Q: Why is Teen Challenge one of the most effective drug restoration programs in America for individuals of all ages?

A: Teen Challenge recognizes the need to remove the addict from their environment in order to teach them new attitudes and values based on Biblical principles.

You've heard it said, "They must 'hit bottom' before they will be ready to get help." Do you have to wait until they hit bottom? Or is there something you can do to help "raise the bottom" so your friend or love one can get help sooner?



"Hitting bottom" means facing reality--hitting a hard painful place--with nowhere else to go.

1. Stop rescuing your friend or loved one
2. Tell them the truth
3. Don't make decisions for them
4. Don't stop their pain
5. Start early in life
6. Get ready for emotional warfare
7. Don't try to rush the path to recovery

Click here to print the full Raising the Bottom article
     Word format.
Click here to print the full Raising the Bottom article
     PDF format.

Click here to print the full They Don't Want Help article
     PDF format.
Click here to print the full The Wrong Kind of Help article
     PDF format.

Click here to print the full Residential Program Application
     Word format.
Click here to print the full Residential Program Application
     PDF format.


Critics question why we spend our time and associate with those who are addicted. We ignore the skeptics and continue to invest in the lives of those who have no hope. We spend time building relationships and restoring the lives of the most unlikely members of society. Jesus becomes their source of hope. You can be a part of the work that Teen Challenge has undertaken.

"My son started getting into trouble with the authorities at the age of 15. It was a pretty rapid acceleration from drinking and smoking marijuana to dealing drugs. For years every holiday was marked by an arrest. He was in and out of jail 23 times by the age of 21! I would encourage anyone to support this ministry and share in the opportunity to introduce someone to Jesus Christ."                  - A Graduate's Mom

Click here if you are a pastor.

Program Philosophy:
Alabama Teen Challenge does not offer or provide treatment or care for individuals who have substance-related disorders and is, therefore, not subject to regulation or oversight by the Alabama Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation through its Certification Standards. This program serves as a medium through which individuals who have substance-related disorders are free to voluntarily pursue activities to support their recovery.

Addiction is a term of convenience and common reference dealing with habitual or repeated behavior but does not serve our definition of process or underlying cause.  We do not serve addictions per se, we serve spiritual strongholds, we understand them within the context of sin, and we deal with strongholds exclusively through evangelism and discipleship as defined by Scripture – there is nothing else in our model.  We don’t do treatment, we disciple.  We don’t focus on behavior as much as we focus on identity in Christ. In short – we are an expression of the church.

None of the above statements should be construed as critical of clinical approaches, but their purpose is to accurately understand the historical evangelistic and discipleship identity of Teen Challenge that has been unequivocal for over fifty years.