Teens with substance abuse problems fare better after treatment if they get involved with a 12-step group, according to at least 
Attending 12-step meetings, particularly at least one meeting a week, was linked to better outcomes in a study of teens age 14-19 who were being treated for substance abuse, according to a study last year in Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research. Those who connected with an Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous sponsor, or who participated verbally at meetings, did even better, according to John F. Kelly, the Harvard Medical School professor who led the study.
Steven Jaffe, M.D., a clinical professor of psychiatry at Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, says hooking teens up with a sponsor ahead of time is critical to overcoming the fears teens have about going to that initial meeting. Teens may also have trouble with 12-step concepts like accepting being powerless over drugs and alcohol and surrendering to a higher power, he says. A solution may be to have them think about how sobriety can give them more power.
Therapist Janice Gabe, who works with adolescents, suggests a modified 12-step model for teens that uses simpler language that is easier for young people to relate to.
For instance, the phrase “made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves” can be replaced with “made a list of behaviors we need to change and recognize the strengths we have that will help us make these changes.”