Celebrity Rehab

Celebrity rehab isnt only the first tv series to expose famous people and their drug abuse habits... it's the first show to exhibit a real rehab experience period. In some ways, this is a good thing that VH1 is doing. It shows that celebrities are getting sober, and it shows how real and hard this program is. Unlike Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan who have been to treatment time and time again and keep relapsing and faling into old behavior, these ceebrities seem like they have a real passion for geting sober and staying sober. The seem to want sobriety and seem to be doing for themselves, rather than for their image. Of course the process is difficult, and at times they seem as though they want to give up, but as a sober alcoholic and drug addict I remember those times too. We work through the pain, and come out victorious. Dr. Drew Pinksy (aka Dr. Drew from Loveline) has placed these celebrities at his facility in Pasadena and all clients have agreed to tape their recovery process for the world to see. This may serve as a inspiration to other addicts and alcoholics out there. If these celebrities can do it, in Hollywood no less, then for sure they can too!

Lindsey-
Undergoing MyBlogLog Verification

Concert Tips for Teens

Concert Tips for Teens

Attending a concert, or “show” is a important part of many teenagers’ lives. Music can represent the center of teen culture, and concerts are often the only acceptable or available social activity. They can represent newfound freedom for a teen, and an opportunity for them to express their individuality. However, the thought of allowing their child to attend a concert, gives many parents serious anxiety. The thought of dropping their son or daughter off in a strange location, and leaving them to surrounded by crowds of weird looking strangers may seem dangerous. There are other fears too: about drugs, crowds out of control, exposure to sinister influences of young adults. But almost all parents these days probably have fond memories of their first concerts, and wouldn’t want to deprive their kids of the same experience, so when the day come that the bird needs to leave the nest for an outing into the counterculture, here are some tips to consider:
1. Have your teen go with one of their friends that you trust, or with a “cooler” family friend that they wouldn’t mind going to the show with. Having a friend with you at a concert is a must, especially one you can count on. Concerts can be overwhelming experiences for a new concert-goer, especially a large festival or arena show. It’s good to have a friend to rely on when things get intense.
2. If you are driving your son or daughter to the concert, make sure that you have an agreed upon and easy to find meeting place after the show. Make sure you have an agreed upon time as well, but know in advance that it will probably be late, and most concerts are not early bird affairs, and your teen is not going to want to leave early. Don’t count on being able to reach them on their cell phones, in the bustle of crowds it can be easy to loose items from pockets. You may also want to insist on driving them if you are concerned that they or their friends may be drinking or using drugs at the concert. It’s always better to have a drunk teenager in the backseat than behind the wheel.
3. Make sure that your teen is dressed appropriately. Many concerts are outdoors and expose concerts goers to sun all day and cool temperatures at night. Also “general admission” shows tend to generate a great deal of contact with strangers, and often have “pits” where the dancing can get boisterous. Good shoes are a must. Clothing that may seem “cute” at home may bring unwanted attention , or be uncomfortable while standing for long periods of time in a large group. Remind your teen that it’s a concert, not a dance or club.
4. Make sure that they eat and drink water before they go. Food and even water can be expensive at a concert, and often you won’t be able to leave your “spot” once you’ve secured it. It can get hot and sweaty in a good show, and it’s a good idea to have a full stomach and be well hydrated. Additionally, if your teen might need any prescription medication during the concert, such as an asthma inhaler, make sure they take it with them.
5. Check out the band and venue before you agree to let your child go to the concert. It may be a fairly mellow affair that you can gladly agree to, but you might not want your child to experience the “wall of death” at the Lamb of God show just yet. Check out live videos of your child’s favorite band or festival on youtube.com to get an idea of what to expect and take a look at the bands website as well before you say yes.
6. Use your common sense. If your gut tells you that the risks are too great, then put your foot down. The 3-day “world’s largest” rave, surrounded on the adverts with little dancing mushrooms probably isn’t the best place to drop off your child for the weekend. Although you will probably have to let go of some your judgments, because, yes, that probably is a tattoo on the lead singer’s neck and, no, I really can’t tell you why they dress like that, if you “got it”, then it probably wouldn’t be cool anyway.

Check out these links for more concert tips and discussions by parents of their experiences with concerts:

http://www.rockmed.org/Show-Tips/tips.htm

http://parents.berkeley.edu/advice/teens/concerts.html

How Drugs Effect Teenagers

How Drugs Effect Teenagers

A drug is any chemical that produces a therapeutic or non-therapeutic effect within a body. Teenagers may be involved with legal or illegal drugs in various ways. Sometimes, experimentation with drugs during adolescence can be common. However, teenagers generally do not see links between their actions of the present and their consequences of the future. Teens also tend to feel invincible and immune to the problems that others around them experience.

Using alcohol, marijuana and tobacco at young ages will increase the potential of using other drugs like heroin, cocaine or speed later down the road. Some teens might experiment and stop, or continue to use occasionally, without significant problems. Others develop a dependency, moving on to more dangerous drugs and causing significant harm to themselves and possibly others.

When teenagers use drugs, they will tend to have symptoms or signs of something being wrong. For example, as far as physical appearance goes, the teen might have a sense of fatigue, red and glazed eyes and/or a lasting cough. On an emotional level, the teenagers might have general mood swings, or irresponsible behavior, possible low self-esteem, general lack of interest in anything or could be generally depressed. In a family environment, a teen drug abuser can often be argumentative, or they become very secretive in movements. In school, a teenager could decline participation, drop in grades, skip certain classes, or generally accumulate a myriad amount of tardiness. These are some of the reasons why it is important to keep kids safe and pay more attention to all that they need. They (teenagers) are always in need of something one way or another.

Drug Abuse - Cocaine

• 
  
  Teen addiction is generally used to make up for something that is missing or not visible in a teen’s life. It generally meets the needs of an addicted teenager who knows no other options. This could result in depression, general unhappiness, or a simple inability to deal with everyday situations that occur in real life.
  
  Cocaine is a quite common weapon of choice for troubled/addicted teens. No matter how cocaine is taken, whether it is snorted or smoked, it is highly dangerous and in some instances has killed some users when it (cocaine) has been mixed with alcohol. Serious health problems can evolve from using cocaine such as: major heart conditions, including heart attacks, respiratory conditions, nervous system breakdowns, including strokes, as well as extreme digestive complications.
  
  According to www.wrongdiagnosis.com 91% of hospital consultant episodes for mental and behavioral disorders due to use of cocaine required hospital admission in England 2002-03 (Hospital Episode Statistics, Department of Health, England, 2002-03).
  
  Additional stats that are highly startling are as follows from www.drug-statistics.com
  
  
  
  
• 1 out of 4 Americans between the age of 26 and 34 have used cocaine in their lifetime
  
• According to the Minnesota Institute for Public Health and Drug Resource Center, 5,000 adults in the United States try cocaine for the first time each day. (1985)-
• Today it is estimated that 22 to 25 million people have tried cocaine at least once. Conservative estimates indicate that there are over two million cocaine addicts in the United States today.
  
• Contrary to earlier belief, high dose use of cocaine can be detected as long as 10 to 22 days after last use.
  
• Near half of all drug related emergency room visits are due to cocaine abuse.
  
  
  
  Hopefully, if more information about cocaine addiction is voiced more extensively, it will educate the population and possibly prevent future rising statistics.
  
  Andrew C

I’ve Found My Place

I’ve Found My Place

All my life, all I ever wanted was to feel like I fit in. I always felt as if I was on the outside looking in. I never felt like I belonged. When I was a teenager at fifteen, I got high on drugs for the first time, and finally felt like I fit. I felt comfortable in my own skin and felt a sense of belonging. The only problem was that the high only lasted for so long. And, when t came to an end, I craved more; more of that sense of belonging. So, for the next 5 years, that is what I did, I chased that feeling by drinking alcohol and using drugs. No matter what, it was never enough because the feeling was not genuine. I needed an illicit drug or pharmaceuticals to produce it for me because I did not know that what I needed was to start to love myself.

Now that I have been sober for a couple years, have worked the 12 steps, and practice the principles of the program in my life, I have finally found my place in the world. I finally feel like I fit. It has definitely been a long and strenuous journey, but it gets better each day. I no longer need a drug to make me feel ok; I can be ok on my own. And, my newfound sense of belonging is no longer temporary. It will be with me as long as I remain in contact with my higher power and stay connected in Alcoholics Anonymous.

If feels good to love who I am today. My life is far greater than I ever imagined it would be.

Elizabeth M

Shakespeare = Sober (kinda, sorta… not really.)

Shakespeare = Sober (kinda, sorta… not really.)


I was a freshman in high school when I was given an assignment to read and analyze a lengthy poem by William Shakespeare. The poem, ‘The Rape of Lucrece’ is almost 1900 lines long and, in Shakespearian form, very hard to follow for a fourteen year old brain under the influence of anything I could get my hands on. I never read the poem. I failed the class and many others that followed. It was only after I got sober almost a decade later that I discovered a passage in that same poem that has helped me maintain perspective in my own continuous recovery from the disease of more.
I was crawling through my first year of sobriety and knee deep in my guilt reading phase. I decided to read all of the books that I was supposed to read as a way to make some amends to myself. It is an endeavor that I continue still, and through which I have gained a great deal. When I rediscovered ‘The Rape of Lucrece’ I struggled through it, but was able to take with me the following:

What win I if I gain the thing I seek?
A dream, a breath, a froth of fleeting joy?
Who buys a minute’s mirth to wail a week?
Or sells eternity to get a toy?
For one sweet grape who will the vine destroy?
Or what fond begger, but to touch the crown,
Would with the scepter straight be stricken down?

I get a lot out of those seven lines. There are more times than I like to admit that drinking and using drugs sounds like a great idea. There are those times when I don’t want to go to meetings, or call my sponsor, or be of service. Those are also the times when I can open my wallet and read that part of the poem, take a deep breath, and keep walking. “What win I if I gain the thing I seek?” What will getting loaded avail me? At the very least it is a hangover. At most it would cost me my life. “A dream, a breath, a froth of fleeting joy?” Mere moments of the ease and comfort that comes with that first drink, and the spiral that surly will follow. “Who buys a minutes mirth to wail a week? Or sells eternity to get a toy? Who in their right mind would give up four and a half years of recovery and immeasurable progress for just ‘one more time’? Today I have the opportunity to make the right choice. One day at a time, I hope to continue making the right choice.

Brian C.-
Visions Teen Drug treatment Center

Ecstasy

Ecstasy, also referred to as MDMA, is a hallucinogenic amphetamine that is recreationally used and abused by teens. there is a recent trend towards an increase in ecstasy use among teen entering teen drug rehab. “X” is usually taken in pill form and one pill can last between 4-6 hours. “X” is most commonly used by teens at parties, nightclubs and raves, this may be because “X” produces a blend of mellowing effects, heightened arousal and enhanced self and group consciousness. The most common side effect for teens and other users produced from “X” is a rise in body temperature, which usually results in minor dehydration, which is dangerous considering that dancing for hours without very many breaks or water is common while using this drug. Other common side effects include an increase in blood pressure, chills, sweating, blurred vision and nausea. However, heavy use can result in speed-like symptoms of paranoia, liver damage and heart attacks.
Studies show that “X” uses serotonin, which is a chemical in the brain that affects the mood. After the initial high, the user might feel depressed, tired and moody. The body eventually does produce more serotonin, but it may take some time to get the serotonin back to normal levels. Although research has not concluded that “X” will produce brain damage in humans, heavy use of the drug has produced neurological damage in rats and monkeys.

Household Inhalants

Teresa Roy
1/17/08
Blog

Household Inhalants

Abuse of common household products, often called “huffing” or inhalant abuse, is common among teens (healthatoz.com). The abuse of household inhalants is as common as marijuana with young people.

Paint thinner, liquid paper, spray paint, house cleaners, glue and solvents are more accessible and less expensive. There are more than 1,000 products that are dangerous when inhaled. Some suggestions from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, University of Michigan Health System and the AAP on what to look for if you suspect your child of “huffing” are: odors of the inhalant on clothing or breath, spots or sores around their mouth, loss of appetite and weight loss, poor performance in school, changes in behavior, unusual number of bottles or cans in his/her bedroom, or in unusual places.

I Was Adopted When I Was Born

I was adopted when I was born. My birth mother was 17 when she had me. I grew up as a teen using dugs with a huge resentment towards her for 21 years. I hated her for giving me up. It created abandonment issues and low self esteem inside me. felt less than, and unwanted. I was jealous of all my friends for knowing their background and ethnicity. I was jealous that they had REAL parents. I felt stupid that I didn't know anything about myself, and when I went to the doctor, they always asked me about my medical family history, and I had no answers for them. As a child, when I got upset I had the tendency to lock myself in my bathroom and stare at my fingerprints because it was the only thing I had left of my birth parents. I dreamed about how they looked, and what my life would have been like if I were still with them but I always went back to hating them for throwing me away. Last year, I finally got the chance to meet my birth mother. It was a life changing experience. She wasn't what I dreamed of, and the story about how I came to be was not what I had imagined. My birth mother had been raped by her step brother, and that's how she got pregnant. She was bulimic too, so she couldn't tell that she was pregnant until it was too late to have an abortion. I realize now that I was so judgemental towards my birth mother. I had no idea what she had been through, and I was so selfish that I never even thought about her feelings. Today, my birth mother and I are still in contact. We email each other every so often, and I just found out that I have a baby brother. They live in Portland, and I hope to visit them soon!

The Facade of Good Grades

I started using drugs at the age of fifteen. All my teen life I was an Honor Roll Student. I never received a grade below a “B”. When I started using drugs, that didn’t change. I still managed to bring home all As and Bs. Which, looking back was both good and bad. Good because I didn’t mess up my chances of getting into college, but bad because it was that much easier to fool my parents. From my experience, parents seem to think everything is ok if their teen is still bringing home good grades. But, that’s not always true. Sometimes, I’d stay up all night on drugs and go to school to take an exam and set the curve. But, I wish my parent’s had seen through that facade, because maybe they would have intervened on my drug use earlier and I would have gotten sober at an earlier age. I knew that my parents were for that facade, and I used that as my main tool for manipulation. So, my message here is for parents to be aware that although your kid may be a straight-A student, they may be hiding a lot behind that Honor Roll report card.

To Teach At an Adolescent Treatment Center

To teach at an adolescent treatment center has been such a gift to me. I have recognized my own weaknesses and strengths. The residents’ struggles remind me of my own when I was their age. Their strengths remind me to strive higher than I ever thought possible for myself and others. The adolescent years are very crucial in forming their perception towards who they are and who they choose to be. It is the time that they can recognize that they have a choice. It is their crossroad.

The lists of drugs that are available today are much more extensive than when I was in high school. During my time, it was marijuana and alcohol. Now, the kids have been introduced to a variety of pain killers, more harmful drugs such as heroin, meth, cocaine and more. I feel for these kids. They have a difficult battle to fight. I have to say, they surprise me more often than I thought with their progression towards recovery than their regression towards using.

Solange Petrosspour

Online Salvia Dealers

Salvia Divinorum, a strong hallucinogen that legal in most states, is readily available to teens everywhere over the internet. Online salvia dealers are reaching out to teenagers by marketing salvia as completely a completely safe, non addictive, spiritually enhancing herb. Many sites warn buyers that they must be eighteen to purchase salvia but there is no way to verify age online. If the teen has a credit card then the dealers will sell them the salvia. A typical warning on a website selling salvia is at the very bottom of the page in small print and reads something like; by purchasing this item, the buyer certifies they are 18 or older and responsible. The teenagers searching for salvia online, even if they are 18, will most likely not be responsible because they are searching out a strong drug which they can smoke or ingest to produce a psychedelic high. Most teens that are looking to escape from reality by using drugs are not responsible. Therefore the responsibility falls on the online dealer because dealers need to know better than to sell a dangerous drug online that teens can have access to.

When Confronting Teens About Their Drug Use

When confronting teens about their drug use, teens often respond with minimization, rationalization, excuses and flat out lies. If you find drugs in your teen's room and confront them on it, you may hear things like; "those aren't mine", "I bought them, but decided not to use them", "I have only used them once", "My friend bought it and asked me to keep it for them", "It's only weed, it's natural" or "Thurman Murman gave it to be for free, so I'm not spending your money". If signs are pointing toward your teen and drug abuse, when confronting them, you may hear things like; "I'm just all way tired", "I'm just not hungry", "I'm not interested in college anyway", "I'm FINE", "Stop trying to ruin my life", "My eyes always look like this", and "I don't smell like chemicals, that just my detergent".
If you suspect your teen of using drugs, contact a professional. Tell the professional, only the facts about what is going on and not what your teen may be trying to convince you about. The professional will then be able to better guide you toward a solution. It is import to communicate your teen. But remember, drug users are not the most honest people in the world. Take what your teen says about his/her drug use "with a grain of salt".

I Quit Smoking Cigarettes

I quit smoking cigarettes after inhaling them for 14 years. I miss them every day and I probably think of them every other minute at the moment. It is a challenge and one that I didn’t even anticipate making. One day I basically hit my bottom with cigarettes. My body felt like it was starting to shut down. I would get headaches everyday from smoking, which then made my body tense, which then gave me no motivation or oxygen circulation, which then the list goes on and on. The bottom line is, every part of my being was starting to get affected by this disease of addiction.

Working at a teen treatment center that deals with addiction has been a blessing for me. I am aware that any addiction has an underlying psychological motivation. For me, to let go of cigarettes is painful for it feels as if I am letting go of the love of my life. I understand this sounds silly and yet this is what the young adults at teen treatment centers with drug and alcohol addiction feel as well. It is strange. It is strange to love something so harmful towards us. It’s strange to be ok with poisoning ourselves for so long and then one day decide that it’s not ok to do that anymore. The thing is I would never stop smoking if my body could handle it. And yet as a responsible adult I have to be aware of the choices I make in life. I am not even angry that I have to stop, I am only extremely sad that I can no longer continue.

Anonymous

Teen binge drinking

Teen binge drinking is a huge problem with teens and more common than one might think. Depending on tolerance and body weight, binge drinking is defined as having five or more drinks within a few hours. This risky behavior can result in serious health problems, sexual promiscuity, and death. Recent research indicates that two-thirds of those high school students surveyed admitted to binge drinking. Teenage males tend to engage in binge drinking more than their female counterparts. Teen binge drinkers were also more likely to use dangerous drugs like marijuana, cocaine, and inhalants. They were also much more likely to smoke tobacco cigarettes.

It seems that binge drinking takes away all capacity for reason, as studies show that binge drinkers are more likely to get in the car with a drunk driver. That’s not to mention the dangers of binge drinkers behind the wheel of a car. Further proof that extreme alcohol consumption is harmful, teen binge drinkers were shown to have lower grades than non-binge drinkers. Perhaps most disturbing, binge drinkers were nearly four times more likely to be highly sexually active, victims of rape, and suicidal.

Long Term Effects of Ecstasy

Long Term Effects of Ecstasy

University of Adelaide researchers have found that ecstasy taken on a few occasions could cause long-term brain damage from severe damage to brain cells, with the potential to cause future memory loss or psychological problems.

Dr. Rod Irvine, of the University's Department of Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology, with an increased use of ecstasy among teens, major health problems can be expected in the future.

"For many years it has been known from animal experiments that small doses of ecstasy - even if only taken on only a few occasions - can cause severe damage to certain brain cells," Irvine said in a news release. "More recently, evidence has started to accumulate suggesting that this damage may also occur in humans."

Brain scans and psychological assessment of teen ecstasy users has been used to obtain this information.

"If our suspicions are proved correct, it will mean many of our young people will have memory loss or psychological problems in the future."

Irvine's research shows that the drug seems to work mainly through its effects on one type of brain cell, and even through one molecule in those cells. He said, "the way the body reacts chemically to ecstasy is important in producing adverse effects, as is the surrounding temperature, which can lead to users overheating."

Irvine is looking at the shorter-term consequences of ecstasy "overdoses" and has found that the high rate of death is due to a different strain of ecstasy appearing on the market in the mid 1990s.

"Normal ecstasy contains the pharmacological ingredient known as MDMA as its main ingredient, but the new strain often contained no MDMA but rather a more potent chemical known as PMA," Irvin said.

"PMA hasn't been around since the early 1970s when it was responsible for the deaths of several people in Ontario, Canada, and now it's reappeared," Dr Irvine says. "We don't know where the PMA came from, but we do know that it has been prevalent since the mid 1990s."

Teen Prescription Drug abuse Increases

Studies may indicate that the overall percentage of elicit teen drug use has declined over recent years. However, the teen use and subsequent teen abuse of prescription medication has steadily increased in this age group at an alarming rate. Many teens find the pills in their parent’s medicine cabinet IE., Oxycontin, Vicodin, Zanax, Klonopin and Ambien. Others share or buy them from peers. Shockingly, some teen drug abusers even rummage through their neighbors trash to find leftover prescriptions. Furthermore, teens may not risk buying illegal drugs when they can get high on many household products, such as aerosols and other inhalants.

Based on this information, it is important to remember that what we regard as “unsafe to children” extends to teens as well. Reconsider locking up anything that you might consider dangerous to a child. When you throw away an old prescription, seal it, and grind it up in cat litter or old coffee grounds. These simple precautions may save the life of someone, namely someone you love.

Think Marijuana Isn't dangerous

Many people think that marijuana is a harmless drug, however an accident last week proved that idea to be wrong.

Last week, an officer pulled a car over for a regular old traffic stop. The officer got off of his motorcycle and was at the side of the car he’d pulled over. Then, a pickup truck driven by a 20 year old male just out of his teens swerved and hit both the officer and the car he’d pulled over. The driver of the car was killed and the officer is now in critical condition.

What caused the pickup truck to swerve? Well, that hasn’t been figured out yet. However, the driver was found to be under the influence of marijuana and a pound of marijuana was found in his truck. So, not only is this guy being charged with a DUI and drug trafficking, but now he is also facing the charge of vehicular manslaughter!

So, next time you think “It’s just weed!” think again. This drug can be just as deadly and dangerous as any other mind-altering substance.

Cough Medicine Abuse

Cough Medicine Abuse

About 3.1 million people between the ages of 12-25 have used cough and cold medicine to get high, the government reported Wednesday.

Dextromethorphan, or DXM, is cough suppressant that teens drug abusers are looking for in many over the counter cough, allergy and cold medications. When DXM is used as directed it is a safe and helpful medication with very little side effects. Although when taken at doses that exceed the recommended dose DXM has mind altering properties and potentially dangerous side effects. When taken at these high doses DXM can produce similar stimulating and euphoric effects to the drug ecstacy on the user, and at even higher doses DXM has been known to cause hallucinations. These hallucinations can include out-of-body experiences where teen drug users can feel complete disconnection from their body and surroundings.

DXM can have many negative side effects while taken at a mind-altering dose such as nausea, loss of consciousness and slowed breathing. Many long term effects of DXM are unknown but there is confirmation that long term abuse may lead to learning and memory impairment.

ADHD Medications… Helpful or Harmful?

ADHD medications… Helpful or harmful?

These days there are so many teens and young people are being diagnosed with ADHD or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Thank goodness that we have a number of various medications with which to treat this disorder in teens. However, many of these medications lead to more problems than not. The two most commonly used medications for ADHD are Ritalin and Adderall and both of these medications are classified as scheduled II drugs in the amphetamine class. Although classified as amphetamines when used as directed by a medical professional these medications help those with ADHD and ADD to focus for longer periods of time and fully complete tasks.

However, these stimulants also have a high percentage of teen misuse, teen abuse and teen dependence. It has been found that many teens and school-aged children have been trading, buying and selling their prescriptions with one another. Many of them also have taken to snorting these medications thinking that because it is a prescription it is a safer alternative to cocaine. The truth is that when snorted or injected the potency of the drugs increase because it enters the bloodstream directly and if not prescribed to the user the risk is equal or more greater than cocaine. Most teens and adolescents that enter drug rehab have at one time or another abused their own or somebodyelse's prescription for Adderall, Ritalin or some other stimulant based medication.

Teen Drug Abuse Symptoms

A frightening number of teens today are using and abusing drugs. Parents need to be educated on the signs and symptoms of teen drug use in order to keep their teens safe. The two categories or teen drug abuse symptoms are physiological and behavioral.
Physiological:
-Sleeplessness
-Exhaustion
-Blackouts
-Flashbacks
-Red Eyes
-Glassy Eyes
-Dilated Pupils
-Pinned Pupils
-Runny Nose
-Cough
-Needle Marks
-Withdrawal Symptoms
-Increase or Loss in Appetite
-Weight Loss or Gain
-Poor Coordination
-Shakes or Tremors
-Nausea
-Vomiting
-Sweating
-Hyperactivity
Behavioral:
-Extreme Change in Attitude
-Change of Friends
-Social Isolation
-Change or Loss of Interest in hobbies
-Slipping Grades
-Low Self Esteem
-Apathy
-Anger
-Paranoia
-Depression
-Secretive Behavior
-Dishonesty
-Unexplained need for money or stealing
One of these symptoms alone may not be a sign of teen drug use, but if a teen has several of these symptoms there is a strong change that the teen is using drugs. If parents are aware of the signs and symptoms of teen drug abuse it will make early detection easier and help prevent teens from slipping into teen drug addiction.

Factors That Play a Role in Relapse

In my five years of sobriety, I have noticed many factors that play a role in relapse. Two of things contributing to relapse are a cease in service work and a shift in personal priorities. Service work and working with others is one the most important contributors to staying sober. In the movie My Name is Bill W, Which is a movie about Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Silkworth the co-founders of Alcoholics Anonymous. Bill Wilson's wife has a conversation with Dr. Silkworth. Lois Wilson was complaining about BIll spending all his time, working with other Alcoholics that were not managing to stay sober. Dr Silkworth asked her if "he was staying sober?" Lois said "yes", it was then, she realized that working with others was helping bill stay sober.
For alcoholics, Staying sober for 24 hours is a miracle, so to accomplish this, sobriety must be the top priority in their life. I have personally seen dozens of alcoholics who forget their primary purpose. They once again make work, school,relationships, etc. their top priority and end up drinking again. So alcoholics must never forget their primary purpose in life, to stay sober.

I Was a Teenage Drug Addict

I grew up and spent my teen years in Los Angeles, where drugs were easy to find, and alcohol was around all the time. My parents were big drinkers, so they never noticed any booze missing. In middle school, I got into drugs and alcohol a lot. My friends and I stole alcohol, and bought drugs with stolen money. We were rebellious teenagers with a thirst for terrorizing the city. I know what its like to be a teenage drug addict and alcoholic. I relate to a lot of the kids here at the teen-drug-rehab, and I can understand where they're coming from. I was there once myself. I think its important for the kids here to know that the staff has been through similar circumstances. In my experience, the kids learn to trust and respect the staff and others when they know that they are being understood and heard. Years later, I reconnected with a bunch of my old friends from middle school, and even elementary school. We are all in AA now. Its amazing to see so many faces that I grew up with in the rooms of Alcoholics Anonymous. None of us are alone, and we can all lean on each other.

A Family Disease

Drug addiction and Alcoholism is a family disease. Teens that have parents who are drug addicts or alcoholics need to be particularly careful because they have a greater risk of becoming chemically dependent. One in four children will be exposed to alcoholism or drug addiction before turning eighteen. Children of alcoholics are more likely to have behavioral problems, lower IQ’s, and to inherit the disease of alcoholism.

Teens with alcoholic parents are genetically prone to alcoholism. That means that if a teen knows they are predisposed to alcoholism they need to stay away from alcohol and drugs at all costs. But these teens are in a catch 22. They have most likely witnessed their parents consume alcohol or do drugs many times making it seem normal. This makes teens with alcoholic or drug addicted parent more likely to drink and suffer the cost if they are an addict/alcoholic. All teens need to try to avoid drugs and alcohol but teens with chemically dependent parents need to be particularly aware of the risks involved in drinking and using drugs.

Why Are So Many Teens Doing Drugs?

According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, more than eleven million people have tried MDMA (ecstasy), MORE THAN eleven million people have tried methamphetamine, and MORE THAN twenty three million have tried LSD (acid) at least once. Why are so many people trying drugs, is it that there is absolutely nothing to do so why not make life exciting or is it just for “fun”, “experimentation” and the all classic “my (add whatever you want brother, sister, mother, father, friends) _____ does it so why cant I”. We tell ourselves many things to make our actions that we know are wrong ok. .No one can really say why teens are doing drugs an individual is exactly that with free will so unless you are controlled by a disease you cant say why people do drugs or why so many teens are getting hooked. I use to look around and feel so sorry for the kids at my high school who didn’t do drugs because look at me I am experiencing life I am having so much fun and all they are doing is going home and studying. I thought everyone should see and think and feel the way I felt towards drugs and all that fun ended up at sixteen being admitted into an adolescent treatment center for drug and alcohol dependency. The fact is that the numbers keep rising so what can we do to change that? This question is for the community because no one person can say they know the answer.