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14,485 young people sought help from alcohol and drug services between April 2018 and March 2019. This is, undoubtedly, a frightening statistics for any parent to hear.
Studies reveals long-term drug and alcohol users began their addiction before reaching the age of 18. This means seeking professional help is vital. The sooner you seek help the better. Someteens start taking drugs or alcohol for recreational purposes.
Their drug or alcohol use can get out of control to the point where your teen is unable to say ‘no”. Many teens start with so-called ‘gateway’ drugs such as alcohol or cannabis and then transition to harder drugs such as heroin and cocaine.
An extensive list of factors can result in teen addiction. Most notably, teenagers’ brains are not as developed by those of adults. Studies show that the human brain is even developing until the age of 25.
This means that teenagers are more susceptible to taking risks, not thinking of the consequences, and not registering the legal, moral, and very real prospect of their drug use and subsequently, their addiction.
Every parents’ nightmare is to discover their child has developed an addiction to drugs or alcohol. Many parents perceive their child’s addiction as a personal failure on their own part.
Teen years can be an emotional time for parents and their children alike. Unfortunately, some teens will develop an addiction no matter how good your parenting skills may have been.
Addiction is a progressive disease. Developing an addiction from an early age has serious consequences for your child’s mental and physical health. Your child is exposing his or her organs to deadly toxins. Furthermore, an addiction probably means your child is mixing with dangerous people such as drug dealers.
What we aim to highlight at Rehab 4 Addiction is that every addiction and substance misuse is subjective. Our treatment programmes, especially for teenagers, will strive to understand their compulsions, reasons and triggers when it comes to their addiction.
It is widely accepted among our experts that each patient referred to us has their individual needs and requirements, which we will aim to address.
Below, we list some common reasons or events that can lead to a teenager’s substance abuse or addiction. We treat each individual subjectively and will work with your teen to understand and discuss the underlying causes of their addiction in order to enhance their path to recovery.
Their issues can derive from:
The triggers of teen addiction are many and differ between individuals. However, we outline some of the more common triggers of teen addiction below.
Typical ‘triggers’ of teen addiction include:
Teenagers and young adults are often thought of as difficult to approach, get through to and sometimes live with. But if you fear for the welfare of your teenager, here are some signs and symptoms to look out for.
Spotting these factors early could, in the long run, save your teenager’s life and help them on the road to recovery with one of our teenage addiction treatment programmes.
Is your teenager showing a significant deterioration in school, college, or even extra-curricular activities? Do they lack motivation or enthusiasm for something they have always loved? If so, it’s worth discussing your teen’s welfare with a trusted person of authority within the academic institution or club.
Social isolation in the teenage years is often something not to worry about – if the individual has always thrived off their own company. If your teen has suddenly ditched their usual friends and social circles for strange or unknown reasons, it is probably the right time to discuss their thoughts and behaviours with them. Often, new friends found from forming new habits or even addictions are an indication that an intervention or teenage addiction treatment program could be a good idea.Description
Shaking, sweating, pale skin, unexplained weight loss, an unkempt appearance, and irregular sized pupils are often tell-tale signs of teenage substance use, and in worse cases, addiction. Although these are common symptoms of substance misuse, you will not likely be able to tell which drug your teenager is abusing. It is, however, an indication that they need help.
Approaching your teen about their habits or substance abuse shouldn’t be thought of as a scary step: it is the beginning of their recovery path. Remind yourself that as their carer, you are providing your teen with love and support, and helping them reach a healthy end goal which is sobriety.
Interventions are often emotional events. Warming and comforting body language, a soft approach, and avoiding the use of derogatory or judgemental language is a must. An intervention can take many forms, including a written letter, a video, or even the gathering of a small group of loved ones who urge the teenager in question to seek help out of love, not out of anger or judgement.
It’s important to have done your research before holding an intervention. Notify the rehabilitation centre you have in mind that you are speaking to your teenager about their addiction. This is so the centre can prepare for the expectant arrival of your teen, and they may even help you with some intervention tips.
Interventions can be emotional and often teenagers will fail to understand how this necessary step will ultimately lead to a healthier and more fulfilled adulthood.
It may therefore be helpful to turn the intervention into a teenage-lead discussion, in which the young adult can express their wishes and desires, rather than “being told” by a parent.
But if your child or teenager is reluctant to receive help and to comply with attending a teenager addiction treatment centre or programme, it’s worth remembering their relentlessness and stubbornness is nothing in the long run compared to a lifetime of addiction, struggle, and other terrorising factors associated with substance misuse.
Rehab 4 Addiction organises both outpatient and residential rehabilitation treatment for teens. However, we may recommend residential treatment. This is because residential treatment requires your child to live within the rehab centre during the course of the programme.
Thus ‘bad influences’ and other triggers of teen addiction are kept at arm’s length during rehabilitation. It will be much harder for your teen to be influenced or to relapse into ‘bad behaviours’ during in-patient treatment.
We are confident at Rehab4Addiction that our teenage addiction treatments will provide the highest level of care for your teen with therapies such as:
Before your child enters a residential rehabilitation unit, a thorough pre-admission assessment takes place. Here we determine the precise facts surrounding your child’s drug or alcohol addiction. We determine the addiction’s duration and the precise quantity of drugs or alcohol consumed each day.
This information determines the length of your child’s rehab programme. Those experiencing chronic and long term substance use disorders may also suffer from an underlying mental health problem. These co-occurring disorders must be tackled during treatment.
Teen rehab begins with a process known as detoxification. Here all drug or alcohol toxins are removed from your child’s system. Painful withdrawal symptoms are reduced through the controlled use of psychiatric drugs. These drugs are prescribed by an in-house psychiatrist.
Once detox concludes a structured programme of therapy commences. Therapy aims to identify the ‘triggers’ of teen addiction. These triggers are often unique to teens and different from triggers experienced by adult drug or alcohol addicts. Teen addiction treatment must be tailored to the unique needs of teen addicts.
Therapies include cognitive behavioural therapy, psychotherapy and a range of holistic therapies such as meditation and yoga. These therapies help treat the underlying causes of addiction such as depression and anxiety. Teens are taught to cope with life’s stresses in ways not involving drug or alcohol use. Therapy consists of group and individual therapy sessions.
Group therapy consists of teens discussing their issues and experiences openly. Here teens are encouraged to learn from one another. Individual therapy sessions are one-to-one sessions with a qualified therapist. Here the patient is encouraged to discuss his or her more intimate issues with the therapist.
The therapist helps the patient resolve these issues in a controlled and supportive manner.
Family member involvement is encouraged during therapy. This is known as ‘family therapy’. Here family members are invited into the rehabilitation centre to voice their concerns around their loved one’s addiction. These sessions are therapist-controlled and family members must adhere to guidelines issued before family therapy sessions commence.
There exists no cap on the number of family members you may bring along, although we ask for the name of each family member be submitted to us before sessions commence.
Once rehabilitation draws to a conclusion, a thorough aftercare and relapse prevention plan is put in place. Each rehabilitation centre offers a twelve-month aftercare service. Patients are permitted to return to the rehab centre each Saturday in order to engage in aftercare sessions.
Patients are also encouraged to join a local Teen Addiction Anonymous group taking place in their local area.
Call Rehab 4 Addiction for free on 0800 140 4690 to claim your FREE assessment conducted by an experienced counsellor. Alternatively, complete the enquiry form and a member of our team will call you back shortly.
Reach out today. We know how hard addiction can be. Recovery is possible!
