Teen Drug Treatment

Table of Contents
The Definition of Addiction
Need for Treatment
When to Take Action
Asking the Right Questions
Types of Drug Rehab
Teen-Specific Recovery
More about Newport Academy

Every day, thousands of young people experiment with illicit drugs. While many will never take their drug use beyond this “experimentation” level, far too many will continue to abuse their drug of choice until they develop an addiction. An annual survey given to high school students across the country known as Monitoring the Future survey (MTF) shows that over the past 20 years, the use of all illegal drugs other than marijuana and prescription drugs has remained relatively stable. In this time period, about 20 percent of 12^th graders have admitted to using these substances. For marijuana, the percentage doubles with nearly 40 percent reporting having tried the drug and 90 percent saying that it’s easy to obtain.

Once teen drug addiction sets in and your child has a physiological and psychological dependence upon their drug of choice, it is important to get them into a drug rehab program that is designed specifically for teens – a program like the inpatient and outpatient addiction treatment options at Newport Academy. The sooner you can get your teen the drug treatment he or she needs to fight addiction, the better your child’s chances at healing before a tragedy occurs.

The Definition of Addiction

Addiction is defined as an uncontrollable need for a substance that consumes a person’s thoughts and activities even in the face of extreme consequences to their health, finances and relationships. Parents who know that their teen is abusing drugs may be trying to answer the question: “Is my child a recreational user or has addiction developed?”

According to Medline Plus, addiction is both physiological and psychological. Teens feel an emotional dependence or mental need for a continued supply of their drug of choice and develop a tolerance for certain drugs due to repeated use at higher and higher doses. Chronic health problems can begin and irreparable damage can occur in terms of the teen’s education, peer relationships and family interactions. Even addicted teens who are rebellious will recognize the problems that are caused by their drug abuse, but when it is an issue of addiction, they will be unable to quit on their own.

When it comes to teen drug abuse, the identification of addiction versus abuse only matters in that it may affect the type of drug treatment chosen. No amount of drug or alcohol abuse is safe or legal for teens. Every single experimentation puts their health and safety at risk. If drug abuse is an issue, an outpatient teen treatment that focuses on therapeutic healing may be the right choice. If addiction is an issue, an inpatient drug addiction treatment program may be the better option because medical treatment and round-the-clock supervision may be needed to make sure that they avoid relapse and stay safe.

The Growing Need for Teen Drug Treatment

Drug addiction is a growing epidemic and new drugs increase the threat each year. Teens are particularly susceptible to the dangers of black market synthetic drugs that are often available legally online and in head shops, which means that addiction can sneak up on them and their parents. With all of the risks of well-known substances and the threat of new ones, drug rehab is increasingly in demand for those between the ages of 12 and 18. When choosing an addiction treatment program, parents should determine which one will meet the unique needs of their teen – and pay attention to the signs that signify that drug abuse and addiction is an issue. Some of those signs include:

• Changes in peer group
• Changes in appearance, music choice, etc.
• Extreme mood swings
• Cyclical physical illness every few days
• “Coded” language and slang terms between friends
• Extreme privacy and anger at perceived intrusions upon that privacy
• Suddenly breaking rules despite punishment
• Problems at school
• Problems with the law
• Problems at work or holding a job
• Stealing from family and others

When to Take Action

Teens in the initial stages of drug abuse may be helped through honest discussions, counseling and consequences if clear boundaries are ignored. If these measures do not curb the behavior, professional intervention through drug treatment may be necessary to solve the problem. Some signs that is time for parents or guardians to take action include:

• Extreme mood changes
• Refusal to introduce new friends to the family
• Secretive behavior
• Sudden changes in school performance
• Skipping school
• Extremes in sleep Õ¢__Î_ÑÒ far too much or not much at all
• Depression
• Increased need for money or cash/costly items missing from the home
• Loss of interest in favorite activities
• Lack of attention to hygiene/personal appearance

 

Asking the Right Questions

When a teenager is in crisis and dealing with drug addiction, it is up to the parents to conquer the emotions they are feeling about the problems their teen is facing and focus their energies instead on securing the best drug treatment program possible for their child. One of the best ways for parents to do this is to ask themselves some questions that will help them determine exactly what their teen needs from drug rehab. Some questions to start with include:

• How long has the teen been using drugs and alcohol?
• What is the teenager’s drug of choice?
• Is the teen addicted to their drug of choice? Do they experience withdrawal symptoms when they are without the drug?
• Does the teen have other issues as well? Criminal or violent past? Diagnosis of ADHD, hyperactivity, anxiety disorder, depression, eating disorder, etc.?
• Does the teen have friends? Do those friends use drugs or alcohol?

A drug treatment center that is preparing to help the addicted teen will want as much information as possible about their drug use – their interactions with family, friends, teachers, co-workers; their interests outside of school; their interest in school and work; and the quality of their relationships as well as a full medical and psychiatric history.

Types of Drug Rehab

Families who have a teenager involved in drug use have a variety of treatment options at their disposal. However, the first and potentially most important decision involves choosing between an outpatient and residential drug treatment program. According to the National Institutes of Health, those and other options are defined as follows:

• Outpatient teen drug rehab. Outpatient teen drug treatment programs allow teenagers to undergo counseling and other elements of addiction treatment throughout the day and then return home in the evening.
• Residential teen drug rehab. Inpatient teen drug treatment offers a more intense program in which the teenager moves into the rehab facility where they receive round-the-clock care for their drug addiction.
• Holistic teen drug rehab. Holistic teen drug treatment programs offer a range of therapies and treatments for teens. This makes it easier to break through to emotionally closed teenagers and help them to process through some of the psychological issues that may be increasing their attraction to drug abuse and addiction.
• Traditional teen drug rehab. Traditional teen drug treatment programs are usually based on the 12-steps. Many holistic treatment centers incorporate traditional principles into their curriculum.

Teen-Specific Recovery and Treatment

Young people engage in drug use for different reasons than adults, and as such, need different treatment methods to help them break the cycle of addiction. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), some of the root causes for teen drug addiction include:

• Peer pressure. A young person’s social group plays an incredibly important role in the choices they make. Being involved with a circle of friends that experiments with drugs makes the individual much more likely to take part in that behavior themselves.
• Self-image issues. These are the cause of many problems amongst teenagers, including drug addiction, alcohol addiction and eating disorders, as coping with a poor sense of self can lead to escapist behavior.
• Problems at home. Many teenagers turn to drugs as a means of escaping their problems at home. This is most common in families where there is physical abuse, sexual abuse, or other forms of neglect and conflict.
• Teen-specific worries. Doing well at school, fitting in with others, divorce of parents, first loves and the loss of first loves, trying out for athletic or extracurricular teams and activities, doing well on standardized tests, getting into a good college, choosing a career – all these things add up to a great deal of stress, especially when coupled with fluctuating hormones. This stress can push many teens to escape by abusing drugs and alcohol.

In order to address these issues, drug rehab programs for teens focus on providing treatments, therapies, and an overall atmosphere of positivity, hope and healing. A good addiction treatment program will provide addicted teens with:

• Protection. Sending your teen to a facility that admits adult men and women as well as teens may be a disconcerting concept to most parents. Since parents have no control over the adults who are in the rehab center with their teen and no possibility of knowing their history, mixing the two age groups could be a potential problem waiting to happen. Therefore, a program that only admits teens is the best option to ensure the safety of teens and peace of mind for the parents.

• Focus on emotional issues. Adolescence is a time when teens are rapidly developing both physically and emotionally. In terms of emotional development, habits started during this time can set a pattern for life. These habits may become permanent coping mechanisms if not changed quickly. In addition, physical development may be adversely effected. The proper growth of the liver, kidneys and reproductive organs can all be stunted by drug use in the teen years.

• Academic support. The teen years are used academically to lay the groundwork for knowledge they will need to make it into college and then eventually begin a career. When a teen is distracted from forming these goals and gaining academic knowledge due to a drug addiction, they are missing out on a crucial time that may be difficult to regain in the future.

• Family therapy. Dealing with the issues caused by non-productive family interaction is central in treating adolescent drug abuse. Through counseling, families learn how to communicate effectively. This provides each family member skills to cope better, not just with current issues but also with issues that may arise in the future. Assisting a family in effective communication rebuilds trust and understanding and provides crucial skills for future success.

Learn More About Treatment at Newport Academy

Teen drug treatment can be extremely successful, especially when early intervention and treatment are provided to teens at the first signs of drug abuse and addiction. Every teen drug rehab has success rates that vary and no addiction treatment program can promise a “cure” for teen drug addiction, but at Newport Academy, we have successfully exhibited an average steady success rate among our alumni at about 70 percent. Call now to find out more about our teen programs here at Newport Academy near Newport Beach, California.