Teen Drug Addiction Treatment

How do you know if your child needs teen drug addiction treatment? It is sometimes difficult for parents and care givers to truly understand the severity of their child's drug use. Here is an overview of what drug use, abuse and dependence truly mean when it comes to your teen:

• Use: The occasional use of alcohol or other drugs without developing tolerance or withdrawal symptoms when not in use.
• Abuse: The continued use of alcohol or other drugs even while knowing that the continued use is creating problems socially, physically, or psychologically.
• Dependence: At least three of the following factors must be present:
• Substance is taken in larger amounts or over longer periods of time than the person intended.
• A persistent desire with unsuccessful efforts to control the use.
• Large periods of time spent obtaining, taking, or recovering from, the substance.
• Frequent periods of intoxication or detoxification especially when social and major role obligations are expected (school, social situations, etc.)
• Continued use even while knowing that the continued use is creating problems socially, physically, and/or psychologically.
• Increased tolerance
• Withdrawal symptoms
• Substance taken to relieve withdrawal symptoms.

Helping Your Child Find Teen Drug Addiction Treatment
If your son or daughter is currently struggling with drug addiction, it can be one of the most difficult times in your life. But there is hope! The professionals at teen drug addiction treatment centers help young people overcome both the physical and psychological components of addiction.

For teens suffering with severe drug addiction problems, attending residential teen drug addiction treatment may be necessary. Residential teen drug addiction treatment centers provide specialized assistance to teenage boys and girls requiring professional clinical support to facilitate emotional and behavioral change and growth. Offered in a wide variety of settings, residential teen drug addiction treatment programs serve to remove adolescents from the home setting, and place them in a structured, supervised, therapeutic environment.

Depending on need, adolescent residential treatment centers may work expressly with adolescents struggling with specific issues including chemical dependency, eating disorders, and/or self-esteem and behavioral issues, or serve as transitional programs for adolescents graduating into "real world" environments. Residential teen drug addiction treatment programs often include both individual and group counseling, structured physical activities, vocational training for the older student, social skills training, education support, and family support. Residential treatment settings are excellent choices for adolescents and teens who have been unwilling or unable to commit to a healthier lifestyle, and who need intensive support and/or interventions to cultivate new, more appropriate methods of coping and behaving.

Choosing a teen-specific drug treatment program is a good choice for several reasons, including:

• They address teen addiction issues. Teenagers become addicted to drugs for reasons different from those of adults. Teen drug addiction treatment programs address issues such as self-image problems, peer pressure, academic pressure and problems in the home environment - all of which can lead to drug abuse or addiction.
• They give the teen a safe place to heal. Teen drug addiction treatment programs - especially residential treatment centers - give the young person a chance to leave their home environment behind and enter into a "safe zone" where the only thing they need to focus on is their recovery. Removal from a destructive environment is a huge step in the right direction for many teens.
• They help the family heal. Teen drug addiction treatment programs incorporate the family into the healing and recovery process. Family counseling, education and regular visits all play a key role in helping families communicate more effectively, which in turn aids the individual's ability to overcome addiction for the long term.

Getting clean from drugs and alcohol can easily be one of the most challenging and confusing things to accomplish, especially for teens, but it is certainly not impossible. Teenagers successfully get clean from drugs and alcohol each year - your teen can too.