Substance Abuse
When people think about substance abuse, addiction and addiction treatment, they often think of adults. However addiction among adolescents and young adults is also very prominent. The teen years are the transitional stage of development between childhood and adulthood. They represent a period of time during which a teen experiences a variety of biological changes and encounters a number of emotional struggles. Addiction is a primary, progressive, and chronic disease with genetic, psychosocial, and environmental factors influencing its development and manifestations. The disease is often progressive and fatal. It is characterized by impaired control over use of the substance, preoccupation with the substance, use of the substance despite adverse consequences, and distortions in thinking.
Good substance abuse treatment for young people is scarce and often hard to find. There are more than one million teens and young adults that are in need of substance use/abuse treatment. Unfortunately, only one in ten will actually receive the needed addiction treatment. So why is teen addiction treatment so scarce? First, parents and schools are not fully aware of the extent to which teenagers are using and abusing substances. Additionally, there is a lack of state and federal funding for treatment programs, as well as shrinking insurance benefits for teen addiction treatment.
When parents finally realize that their teen has a drug problem or are addicted to a substance, they find themselves looking for teen addiction treatment facilities and professionals, but have no idea where to turn. The family is often in a crisis situation, when decisions must be made quickly. Unfortunately, there is very little information available about what parents should look for in choosing a program. When looking for the optimal teen addiction treatment center most parents are concerned about the following:
- Cost –
- Do the parents have the available finances for teen addiction treatment?
- Do their employee benefits cover treatment? If so, for how long? If their coverage is limited, will they be able to pay to get the best possible treatment for their teenager?
- What kind of treatment will work?
- Should their teen be sent away to a residential treatment program or can he or she be treated in his or her own community while still living at home?
- How long will treatment take?
- A few weeks, months or even years?
- Parents may also feel frightened or ashamed that their teen has substance use problems. They may recognize that their own alcohol and drug use problems have contributed to the problems their teen is experiencing.
Substances typically abused by teens include tobacco products (cigarettes, cigars, chewing tobacco), Cannabinoids (marijuana, hashish), sometimes called "pot, weed, Mary Jane, or herb" and is smoked in a "joint," "blunt," "bong," or pipe, cold medications (Sudafed, Benadryl), inhalants (for example, gasoline, ammonia), the use of which is often referred to as "huffing," depressants (barbiturates, benzodiazepines), sometimes called "reds, yellows, yellow jackets, downers or roofies," stimulants (for example, amphetamines, cocaine, methamphetamine), sometimes called "bennies, black beauties, speed, uppers, blow, crack, rock, toot, crank, crystal, or skippy," narcotics (morphine, heroin, codeine, Oxycontin, Vicodin), sometimes called cody, schoolboy, Tango and Cash, or monkey," hallucinogens (for example LSD, "mushrooms"), sometimes called "acid, yellow sunshines, buttons, or shrooms," dissociative anesthetics (for example, phencyclidine/PCP, ketamine), sometimes called "lovely, boat, Love Boat, angel dust, K, vitamin K, or cat" and whose use is often referred to as "getting wet," club drugs (Ecstasy), sometimes called "X," others (anabolic steroids), sometimes called "juice or roids".
Some of the most common symptoms of drug abuse in teenagers include lying, making excuses, breaking curfew, staying in their room, becoming verbally or physically abusive toward others, having items in their possession that are connected to drug use (paraphernalia), the smell of drugs (for example, solvent smell of inhalants, marijuana smell) on them, mood swings, stealing, and changes in friends.
Teen addiction involves:
Smoking:
- Each day, 3,600 teens smoke for the first time; 1,100 will become addicted to smoking. Out of these 1,100, half will die from a smoking-related illness.
Alcohol:
- Alcohol consumption is the most common type of substance abuse in teenagers.
- Most teenagers have their first drink by age 13.
- It has been estimated that 11% of the alcohol that is consumed in the United States is consumed by teenage drinkers.
- About 60% of high school seniors drink alcohol on a weekly basis.
- Peer pressure is a leading cause of teenage drinking.
- Many teens turn to alcohol as a way to cope with things like stress, anxiety, depression, and life changes.
- Teenagers are more likely to drink and drive than adults.
- Alcohol use in teens often leads to experimenting with illegal drugs.
- Teenagers that abuse alcohol are more likely to commit suicide.
- Young drinkers are more susceptible to brain damage and memory loss than adult drinkers.
- Teenagers that drink are more likely to be sexually active and less likely to practice safe sex.
- Children of alcoholics are more likely to start drinking during adolescence than children of nonalcoholic's.
- Children that have been informed about alcohol and warned of the dangers by their parents are less likely to drink.
- Teenagers that drink are more likely to have behavioral problems than nondrinkers. These behavioral problems include aggression, criminal activity, and running away from home.
- Teenagers that have a good relationship with their parents are less likely to drink.
- Alcohol is involved in two thirds of all cases of date rape and sexual assault among teens and college students.
Drugs:
In 2003, more than 7.5 million individuals aged 12 to 17 reported having used an illicit drug at least once in their lifetime.
In 2003, students in grades nine through twelve indicated that:
- 40.2 percent of respondents had used marijuana
- 12.1 percent had used inhalants
- 11.1 percent had used MDMA (also known as ecstasy)
- 8.7 percent had used cocaine
- 7.6 percent had used methamphetamine
- 6.1 percent had illegally used steroids
- 3.3 percent had used heroin
- 3.2 percent had injected an illegal drug one or more times during their lifetime.
- 9.9 percent of student respondents nationwide tried marijuana for the first time before the age of 13
- 28.7 percent had been offered, sold, or given an illegal drug on school property during the year preceding the survey
- 5.8 percent had used marijuana on school property one or more times during the 30 days preceding the survey
At Meridian Youth Treatment Center, we have extensive experience in working with teens and young adults suffering from substance abuse and addictions. Meridian Youth Treatment Center provides a supportive, caring, and non-judgmental environment where we will help determine the underlying dynamics behind the substance abuse and a very effective treatment protocol including individual psychotherapy, strong medication management, psycho-education for both the client and their families, and family therapy. We have found that with effective treatment substance abuse and addictions can be overcome so the client can go on to lead very productive lives.
Recent Articles (More...)
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The Adolescent Brain and Substance Use
By Steven Petrus, Psy. D. on October 1, 2009
As the adolescent brain moves toward adulthood it becomes faster and more efficient at processing information. Alcohol and drug use during adolescence can have seriously negative effects damaging long and short-term growth processes. In some cases the damage done during adolescence can even be irreversible. Read more here if you have questions about the effects of substance abuse on the development of your teen and whether or how these effects can be stopped.
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Teens and Binge Drinking
By Steven Petrus, Psy. D. on October 1, 2009
According to studies from the U.S. Department of Justice, binge drinking accounts for 90 percent of all the alcohol consumed by teenagers. Experts say alcohol is the most dangerous drug of all. Teens who binge drink could be risking serious damage to their brains now and increasing memory loss later in adulthood. If you are worried about your teen engaging in binge drinking, please read this informative article, contact a professional who specializes in the treatment of substance abuse or call Meridian Youth Treatment Center for a consultation.
