Teen Drug Addiction Rehab
The National Center for Addiction and Substance Abuse states that almost 8% of American teenagers need teen drug addiction rehab. That puts the number of teen drug and alcohol abusers in the millions. Teen drug addiction rehab that specialize in adolescent care typically ranges in enrollment age from 11-17 years old, but some centers take patients as young as nine years old. Because of the sensitive nature of drug and alcohol addiction, it is important to choose a teen drug addiction rehab that provides a comfortable and knowledgeable environment.
Substance abuse may be very common in young adulthood. Yet late adolescence is a very hard time of life to be sidelined by alcoholism or drug addiction. Adolescent psychologists often speak about the three tasks of this period of life:
- Breaking away from parents
- Finding one's life work
- Finding a life partner
These things are not easy to do. If a young adult becomes addicted, the years when he or she should be fulfilling the three tasks are wasted on addictions. This is crucial time that has been lost for self-development. Treatment professionals have only recently recognized that substance abuse treatment programs for adolescents cannot simply be scaled-down versions of adult programs. Adolescents are not simply "little adults." Unlike their adult counterparts, adolescents in treatment have more family difficulties, are more likely to have psychological problems, and are more likely to have attempted suicide.
Teen drug addiction rehab has found that teen.s alcohol and drug use patterns are also different. Teens tend to abuse multiple substances, while adults are more singular in abuse. The path to hitting a "bottom" is also different. For adults, entry into treatment is usually the result of loss of job or family, chronic medical problems, or encounters with the law.
The "red flags" for adolescents are more subtle and revealed in school performance, peer relationships, and interactions within the family. For most teens, referral to teen drug addiction rehab is involuntary and usually there is an intervention by family, school, or the judicial system. Once into treatment, teens seek out and respond to different treatments, favoring group therapy over individual. Most adult treatment programs are not set up to deal with the oppositional or acting-out behaviors characteristic of adolescent substance abusers. Fortunately, most residential facilities do not mix teen and adult recovery programs.
Families who have a teenager involved in drug use have a variety of treatment options at their disposal. There are several choices when choosing teen drug addiction rehab; the most obvious being outpatient or residential treatment.
- Outpatient teen drug addiction rehab:
Teenagers undergo counseling and other elements of addiction treatment throughout the day, and then return home in the evening.
- Residential teen drug addiction rehab:
A more intense program in which the teenager moves into the rehab facility where they receive round-the-clock care for their drug addiction.