Many boys and young men struggling with substance use disorder and the effects of experiencing troubling events face significant challenges as they attempt recovery and healing. Boys who suffer adverse or troubling life events experience significant impairment in neural development (Sheridan, McLaughlin, 2014). This impairment can lead to trouble in critical thinking, trouble in reconciling emotional events, and antisocial behavior. Adolescent males seem to be less averse to risks and tend to experiment with harsher and harder drugs than their fathers were or did (Somaini, et al., 2011). It is estimated that 68% of the 1.3 million teens struggling with substance use disorder are male (NSDUH, 2014). Statistics indicate that traditional treatment is less than effective in helping young men to achieve sustained abstinence leading to recovery from substance use disorders. A recent study cites relapse rates as high as 60-70% (NIH, 2014). While there are multiple mitigating factors which contribute to these dismal results, the underlying theme remains: the helping and the correctional fields are not adequately addressing the needs of boys and young men during the most daunting and confusing time period of their lives. Presently, there are approximately 70,000 boys and young men serving sentences in correctional facilities for drug-related issues (Ayzer /Doyle, 2015). It is estimated that the vast majority of these boys and young men will not receive individualized and comprehensive treatment for their disorder.
In general, boys are socialized to experience a limited version of masculinity. This version of masculinity aspires to control, to power, and to individual self-reliance. It forces a young boy to often live against his core by committing acts that are against his humanity, in an effort to find safety and acceptance. Male socialization often and violently rips the sensitive side of a boy away, leaving a wounded and incomplete being behind.
We believe that one way to address the needs of these boys and young men lies in a trauma-specific and gender-responsive treatment program. This program should address the impact of socialization, adverse life experiences and substance use. It should present alternative ways to experience the self, others, and society at large by providing alternative adaptive strategies to the difficulties they have faced and are currently facing.
