| Teen Challenge was established
in the city of New York by David Wilkerson in 1958. Since
its humble beginning, Teen Challenge has grown into one of
the oldest and most successful programs of its kind. The story
of the early days of Teen Challenge can be found the book
“The Cross and the Switchblade.”
A 1975 Federal Study of Teen Challenge (Rehrersburg, PA) found
a 70% success rate for those who graduated from the program
seven years earlier.
A 1994 study by the University of Tennessee found 67% of
graduates from Teen Challenge, Chattanooga was abstaining
from alcohol and drugs.
In 1999, a three-year research study supervised by Northwestern
University (Chicago) concluded that 86% of those who completed
the Teen Challenge program remained drug free. The survey
included graduates from the largest Teen Challenge training
centers in Rehrersburg, PA, Cape Girardeau, MO, and Riverside,
CA. From the east coast to the west coast, Teen Challenge
is effective. The study found that Teen Challenge graduates
were “more likely to be living normal lives holding
down jobs and not needing further treatment.” They found
that “nearly all have escaped the ‘revolving door
phenomenon’ of substance abuse treatment.” They
found that 84% attend church weekly and 90% were employed
two years later.
A study by the Department of Human Resources indicates that
Teen Challenge has a positive impact. Dr. Catherine Hess,
former study director, states that, …”whereas
treatment for a drug addict in a detoxification facility results
in a 1% cure rate, and the therapeutic community’s cure
rate is about 10%, the Teen Challenge program has an amazing
86% cure rate.” (The Federal Government recognizes anyone
who has been drug free for a period of five years to be completely
recovered.) Dr. Hess further states, “The Teen Challenge
program is the best I know of to get a person off drugs.”
Dr. John Howard, former member of the National Commission
on Marijuana and Drug Abuse, concurs with Dr. Hess, saying,
“Of all the drug programs reported to the Commission,
the most successful is the religiously-based program conducted
by Teen Challenge.”
Due to this success, Teen Challenge now has over 180 programs
nationwide. Teen Challenge of St. Louis, established in 1966,
has been helping restore broken lives for over 40 years. If
you would like to see more information, statistics, and testimonies
about the success of Teen Challenge, click on the links below.
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