Join our community. Discover your strength. Reclaim your story.
At Wake Monarch, we believe recovery thrives in connection. We are a nonprofit community dedicated to supporting adolescents and their families as they navigate substance use recovery. Through peer-led support, licensed counseling, and purposeful activities, we empower teens to embrace a healthier, substance-free lifestyle—surrounded by others who truly understand the journey.
Program Goals
Increase linkages to care for three traditionally marginalized or underserved populations:
- Individuals with SUD/OUD
- Often face stigma and misunderstanding.
- Addiction is wrongly viewed as a choice, increasing barriers to care.
- Historically marginalized in health and recovery systems.
- Youth in Recovery
- Frequently overlooked in recovery services.
- Few resources are tailored to the unique needs of adolescents.
- High costs, long waitlists, and limited access are common.
- Misconceptions like “kids will be kids” downplay early signs of addiction.
- Economically Disadvantaged
- Recovery support is often unaffordable without insurance.
- Many services are not covered even with insurance.
- Financial hardship adds another layer of difficulty to accessing help.
Focus Age Groups
The target population for an Alternative Peer Group (APG) is adolescent’s age 13-21 who have SUD and are seeking a safe, supportive environment while receiving recovery support services. The APG will also serve adolescents who are at risk for SUD due to mental health challenges.
The Adolescent Program Group (APG) supports youth and families through:
- Psychoeducation – Helping youth and families
understand substance use and its risks. - Skills development – Building tools for staying
substance-free, solving problems, and improving social skills. - Cognitive-behavioral therapy – Changing negative
thinking and behaviors that lead to substance use. - Peer-to-peer support – Encouraging shared experiences, accountability, and healthy peer relationships.
- Interpersonal process groups – Exploring personal and emotional challenges that affect recovery, school, or work.
- Community collaboration – Working with schools and local organizations to strengthen support.
An Alternative Peer Group (APG) is a developmentally appropriate approach that has gained traction as a more effective follow-up to traditional substance use disorder treatments for teens and young adults. APGs offer a youth-specific approach to long-term recovery, addressing the shortcomings of adult-based programs, which have high attrition and return to use rates among adolescents. APGs are community-based and professionally staffed. A licensed clinician oversees the program with support from other staff whoact as recovery support specialists.
The APG is free for Wake County residents, allowing those from all socioeconomic backgrounds to access critical recovery support services for youth and their families. Through APG staffing, these families will also have access to specialized care navigation to connect with critical recovery and treatment services as well as other services they may be eligible for.
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