Month: February 2021

Categories
Prescription Drugs

Most Widely Abused Legal Drugs by Teens

While “hard drugs” like cocaine and heroin are highly addictive and dangerous, even regulated substances with good medical uses can lead to addiction, primarily if used recreationally. Certain legal drugs can create a physical dependence in many who use them without a doctor’s direction, especially in teens.

Some teens do not realize the dangers of misusing prescribed legal drugs because relatives or friends use them or think that they must be safe because they are legal drugs prescribed by a doctor. But the truth is that these substances can cause just as much harm as illegal ones, if not more so in some cases. While everyone is susceptible to misinformation about legal drugs, young people are at an especially increased risk.

If you suspect your child might be falling prey to a substance use disorder (SUD) or believe that addiction has already developed, know that not only does educating yourself about the risks of drug misuse and abuse play a leading role in combating the problem and even preventing it, it’s also the most effective first line of defense of a parent and role model.

Most Commonly Misused Addictive Legal Drugs

Addictive legal drugs can be split into three general categories:

    1. Depressants
    2. Stimulants
    3. Opioids

Prescription Depressants

Depressants are drugs that “depress” the central nervous system, mild symptoms of anxiety and distress, and combatting sleeplessness. They are often used to treat severe anxiety disorders and panic attacks, as well as insomnia. Common prescription depressants include:

    • Diazepam (Valium)
    • Zolpidem (Ambien)
    • Triazolam (Halcion)
    • Alprazolam (Xanax)
    • Estazolam (Prosom)
    • Clonazepam (Klonopin)

Signs of severe depressant misuse include (but is not limited to) blurred vision, nausea, cognitive impairment, sleepiness, and addiction.

Prescription Stimulants

Stimulants are drugs that stimulate focus, cut appetite and trigger the release of stress hormones like cortisol. They are used in the treatment of ADHD and narcolepsy, and, rarely, obesity. Common prescription stimulants include:

Signs of severe stimulant misuse include (but is not limited to) heartbeat inconsistencies and arrhythmias, paranoia, and addiction.

Prescription Opioids

Opioids are drugs that numb pain receptors and, in the past, were primarily used as anesthetics. Prescription opioids can be hazardous drugs and were the catalyst behind the opioid crisis in the late 1990s. Because heroin has become easier to access since the use of prescription opioids has fallen while heroin use and subsequent overdoses have risen.

Prescription opioid use can lead to heroin use because heroin creates a similar high and maybe cheaper/more accessible. Some opioids are used to treat chronic or acute pain, while other, more potent opioids are used in post-operative and terminal care. Common prescription opioids include:

    • Codeine
    • Fentanyl
    • Morphine
    • Hydrocodone (Vicodin)
    • Oxymorphone (Opana)
    • Oxycodone (OxyContin, Percocet)

Signs of severe opioid abuse include (but is not limited to) respiratory distress, hyperalgesia, and addiction.

Early Risk for the Transition to Dependence

Drugs from each classification function very differently and target portions of the brain to elicit some degree of euphoria by releasing powerful neurotransmitters or brain chemicals. The repeated use of these drugs can change how the brain interprets motivational signals and mess with the delicate chemical balance that influences the way we think and behave.

Outside factors, particularly co-occurring mental health issues, chronic stressors, or traumatic experiences, can increase addiction risk. This can lead to physical and psychological dependence and create the symptoms we recognize as addiction. This process can occur faster in teens than in adults, partly because of the way their brain is still developing. There are individual factors that affect how quickly an addictive substance can cause an addiction.

While there is no such thing as being “hooked on the first hit,” a single first-time dose can have an impact on a teen’s likelihood to try another one. Genetic factors can determine a person’s predisposition towards addiction (i.e., risk of alcohol use disorder can run in the family, regardless of upbringing). This never guarantees an addiction but instead means that some teens are more likely to struggle with drug use than others, even after accounting for other factors, such as severe ongoing stress and trauma.

Recognizing the Warning Signs and Symptoms

2013 surveys cited by the DEA found that about 17.8 percent of high school students used legal drugs without a doctor’s prescription at least once in the past year. Statistics differed from state to state, but it showed that even despite stricter regulations on prescription drugs following the start of the opioid crisis, a considerable number of teens had at least some experience using prescription drugs recreationally.

Understanding what drugs your teen is using can help determine whether their behavior indicates dependence or addiction and, more importantly, seeking professional help. If you do not have access to your prescription bottle label but know what the pill looks like, you may identify the drug through a pill identifier. Under United States law, all legal drugs prescribed and sold must have a distinct appearance to allow for easier identification. If you do not know the pill, consult with a medical professional or pharmacist after consulting online resources.

Identifying the So-Called Legal Highs

Studies have shown that the most common source for all age groups that misuse legal drugs was a friend or relative who had obtained them legally. Sometimes, these drugs are distributed to acquaintances or sold when prescribed in excess, and sometimes, they are stolen from a relative’s medication cabinet or stash. Surveys also found that teens were less likely than young adults to obtain legal drugs from strangers or drug dealers.

When used with the advice and precise directions of a medical professional, most legal drugs are relatively safe. However, when used in the wrong quantities or without the proper medical context, they can have a wholly different and destructive effect on a person’s body and mind. Your teen needs to understand that any drug that requires a doctor’s prescription can be a potential source of danger and even death.

Knowing When and Where to Seek Treatment

Teen prescription drug abuse and addiction is a serious and severe issue. Drug use itself does not mean that your teen is addicted – and if you have discovered their drugs early enough, then a judgment-free conversation with them about the dangers and consequences of these substances might help them understand that they should be more careful about what they consume, even when it comes from a friend.

Some teens believe that drugs like Adderall can help them study better, while others might feel pressured into taking drugs like Xanax at parties. Suppose your teen is struggling to kick the habit, however, or is showing other signs of addiction (such as irritability, changes in mood and personality, and inability to stop using). In that case, it is essential to seek professional help and treatment.

Categories
Marijuana

Long-Term Health Effects of Teen Cannabis Use Disorder

While society is becoming increasingly accepting of cannabis both medically and recreationally, and discussions around legalization are becoming more frequent, cannabis is not a strictly safe or harmless substance. There are clear dangers around its use, especially recreationally and especially for younger adults and teens. Despite its potential in treating nausea during chemotherapy and the host of benefits we may see through more research, long-term cannabis use is still destructive. It may impact both a teen’s cognitive and physical health.

Weighing the Dangers of Cannabis

Cannabis is a psychoactive drug with the potential for addiction and a host of long-term health issues associated with excessive and chronic use. While millions of Americans can use the drug occasionally and put it back down without any significant drawbacks, there are indications that it is not safe for everyone, and using the drug over years and decades may lead to a host of physical and psychological issues.

Some of the health issues associated with cannabis can be attributed to its psychoactive component, tetrahydrocannabinol. However, cannabis also contains many other cannabinoids that bind to receptors in the body and affect cognitive function, heart function, and even bone health. The most significant risks associated with cannabis aside from addiction are an increased potential for symptoms of psychosis (as well as stronger symptoms in patients with psychotic disorders) and potential links to adverse long-term effects on cognition and long-term memory.

Whether or not cannabis is dangerous can depend on the quality and source of the drug, the method with which it is consumed (is it smoked along with tobacco? Consumed as an oil? Taken through a vape?), the frequency and degree to which cannabis is used, and individual factors such as a person’s hereditary risk factors towards addiction and drug use, and co-occurring mental health issues that might compound with cannabis use and worsen because of it.

Can Marijuana Use Lead to Addiction?

There is no question about whether cannabis can cause an addiction, where addiction is used to describe a substance use disorder characterized by continued use despite a negative impact on several aspects of one’s life and an inability to stop using without support, even when committed to quitting. Dependence, which includes withdrawal symptoms, is also commonly associated with a substance use disorder.

The question may be at what point long-term use becomes an addiction, how quickly cannabis can cause addiction (i.e., how addictive it is), and what risk factors specifically influence the risk of cannabis addiction. Data from the National Institute of Drug Abuse suggests that up to 30 percent of people who use the drug may be diagnosed with cannabis use disorder. In particular, teens are four to seven times more likely to develop an addiction than adults.

Part of the reason why cannabis is potentially more addictive than it may have been in the past is that, due to the growing international market for the drug, as well as more significant investments in the development of stronger strains and better highs, the THC content within the cannabis has steadily increased for decades. Cannabis confiscated in the 1990s had a THC level of about 4 percent – this has since more than tripled to about 15 percent in 2018.

Depending on how cannabis is consumed, certain forms of consumption lead to greater THC bioavailability than others. While there are many other cannabinoids in cannabis, such as cannabidiol, THC is the ingredient responsible for the high and most often linked to addiction.

Signs of Teen Cannabis Use Disorder

The signs and symptoms that should be watched out for the most are increased resistance to the drug’s effects at the same dose and using more cannabis over time. Lack of will to stop using despite the negative impact on one’s social life and performance at work or school is another potential sign. Cannabis addiction is much more likely to occur in teens who:

    • Have trouble forming social connections
    • Lack a list of responsibilities or close relationships
    • Struggle with mental health issues

Drugs like alcohol and cannabis can act like magic bullets for a first-time drug user struggling with depression or anxiety – they make you feel better, help your worries melt away, or help you feel at ease. But these effects do not last for very long and are repeated, and long-term use can have severe consequences. Specific conditions that seem most likely to be linked to cannabis use disorder include:

Long-Term Effects of Teen Cannabis Use

The long-term effects of teen cannabis use are still being researched, but preliminary research reveals that long-term use of the drug can lead to:

Cognitive Effects

Cannabis’s long-term cognitive effects primarily consist of memory problems, the capacity to learn, and impulse control. Interestingly, different results are observed depending on whether the drug was used for the first time or over long periods. Additionally, cannabis has been linked to developing stronger symptoms of psychosis, particularly in patients with the following mental health conditions (but not limited to):

When no signs of psychosis were present previously, the condition is called a substance-induced psychotic disorder. Psychosis is characterized by delusions, hallucinations, dissociation, and odd/disordered thinking. It can be described as losing touch with reality.

Respiratory Effects

Depending on how the drug is ingested, cannabis can cause respiratory problems, including lung cancer, either through smoke inhalation or the long-term effects of a vaping-associated lung injury.

Addressing Teen Cannabis Use Disorder

If your teen is struggling to quit using cannabis or wants to useless and cannot, seeking professional help as early as possible may be the most effective way to combat the problem. Teen substance use disorders are best addressed through a combination of inpatient or outpatient treatment, which can include:

    • Detox and time spent in a drug-free environment
    • One-on-one and group therapy
    • Family therapy

Cannabis use disorder treatment can help teens develop an individualized toolset for identifying and addressing urges and cravings constructively through healthier coping mechanisms and a robust support system composed of friends, family, and community leaders.

Categories
Mental Health

How to Spot the Early Signs of Psychosis in Teens

The teenage years are often the earliest onset for symptoms of psychosis, which is why these symptoms are rarely identified until later in life. Less than a fifth of adults with psychosis said their parents recognized the early warning signs. Early on, symptoms of psychosis are subtle and reminiscent of those experienced in other psychiatric disorders, such as mood disorders (depression and/or anxiety). Symptoms of psychosis are characterized by a loss of touch with reality in one way or another, usually in the form of:

  • Delusional thoughts.
  • Auditory or visual hallucinations.
  • Disorganized or irrational thinking.

Many symptoms of psychosis develop slowly over time and become more severe during adulthood. Sometimes, they can be mistaken for normal teen behavior – such as typical teenage mood swings and irritability – and are ignored. And because these symptoms can come and go, even the more alarming symptoms might not be treated with severe concern at first.

Recognizing the Early Signs of Psychosis

The early signs of psychosis can generally be divided into three categories. The severity of a teen’s symptoms and how and when they occur can be integral to determining a proper diagnosis and finding the right treatment plan. These three categories include:

1. Hallucinations

Hallucinations are the perception of stimuli that are not real. They can be visual, auditory, olfactory, or tactile. We all know that the world as we perceive it results from how our brain filters information, but that information may be interpreted falsely for individuals with hallucinations. Hallucinations can range from mild and recurrent to intense and long-term. For example, they might constitute something as simple as seeing the wrong colors, feeling the touch of a person who is not there, or hearing faint voices in the back of one’s mind.

2. Disordered Thinking

Disordered or disorganized thinking is usually exhibited through strange or nonsensical speech and behavior, often either in racing and uncontrolled/intrusive thought or a flight of ideas. You find yourself jumping between topics and making connections between ideas where none exist. While hallucinations can confuse speech and thinking, disorganized thoughts are sometimes recognized as a separate type of psychosis characterized by stumbling speech and nonsensical word salads.

3. Delusions

Delusions, unlike hallucinations, are false thoughts and ideas rather than false stimuli and experiences. A deception might be an idea not supported by reality, but one you still believe in very firmly, separate from any cultural or subcultural influence. A common type is a delusion of grandeur, where you firmly believe you are far more influential and powerful than you are and begin to attribute random events to your ability (such as changes in the stock market or weather). People with psychosis can sometimes recognize that they are experiencing delusional thinking and become extremely agitated or anxious. They begin to doubt what is and is not absolute and express signs of paranoia and distrust.

What Causes Psychosis in Teens?

Exact causes for psychosis have not been identified, but research does suggest that these symptoms are often hereditary. Individuals with direct relatives who have experienced psychosis are far more likely than the average person to experience psychosis as well. Environmental factors compound this risk, including childhood trauma and stress. Prenatal conditions are also linked to psychosis, including maternal infection, prenatal malnutrition, a disrupted supply of oxygen during fetal development, and advanced paternal age.

Medical “Mimics” and Differential Diagnosis of Psychotic Symptoms

Psychosis is a symptom of a more significant disorder or condition, from psychotic disorders to medical conditions such as head trauma and brain tumors. These conditions include:

  • SCHIZOPHRENIA: Schizophrenia is characterized by long-term and recurring psychosis absent of other causes, alongside a significant impairment to a person’s everyday functioning. Teen schizophrenia may include more auditory hallucinations and fewer incidences of delusional or disordered thinking.
  • SCHIZOTYPAL PERSONALITY DISORDER: One of ten personality disorders recognized by the DSM, schizotypal personality disorder is characterized less by hallucinations and more by delusional and magical thinking and severe social anxiety.
  • SCHIZOAFFECTIVE DISORDER: Schizoaffective disorder is a combination of schizophrenic symptoms and severe mood disorder symptoms (depression and/or mania). Teens with schizophrenia can also experience mood disorder symptoms, but these are not expected always to accompany their psychosis. Teens with schizoaffective disorder, on the other hand, experience depression and/or mania with psychosis that comes and goes.
  • SCHIZOPHRENIFORM DISORDER: This is a short-term psychotic disorder, lasting less than six months and at least one month.
  • DELUSIONAL DISORDER: Delusional disorder is characterized by delusional thinking without other types of psychosis, signs of a personality disorder, or mood disorder symptoms. The defining symptom of a delusional disorder is intense paranoia.
  • BRIEF PSYCHOTIC DISORDER: Brief psychotic disorder has a total duration of about a month, with at least one symptom of psychosis. In rare cases, a brief psychotic disorder may occur more than once. This condition usually occurs immediately after an extremely stressful event.
  • SUBSTANCE-INDUCED PSYCHOSIS: Certain drugs can induce short-term psychotic episodes past their immediate psychoactive effects. These include hallucinogens like DMT and psilocybin, as well as marijuana and synthetic cannabinoids. Depending on the drug and individual differences, these symptoms can come and go over months or years.
  • UNDERLYING MEDICAL CONDITIONS: Head trauma, brain tumors, certain viral infections, multiple sclerosis, and brain disorders like Alzheimer’s can induce symptoms of psychosis. These medical conditions are considered by a professional when making a differential diagnosis for a teen’s psychosis.

Treatment Resistance Challenges and Solutions

Teens experiencing symptoms of psychosis will be reluctant to reveal that anything is wrong and might feel embarrassed or worried about the onset of their symptoms, especially if they do not know how or why psychotic disorders can develop. Some teens with developing psychotic symptoms might not want or think they need treatment and can be challenging to talk to. Early signs of psychosis can be like symptoms of common mood disorders, so teens will often be erratic, cold, or distant, prone to mood changes, and low or exceptionally high energy.

Parents should take note of their children’s behavior and speech. In cases where psychotic disorders run in the family, it might help set aside some time to discuss these disorders with a teen and let them know how they occur and that they can be treated. It is sporadic for symptoms of psychosis to develop spontaneously – they usually take time to mature, and most cases of schizophrenia, for example, are generally only professionally identified and diagnosed months or years after the onset of the earliest symptoms.

Through early detection and professional help, a teen with symptoms of psychosis can learn to separate their symptoms from normal and healthy patterns of thinking and lead a better life. In cases where these symptoms reveal a more long-term or even lifelong disorder, early and comprehensive care and regular contact with professionals can be the key to developing effective lifelong coping mechanisms.

Categories
Mental Health Personality Disorder

Teen Schizotypal Personality Disorder Symptoms, Risks & More

More than just an unusual state of mind, teens with schizotypal personality disorder display consistent maladaptive behavior and thinking. Teen schizotypal personality disorder is one of ten personality disorders recognized in the DSM-5. It is one of three eccentric-type personality disorders (alongside schizoid personality disorder and paranoid personality disorder). Personality disorders are mental health conditions defined by specific and unhealthy patterns of thinking.

Someone with a personality disorder displays consistent maladaptive behavior and thinking across different settings and circumstances. For someone to be diagnosed with a personality disorder, their behavior cannot be explained by culture, upbringing, substance use, or other diseases/conditions. Because personality disorders are often long-term or lifelong conditions, an early diagnosis and treatment plan is important.

What Is Teen Schizotypal Personality Disorder?

Teens with schizotypal personality disorder are prone to unusual thinking and behavior, but they rarely have symptoms of psychosis. This means that, while they may think and behave in odd ways, they aren’t prone to hallucinations or delusions. The characteristics revolve around strange behavior and bizarre or unusual beliefs. Schizotypal personality disorder shouldn’t be confused with a schizoid personality disorder, schizoaffective disorder, or schizophrenia.

Teen Schizotypal Personality Disorder Signs and Symptoms

Teens with a schizotypal personality disorder may appear incredibly eccentric in how they talk, in what they say, and in the things they do. Other personality disorders can also display eccentricity signs, but the abnormal or strange behavior in teens with a schizotypal personality disorder is a central element of the illness.

Schizotypal personality disorder is also characterized by severe social and communication issues and trouble maintaining or building relationships of any kind, from platonic to romantic. They may be extremely paranoid of others and display extreme social anxiety. While delusions and hallucinations are rare, teens with schizotypal personality disorder still interpret the world in odd ways while misinterpreting things so that they see unusual patterns in places where there aren’t any (especially with regards to themselves).

In other words, teens with a schizotypal personality disorder may be prone to seeing conspiracies everywhere and believing that certain events reinforce their strange world view, even when they should be doing the opposite. Their strange beliefs may (but don’t always) extend into superstitious thinking and other “magical thinking,” such as belief in the paranormal and the supernatural. Magical thinking is defined as believing your actions have an influence on unrelated events without changing the circumstances.

Some other signs and symptoms commonly associated with teen schizotypal personality disorder include:

    • Solitary lives
    • No close friends
    • Trouble with relationships
    • Ideas/delusions of reference
    • Social anxiety linked to extreme paranoia
    • Strange and odd beliefs, not reinforced by surrounding cultural beliefs

One of the difficulties in diagnosing a teen with this disorder is that it shares many similarities with other conditions, including social anxiety disorder, histrionic personality disorder, mood disorders, and other disorders on the schizophrenia spectrum. However, despite these similarities, there are defining combinations of symptoms that make it a unique condition in need of its own treatment type.

Teen Schizotypal Personality Disorder Risk Factors

Risk factors are circumstances that correlate with certain disorders and may cause them or are related to their cause. The more risk factors a teen displays, the higher the likelihood of diagnosis. Risk factors are usually either internal (heritability) or external (environmental factors). Heritability plays a significant role. Teens are much more likely to be diagnosed with the condition if someone they are closely related to has been diagnosed with similar or closely related personality disorders.

Relevant environmental risk factors tend to come from early childhood experiences. Experiences of abuse, emotional neglect, a cold or distant parent, and extreme or chronic childhood stress are more common in teens diagnosed. Other risk factors include being prematurely tasked with adult responsibilities, having a parent with magical/odd thinking, and a financially unstable background.

Diagnosis and Treatment Options

Diagnosis must be very in-depth and usually involves a lengthy mental health interview to identify possible symptoms, discern medical history, and rule out other potential causes, from different personalities to certain mood disorders, influencing factors, and drug use. There are self-tests, but these are meant to prompt teens and adults to visit a mental health professional for treatment rather than an adequate diagnosis.

An accurate diagnostic interview takes a teen’s behavior, thinking, and experiences into account as a whole before making an official diagnosis. Treatment for schizotypal personality disorder requires a long-term plan with professional help. Home remedies aren’t recommended because of how pervasive the illness can be, and it takes a long time to learn to recognize and manage symptoms.

Psychotherapy or talk therapy is the most effective way of tackling schizotypal personality disorder, usually in a specialized treatment setting such as inpatient or outpatient care. Cognitive-behavioral therapy and psychodynamic psychotherapy are two commonly used types of talk therapy for helping a teen identify and separate the symptoms of their disorder from other healthier ways of thinking and behaving.

Teen Schizotypal Personality Disorder and Other Disorders

While schizotypal personality disorder shouldn’t be confused with schizophrenia and schizoid personality disorder, it can be considered part of a larger schizophrenia spectrum. These are conditions characterized by a level of detachment from reality, symptoms of delusional thinking, and psychosis.

These disorders are more common than most people would think and are largely misunderstood. Psychotic behavior is not necessarily dangerous or violent. Most people struggling with disorders under this umbrella lead solitary lives and are seen or known to be odd, unusual, or eccentric. Delusions and ideas of reference are a common hallmark of these conditions.

Ideas of reference are a phenomenon wherein innocuous events are misinterpreted as somehow referring to oneself, driving, or reinforcing strange beliefs and conspiracies. They sign that the person experiencing them is fundamentally seeing the world differently (and not entirely accurate) way. These delusions can cause paranoia as the person experiencing them is convinced that they are correct and that everyone else is conspiring against them.

Getting Help

Schizotypal personality disorder, like other personality disorders, can be a long-term or lifelong diagnosis. Early diagnosis and treatment can help drastically improve a teen’s quality of life and reduce the disorder’s impact in later life. When tackling any condition, a professional and individually catered treatment plan is important.

Categories
Alcoholism

Teen Alcoholism Risk Factors, Treatment and Coping

American teens drink – and many of them drink quite a lot. Data from 2019 shows that about 29 percent of high school students drank alcohol in the past 30 days, while about 14 percent engaged in binge drinking, and at least 5 percent drove drunk. While these numbers are down significantly from past decades, they are not insignificant either.

Alcohol has a very long history in most human societies and is anthropologically one of the oldest psychoactive substances we have actively produced and consumed. Drinking is ingrained in many cultures as a social ritual, especially in the West. Our children grow up exposed to alcohol and drinking as an accepted and important part of adulthood and growing up.

It’s no wonder that they want to experiment with the drug as soon as possible, and it’s known that children tend to mirror their parents, even when it comes to drinking frequency. But exposure to alcohol at a young age can greatly increase the risk of teen alcoholism. The teenage brain is more prone to the addictiveness of any drug, and alcohol is no exception.

Early-onset of frequent drinking is a significant risk factor for drinking problems and a long-term alcohol use disorder. The data shows that the younger someone starts drinking, the faster they get addicted, and the more likely they are to continue to struggle with alcohol later in adulthood. However, other important risk factors can predict and contribute to teen alcoholism.

What Are the Risk Factors for Teen Alcoholism?

The risk factors for teen alcoholism and early teen alcohol use vary, but parental and peer influences are the most powerful. Parenting choices especially, particularly rules surrounding alcohol, were useful predictors for early-onset drinking in a study published by the American Academy of Pediatrics based on Australian data. But aside from parenting and environment, genetics also play a role. Teens and adults with a history of alcohol use disorder were also likely to have other family members with alcoholism.

Even when environmental factors are accounted for (i.e., growing up in another home), genetics still played a role in predisposition. This often means that someone with several cases of alcoholism in the family might develop an addiction to alcohol more quickly than their peers. This risk can potentially be measured through brain activity and even early childhood temperament. Associated and co-occurring mental health issues are another predictor for alcohol use disorder risk, as one can influence the other both behaviorally and neurologically.

For example, teens with diagnosed mood disorders and/or anxiety disorders were more likely to binge drink than their peers. Early-onset alcohol use was also linked to the likelihood of a conduct disorder. Other psychosocial risk factors also play a role. Early childhood experiences, trauma, abuse, and socioeconomic status are also linked to early-onset drinking and teen alcoholism.

Teen-Specific Treatment Options

Teen alcoholism treatment is typically centered around inpatient rehabilitation or outpatient support, often in the form of one-on-one and group therapy. Inpatient programs involve living in a specialized residence and receiving treatment, often alongside a group of other teens, with around-the-clock supervision and daily therapy. These programs are usually tailored towards teens with a severe alcohol program, who need to be reintroduced to sober life one step at a time.

Outpatient programs have teens visit an outpatient facility regularly for treatment and therapy while leading an everyday life at home. These programs are usually targeted towards teens who have a less severe alcohol addiction and can guide a structured life of their own through school and other obligations. PHP and IOP are in-between options that help teens whose circumstances prevent a complete inpatient or residential treatment program but need more supervision and guidance than a typical outpatient program might provide.

Separate yet from these programs are support groups, which come in all shapes and sizes. Support groups may or may not be part of the treatment process and are usually left to the patient’s discretion. Some specialists recommend certain support groups, while others suggest that recoverees seek safe spaces in general, ones that guarantee a drug-free, alcohol-free, and prejudice-free environment. Supplemental treatments include (but is not limited to):

    • Individual and family therapy.
    • Long-term support through friends, family, and the community.
    • Treatment for co-occurring mental health conditions (also known as a dual diagnosis).

Addiction treatment is always individualized. Every teen requires a unique approach tailored to their circumstances. For teens with a history of long-term alcohol use and addiction, any treatment program’s goal – whether inpatient or outpatient – is to treat the dependence and associated withdrawal symptoms and arm each teen with their own tailored toolkit to combat and prevent relapses.

However, treating addiction is about more than just one person. Teen alcoholism affects the entire family, the entire friend group, and sometimes, the entire community. There is a crucial social element to treating a person’s addiction that requires helping them integrate into everyday life, avoid relapses and triggers, and find their way back towards recovery in the case of deterioration.

Long-Term Support and Coping With Teen Alcoholism

The long-term healing process for teen alcoholism can be complex and may require patience on the family and friends’ recoveree. Addiction is a condition that changes the way behavior is rewarded and emphasized in the brain, to the point where old hobbies and healthier coping mechanisms pale in comparison to the urge to grab a drink.

Inpatient programs rely on a highly structured and regimented lifestyle to help teens break the behavioral grasp of addiction and introduce new and different activities and coping mechanisms. But it is friends and family that must continue to encourage those activities and coping mechanisms and help a teen get back onto their regimented schedule when things start to get tricky. No matter how a teen’s recovery is tackled, consistency, schedules, and a plan centered around long-term sobriety are important.

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