Month: January 2008

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.

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 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.

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.

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.