Category: Uncategorized

Holiday Blues

The holidays are supposed to be a time for family gatherings, vacations, and giving. However, for many people, teens included, it can be the most stressful time of the year. For teens that are depressed, the holidays can be a nightmarish experience. Unrealistic expectations of merriment and cheer are met with disappointment and alienation. Many teens use this time of the year for binge drinking. Furthermore, suicide rates tend to increase in the winter months. Some feel the financial strain of gift giving, not being able to afford presents for family and friends. Phony revelry and bright lights can only make matters worse.

With this in mind, try to remember the real meaning of the holidays. If you know a teen or someone who is depressed, let them know that they are not alone. If someone is obviously not in the spirit, don’t impose upon them to join in the celebration. Simply, try to talk to them and see if there is anything you can do to help. Remind them that the season will pass and life will return to relative normalcy.

Zippers are a new trend in the teen drinking world. They are individual gelatin shots that have the same appearance as the Jell-O snacks that teens often bring to school. Although zippers are 24-proof (12% alcohol by volume) they come in packaging that seems as if it is marketed to teens or younger children. This makes it very easy for teens to sneak zippers into school with them.

Zippers are manufactured by Zippers Co. of the Netherlands. The idea is to capitalize on the homemade Jell-O shots that have become so popular in recent years. Zippers come packaged in the same way as common children’s snacks like Jell-O and pudding. The lid has a warning label that alcohol is in the product, but when the lid is removed it is impossible to tell the difference between Zippers and their non-alcoholic twin Jell-O if you are just looking at them. When the lid is removed the only way to differentiate a Zipper from Jell-O is to eat it.

Many teens today are using these unsuspecting drinks to consume alcohol right under the noses of their parents and teachers. Because teachers can not tell the difference between Zippers and Jell-O, teens are bringing them into school lunchrooms. Parents and schools need to be aware of these new alcoholic beverages because they are easy to miss.

December 14, 2007

Dear Visions Staff,

I am writing to thank you for your efforts with my son, Chris. He has been home for a month now and is doing so well. When I say “doing so well” I am not just talking about getting back in school, following his treatment plan and being SO much easier to get along with, although all of these things are true. What I mean is that he is doing well and he really wants to do well. His perspective on his life and his desire to build a future of possibility based on the work of today is inspiring.

His understanding of his challenges as an addict in recovery and what that means seems deep seated; he is going to NA meetings and calling his sponsor daily, he has a home group and a service commitment in it, he attended an H&I; meeting so he can help other kids once he has 6 months. He has been doing all these things without much prompting from me. He seems to accept that all of the privileges he had will come back in the fullness of time, believe me patience was not a hallmark of Chris’ behavior in the past, he has not pressed me or had a fit of temper since coming home.

He started classes back at school this week, and we are, of course, still doing IOP treatment, that meant that on several days he had school from 8-3:15, IOP from 4-6 and then asked to go to a meeting from 7-8, got home and then did his homework! He has not complained (okay, maybe a little whine, but not much) he said “this is just what I have to do now, it won’t last forever”. He only has a few more weeks on the IOP (two hour groups, three times a week) and we will scale back to one individual session a week. The regular NA meetings we know will just become a part of a clean and sober life style.

I do not know what the future will bring, I understand that addiction can come back on us with a vengeance. My son’s life is his own now and he has a chance to meet it with a clear mind and the knowledge of his condition. He has a fighting chance. Visions delivered, I am so grateful. I am so happy to have my son back! Christmas is coming in a couple of weeks, I will not have to spend it wondering where my son is, or if he is safe; is there a better present? If there is ever anything we can do to help the continued realization of Visions’ vision, please feel free to contact us.

I would be happy to talk with parents considering treatment for their children.

What is addiction? What is its purpose? How am I, as a non-addict qualified to talk about it? These were some of the questions I struggled with when I first started my employment here at Visions Adolescent Treatment Center. I was first hired as a Program Aide almost two years ago. As days and months passed by, I started realizing that addiction not only applies to drug and alcohol addiction but to all areas of life. Addiction in my view, applies to any unhealthy behavior that consumes ones life and leaves the soul ill-equipped to confront its true desire and goals. Is it not that any mental obsession, a psychological compulsion or any physiological or historical disarray that has not been confronted can qualify as an addiction?

It is difficult to comprehend this disease, for there are no true physical evidences that can pinpoint its terrible effects. And yet, everyday I witness the struggle amongst the adolescents that walk through Visions Adolescent Treatment Center. These young adults have, at times spent most of their lives being addicts and not knowing that it is affecting their dreams. For most of them, they have no idea what their dreams are even made of. Upon entering this treatment center, they are faced with answering questions that puts into perspective their unhealthy belief system. This is one of the most heart-breaking and rewarding parts of this job. It is a challenge to watch these kids break down and cry and slowly try to put themselves back together. The only thing one can do is be there for them and guide them through their true self-discovery.

I have now the title of an educator at Visions. This position entails the responsibility of inspiring the residents to include their education as part of that foundation that they are rebuilding. It is difficult at times. Amongst the insurmountable assortments of character defects and psychological behaviors that they are facing, the last thing on their mind seems to be education. And yet, somehow I have to install in them the understanding that obtaining an education is in a way gaining freedom from our own formless and bored mind. Which at times is what steers so many of these young adults into drugs and alcohol. It is not an easy task, although the attempt has been the one thing that has kept me going.

With time passing, within the required stay of 45 days minimum, some residents realize the depths of their addiction; some understand the sadness of letting go of their drug of choice, which to them is their love at the time. There are also the ones that discover the gift of learning who they truly are and how to learn to be ok with who they are.

Working here has allowed me the opportunity to reiterate how I confront challenges in life through love, honesty, patience and forgiveness. It is reminding the kids that we do not know how to live life at times, but what makes it ok not to know is the wisdom we gain from our mistakes, our defeats and our own accomplishments. At last in my understanding, addiction needs not to be only with drugs and alcohol but the distorted mind process that inhabits the crevices of our thought process.

I grew up in Jesus, America. It was perfect if you wanted to drink beer and watch football, but as for great live music, my friends and I suffered. Don’t get me wrong, The Flaming Lips are fantastic, but they didn’t count. They lived downtown. We needed someone, anyone to bring it on down home and rarely, if ever did it happen. I made a promise to myself during those years that if I ever had the opportunity to see my heroes on a regular basis that I would let nothing stand in my way. When I moved to Los Angeles in 2001, I was ecstatic. Every Thursday the Weekly would have pages and pages of new show announcements. What a world I would create!

Fast-forward 3 years and I was bottoming out in the big ‘ol city barely hanging on to my sanity and sleeping mostly in my car. The party was over. Thankfully, I was able to admit that it was over and through the 12 steps I got sober. One of the many uncountable gifts of my recovery is that after all these years I am able to finally see those musicians I used to play air-guitar to in my bedroom. I know it seems small, but its my favorite thing. Some people knit afghans. I love live music. Thanks Bill W.

Being a tech

I thought that working at the teen drug treatment center visions would be easy when I first started working there because I am an alumni. I know what it’s like to be an adolescent in treatment. However, it was more difficult than I thought. I had to tell the kids what to do and they did not always want to listen to me. Sometimes they saw me as just another kid who was just little bit older than they were. I learned to work being their age to my advantage. As time went on, I learned how to be of helpful and enforce the rules in a way they could understand me. They no longer rejected me because I was too young. The best thing I had going for me was that I was an alumni and that I could understand what they were going through because I had done the same things when I was a resident in teen drug treatment. After more and more time went by, I was able to gain the respect and trust of the residents. I was there to help and not boss them around.

Now that I have been working at Visions for a while, the problem never comes up about my age. I am older now. I’ve learned a lot through my work and life experience. I am glad that I don’t have to be in teen drug treatment or go through that uncomfortable stage of my work experience anymore but if I had to do it all over again, I would!

I never thought it would happen to me. I never thought that I’d become a teen addict. In fact, I never saw myself even touching drugs or alcohol. I’d watch my parents drinking and be disgusted by their behavior. I was a straight ‘A’ student, I was on the cross-country team, I played soccer, and I played the piano. In other words, I was your typical sweet and innocent “goody-two-shoes” kind of girl.
But, I grew up with the feeling that I never fit in. I always felt as if I was on the outside looking in. So, when I got to high school, I decided that I was going to become “popular” and do whatever I had to do to fit in. At the age of fifteen I was introduced to drugs for the first time. The first time I got high, I felt an utter sense of relief. I finally felt like I fit in; I felt like I was finally ‘a part of’. The drugs made me who I thought I always wanted to be. I could be loud and outgoing, I could dance, and I could be the life of the party. But, things went downhill, and they went downhill fast. By the age of sixteen I was dating a drug dealer and was in lost in this world of drugs. Soon, my life revolved around using. Everything else came second. By senior year, I was missing so much school, that I almost didn’t graduate high school.
Two months before graduation, I had gone into a drug-induced psychosis. Not knowing what was wrong with me, my parents took me to the emergency room. The next day, I began an outpatient program. It was at that treatment center where I learned about the disease of addiction, and I was able to admit that I was definitely an addict. But, at that age (I was seventeen at the time), I did not think I was ready to get clean. I had to go back out and use for another couple years before I came back and got sober. But, I am very grateful for what I learned in that teen treatment center, for had I not gone there, I don’t know if I ever would have realized the true extent of my problem.
I am twenty-two now and I’ve been sober for almost two years. Since then, my life has changed dramatically. I am able to handle my feelings without having to numb myself with drugs or alcohol. I am able to experience life the way it was meant to be experienced. I feel better about myself than I have ever felt in my entire life. Through being in recovery, I have been able to look at where my negative sense of self originated and have been able to heal from that and begin a new life. Today, I am back to being a good student. I got back into running and am working towards running a marathon. Not only have I picked up my old passions again, but I have also found new hobbies, such as painting, meditation, or hiking.
My life today is amazing, and it gets better as each day passes.

I have been working at Visions Adolescent Treatment Center for about one and half years. I began my career as a Program Aide at the residential facility, and am now a Classroom Supervisor at the intensive outpatient program. Visions has helped me learn much about teen addiction and the teen recovery process in both types of treatment setting.

At the residential treatment program my job was to supervise the teens, help them self-administer medicine, and assist them with daily activities (i.e. school work, lunch etc.) I would be with the teens at every waking moment… literally. It was very enjoyable yet stressful at times. Sometimes they showed lack of respect toward authority. However, for the most part they are all great kids. After talking with them, and learning much about teen addiction I began to understand their lack of respect and rebellious actions. To some of them we were “adopted parents” for lack of better words. Thus, we were the vectors for the kids anger. I suppose I would be on edge too if I lived in house with the 10 other teens, and had someone telling me what I could and could not do at all times. I began to further understand and respect then as time went on. I left the Visions residential program with a clear picture what it was like to live at teen treatment centers, and a almost clear view of what it is like to be a teen addict.

Currently, I work at one of the Visions teen intensive outpatient programs as a Classroom Supervisor. Here my job is to make sure the kids are working on things they are supposed to be and not looking at inappropriate things on-line, helping then with school work, and disciplining as necessary. I thoroughly enjoy working here, because I get to interact with the kids more. Here they have more freedom, and are able to live a more “normal” life, meaning they get to live at home, drink coffee, go on dates, etc. Generally speaking, they are in better moods here. Also, they appear more “real” here, and not doing/saying things just to escape the clutches is inpatient. I love seeing the kids grow and progress in the their recovery.

Being a witness to both sides of teen treatment centers has given me much insight and respect for teens who are suffering/recovering from teen drug addiction. I cannot imagine being addicted drugs as a teenager. The kids have given me a window into that world. Furthermore, the staff at Visions Adolescent Treatment Center are all great roll models for the kids, and 99.9% of the time calm, cool and collected dealing with any issues. I am pleased and honored to be working for such a remarkable establishment.

Growing up with everything a kid could ever want. I never would have predicted I would become a teen drug addict and a teen alcoholic. I came from a good family and a sheltered environment. When things got rough at an early age I didn’t know how to deal with life. I turned to the one thing I promised myself I would never do, drugs. Some of my friends experimented with drugs and could stop. I was different. I couldn’t stop and I knew I had a problem. My problem rapidly began to tear me and my family apart and my parents sent me to teen rehab. They told me I was a drug addict. I didn’t believe it fit my criteria. I thought a drug addict had to be old or homeless. I was wrong. I learned what an addict was and I was told that I had to get sober, free of all substances. As a teenager I thought I was too young. All of my friends that were my age could take a sip of alcohol at a party and be fine, I couldn’t. This was devastating to me. At first I didn’t want to deal with having a different lifestyle than people my age, never being able to party again. But what I didn’t realize was that there was a large community of people my age doing the same thing. Hundreds of young people who were drug addicts and alcoholics getting sober, some of them had been thru teen drug treatment. All of us getting back on track and doing it together. At first it was hard and at times it still is. But, getting sober was the best thing I could have ever done for myself. I know I have endless opportunities ahead of me. Im the same as every other young person, I just don’t drink and use drugs.

Maggie F.

The use of Salvia Divinorum by teens entering teen drug treatment centers is becoming more common. Salvia Divinorum is a potent hallucinogen. Its effects on teen drug abusers have been compared to LSD. Salvia is a member of the sage family, and is a powerful psychoactive drug. Salvia can be chewed but is most commonly smoked as it produces a stronger effect. When smoked its effects last from five to ten minutes. “This shorter high is attractive to a teen that is trying to get high between classes or while in their bedroom…” Says a teen drug treatment client. This is a much shorter time span than other hallucinogens, but the effect has been described as having the same intensity. The effects of salvia range from a mild sense of wellbeing to a full on psychedelic trip that can cause a complete disconnection between the user and reality.
The surprising fact about Salvia is that it is one hundred percent legal in every country except Australia. This includes all US states. Because Salvia is legal it is commonly sold in cigar shops, all natural stores, and over the Internet. Salvia is also fairly cheap.This makes Salvia extremely accessible to teenagers. Teenagers are able to walk into the smoke shop and purchase this strong psychedelic drug with no imposing consequences. Because of these factors Salvia is extremely appealing to teens that cannot legally buy alcohol or do drugs.
While it is impossible to overdose on Salvia there are still many dangers involved in using the drug. Most teenagers smoke Salvia with marijuana making the act illegal. Salvia has also been known to cause depression post use. This was most highly publicized in the case of Brett Chidester, a 17-year-old student from Delaware, who reportedly killed himself after using Salvia. Although these risks do exist there has been no legislation passed to make Salvia illegal. This makes a dangerous drug available to teenagers everywhere. Tt is expected that the cases of young people entering teen drug treatment will rise as long as this drug is so readily available to them.