New Mexico’s first long-term addiction recovery center tailored specifically to teenagers and young adults, Serenity Mesa, opened its doors this week.
Up until now, youth in the state who are struggling with addiction could go to detox, short-term rehab, or jail, but then they get released without continuing support. Serenity Mesa founder Jen Weiss says that’s led to a lot of relapses.
“You can’t just put somebody away for 30 days and have them come out and be normal again. It just doesn’t work that way,” she said. “It’s a long-term issue that has to be addressed over and over again.”
Serenity Mesa will take in young people who are leaving their initial recovery center and house them for up to a year, offering counseling and other support. The center has 10 beds available now and is only open to young men at this point, but Weiss says they plan to expand to serve women as well.
