Teenage Rehab

teen rehab

Children and teens are more vulnerable than adults to substance abuse. Research has stated that the younger a child is exposed to drugs, the more likely they are to develop an addiction. If your teen is using addictive substances, his or her brain is adapting to the drugs. 

Alcohol, marijuana, and other drugs commonly used by teens can cause physical and psychological dependence. This will cause them to crave the substance when they’re not using it. Physical dependence will occur overusing for a long period. Your body naturally develops a tolerance to substances its been consistently exposed to. 

Psychological dependence is a mental addiction to a substance. For example, your child may become dependent on marijuana to ease stress and then become solely reliant on it.

Symptoms of addiction, such as withdrawal or an intense desire to use drugs, may indicate that your teen is suffering from a substance use disorder. If your child is unable or unwilling to quit, teen rehab may be the best choice.

How To Determine When A Teen Needs Rehab

There are many warning signs to look out for in your teen. If these signs are interfering with your child’s daily functioning, then teen rehab may be necessary. It’s important to understand that it’s normal for our teens to go out now and then. However, the danger lies in substance abuse and addiction. Forming a dependency on drugs can have severely adverse effects on your teenager’s life. Warning signs that addiction is getting in the way of your teen’s life may include: 

Changes in physical appearance

Your teen may have significant weight loss or gain, have bloodshot eyes, wounds or track marks, nosebleeds, and other changes that may be obvious.

Changes concerning habit

Significant changes in appetite, misbehavior, a new group of friends, and other habit changes may all be indicators that a teen is abusing a substance.

Changes at home

Some teens may leave drug paraphernalia lying around or coming home with a dent in the car that can’t be explained. Missing prescription medications and other drugs may also be a sign of drug addiction.

Being secretive

Acting in a secretive manner that is out of the ordinary may be an indicator that your teen is using drugs. For example, locking the bedroom door more often or staying out later than allowed with friends.

Poor grades

A teen’s grades are often the first thing to suffer when he or she begins to abuse a substance. Grades either quickly decline or slowly get worse over some time. Teen rehab can save your teen’s life if you help them conquer their addiction early. These warning signs are crucial to recognizing as early as possible.  

Specific Signs of Commonly Abused Drugs

Frequent mood swings are a natural part of adolescence. Teenagers can get angry and withdrawn from time to time. They may also be going through problems at school or with friends. However, a consistent pattern of unpredictable, moody and emotional behavior may be a sign that it’s time to think about teen rehab for your child.

The signs and symptoms of drug use tend to be pretty general. However, certain signs are unique to the drug. These symptoms from different drugs may include:

  • Marijuana: Red, glassy eyes, inappropriate laughter, excessive sleepiness, weight gain, and loss of motivation and interest in previously enjoyed activities
  • Depressants, such as Xanax, GHB, and Valium: Contracted pupils, drunk-like behavior, clumsiness, difficulty focusing, slurred speech, sleepiness, and poor judgment
  • Stimulants, such as cocaine, amphetamines, and crystal meth: Hyperactivity, dilated pupils, irritability, euphoria, excessive talking, anxiety, going long periods without eating or sleeping, dry mouth and nose
  • Heroin: Contracted pupils, wearing long sleeves and long pants even during warm weather (to hide needle marks), excessive sweating, coughing and sniffling, sleeping at strange times, twitching, loss of appetite

If left untreated, substance abuse will worsen over time. Addiction is a serious disease that must be treated from the inside out. Fortunately, there are many evidence-based methods used in rehab that can help your teen. Intervening early, when you first notice signs of drug use, in your teenager is critical. Seeking help at a teen rehab can help your teen to conquer addiction and set forth into a long-lasting sober life.

What Types of Things Should You Look For in Teen Rehab?

A study on adolescent substance abuse treatment programs in the United States identified nine key features that an effective program should pertain:

  • Assessment and treatment matching: the facility should personalize treatment specifically for your teen
  • In-depth, integrated treatment approach: the program should address all aspects of your teen’s life
  • Family involvement during treatment: programs have better outcomes when parents are a part of the recovery process
  • Age-tailored appropriate program: the treatment should be tailored specifically for teenagers, not all ages
  • Engaging and retaining teens in treatment: your teen should be able to build a trusting relationship with their therapists and be actively involved in their treatment
  • Qualified staff: therapists, doctors, and other staff members should have specialized training/licensing in addiction and mental health therapy for teenagers
  • Gender and cultural understanding: the program should take into consideration your teen’s gender and cultural background
  • Aftercare: the teen rehab center should create a plan for care after the patient has finished its initial treatment program. An after-care plan’s goal is to improve reintegration into society and to prevent relapse
  • Treatment outcomes: the facility should keep track of its patients’ recoveries and relapses to ensure that the methods used are working.

Understanding what to look for in teen rehab will allow you to help your child best. Quality treatment is made up of many different components. If you have any questions about rehab for your teen, our addiction specialists are here to help. 

The Statistics: Let’s Help Our Teens

The pattern of high school binge drinking statistics shows that most high school students who drink tend to binge drink. The definition of binge drinking is defined differently depending on if someone is male or female. For males, binge drinking is considered having five or more drinks on the same occasion at least one day in the past month. For females, binge drinking means having four or more drinks on the same occasion on at least one day in the past month.

Alongside binge drinking, there is also heavy drinking. Heavy alcohol use means binge drinking on five or more days in the past month. In 2017, almost 61% of underage drinkers admitted to binge drinking in the past month. Also, about 12.5% of underage drinkers admitted to heavy drinking in the past month

Our adolescents are becoming heavy drinkers from a young age which poses many dangers to their health. Apart from alcohol, other drugs have been on the rise amongst teenagers. For example, the opioid crisis has become a nationwide epidemic.

If you’ve had a sports injury, dental work, or surgery, your doctor may have given you a pain reliever that was an opioid medication. While opioids can be very effective at treating pain, they can be highly addictive and should only be used under a doctor’s careful supervision.

In addition to opioids given to you by a doctor, there is another kind of opioid by the name of heroin. Heroin is a very dangerous drug that is usually used by injecting it directly into a vein with a needle. In 2016, 2.14 million people ages 12 and older had an opioid use disorder including 153,000 12- to 17-year-olds

The statistics portray a clear issue: our teens need help. Teen rehab can help your child conquer addiction.

Treatment At Teen Rehab

Quality treatment at a rehab for teens must offer a comprehensive plan. Fortunately, there are many drug and alcohol treatment resources available at our facility as well as many others. The priority is to set your teen up for long-lasting sobriety

Ultimately, rehab is designed for continued sobriety after treatment ends. We’ll teach your teens coping skills and tools to work through their addictive tendencies. Many teen rehab programs will utilize a combination of multiple treatment approaches, such as:  

  • Individual and group therapy
  • Family therapy
  • 12-step programs
  • Medications to manage withdrawal or cravings

Evidence-based treatments that may be used include:

  • Motivational interviewing
  • Cognitive-behavioral therapy
  • Contingency management

We’re Waiting For Your Call

No matter what stage of addiction you’re at, you can begin the road to recovery today. Teen rehab aims to create a better tomorrow and ultimately a better future for your child. From comfortable amenities to trained medical staff, we have everything you need to recover.

Our philosophy is what drives us forward. We have observed that recovery is achieved through an intentional combination of biological support and neuro-regeneration, in conjunction with clinical care provided by a TRULY CARING, trained & certified professionals.  

Whether it’s you or a loved one struggling, one of our programs can help today. From individual therapy to medical care, treatment will be tailored to your teen’s unique needs. Contact us at Granite Mountain today. 

References:

https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/cbhsq-reports/NSDUHFFR2017/NSDUHFFR2017.pdf

https://www.onthewagon.org/teen-rehab/

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/fullarticle/485811?appid=scweb&alert=article&alert=article