychosocial education groups cover topics spanning the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Eight Dimensions of Wellness: social, environmental, physical, emotional, spiritual, occupational, intellectual, and financial.

CASE MANAGEMENT

Trained, certified peer recovery support specialists, or coaches, provide non-clinical support for youth and families based on lived experience​. Coaches and recoverees develop individualized recovery plan​s and work to enhance the quality of life of youth and families and build sustained recovery.

SOBER SOCIAL FUNCTIONS:

Substance-free social events can help participants begin to build new social networks. These drug-free and alcohol-free activities also provide a sense of acceptance and belonging to a group, as well as the opportunity to practice new social skills.

COMMUNITY RECOVERY SUPPORT:

The Courage Center offers youth and family support groups each week in Lexington and Chapin, and accessible via Zoom. See our calendar of events and activities for more information.

COUNSELING:

No-cost counseling is provided by a Licensed Professional Counselor with experience in helping teens and young adults with substance use disorder issues make positive changes in their lives.

Why do youth need special recovery help?

The 2016 paper "The Alternative Peer Groups: A Developmentally Appropriate Recovery Support Model for Adolescents" noted several ways in which adolescent substance misuse and recovery are unique:

• Adolescents are more vulnerable to a rapid progression from substance use to dependence.
• Adolescents tend to be less motivated to seek recovery than adults.
• Adolescents are more likely than adults to relapse due to social "peer" pressures.
• Adolescents tend to show modest changes in substance use during treatment, but their progress in treatment fades extremely quickly once they leave the treatment environment.

A 2020 article published in the Substance Abuse: Research and Treatment Journal had the following to say about current outcomes for young people:

“Recovery and long-term remission are the goals of treatment for substance use disorders, yet the majority of treated adolescents never stop using or resume using substances quickly after treatment. Thus, continuing care or recovery support services are common post-treatment recommendations for this group."