People of all ages may develop drug or alcohol problems. One age group that often struggles with substance use is the college student. When it is time to address the problem on a personal level, these students are often too young to be involved in a long-term working career, but too old to be in mandatory schooling. As a result, college students have unique daily routines affecting their residential program attendance during the academic year. Parents and family members are often concerned that students will lose time, grade point averages or tuition from college if they are not present in school. There are a number of solutions that students can try to balance their personal lives with their schoolwork while addressing a drug or alcohol problem at a retreat center. Each person's best option is different, depending on their individual circumstances.

Keeping Up
Some drug and alcohol program centers have an in-house career and academic advisor. This professional assists students who are still in school while seeking assistance with their substance use problem. Some facilities offer team teachers, who can set up a communication system with professors to get the curriculum sent to the facility. This enables the student to keep up with studies and not fall behind. The student will need to learn how to balance homework assignments and any other responsibilities which they will face after leaving the facility. This option is not available at all residential facilities and is not ideal for everyone. Having a support system working with school personnel and the school's cooperation is critical to the student keeping up with classes while absent.

Stepping Back
In some cases, continuing with schooling while the student is addressing substance use is not realistic. The student's in-house academic advisor may be able to make an arrangement with the school on the student's behalf to defer the course workload so that they do not lose credit. The student will have to work harder to catch up in classes, but the immediate problem of alcohol or drug use takes priority.

At Home
A new alternative for those seeking assistance with drug and alcohol use problems is to complete an online program. This program is designed for those who cannot leave their home environment due to work or other restrictions to attend a facility program. Instead, they complete an online course. Depending on the student and their environment, this may be an option. This program is not for everyone. Although the course does take longer to complete, it is not a 12-step program, so it does not require permanent addiction treatment, classes and meetings.