Hi! this is my first time using this app/forum thing so lmk if im doing it wrong. anyway im 16 and i have been clean for 16 months after i got sent to wilderness therapy and spent about a year in a treatment center after that. I am going to a boarding school and I want to make sure I am prepared for being sober while there and I was wondering is anyone has any experience with staying sober while at boarding school or just a young person in highschool. I will be seeing a therapist and going to a meeting every week but I worry relapse will sneak up on me and I wont even notice. Any help is appreciated, thanks 
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I went through this. I’m 29 now. Went away to a rehab/school residential program from 16-18 years old. Went back out completely unprepared. Props to you for putting in the work and prepping yourself.
It was really difficult for me and I didn’t feel like I had anywhere to turn. I felt like I had been dropped on an alien planet and none of my peers could relate to what I had just gone through. I went back to drinking at around 30 days out. I didn’t ever use the way I had before rehab but the next years (18-23 years old) were pretty bad for me.
I finally got grounded when I met a boyfriend who had a similar background and we started moderating our drinking together for support.
Anyways, I got sober 5 months ago at age 28 (12 years after entering rehab/school at 16). I wish I had stayed sober originally… would of spared myself a lot of heartache.
My advice:
-find a group of peers AA or another group… even if they’re older than you, find some sober people.
-focus on building school, college, hobbies, or whatever you enjoy doing to make your life fun… and find friends that like those hobbies!
-learn to meditate, exercise, blow off steam
-don’t assume you can be friends with the people you were before… you’ll get sucked back in!
Anyways, I guess I’m just saying: I’ve been there! It’s gonna be hard, but worth it to get sober now instead of waiting another 10 years or longer! I hope you find some friends that you trust and are sober. But don’t discount us old folks!
Good luck! Message me directly if you ever need to talk!
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Although I had my addiction while at boarding school,at that point I didn’t realize I was an addict. I was pretty ok at school because of the environment and bring pretty busy and also wanting to be a good Christian. However,when I was home for breaks,the free time,etc made it somewhat easy to binge before returning to school. So I’d say stay busy, pray, take advice that’s been given, especially by @tayjaramillo since she’s gone through it. All the best
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