Teen drug use often arises from underlying risk factors such as stress, trauma, parental influence, and peer influence. Treating a substance use disorder involves addressing both substance abuse and a teen’s emotional well-being through a comprehensive and holistic treatment approach. Seeking professional guidance from specialized centers like Visions Treatment Centers ensures that teens receive the care they need for their journey.
As a concerned parent, you may be alarmed by the prospect of your teen experimenting with drugs, which can rapidly progress from casual use to dependency, severely affecting their health, education, and social life.
Recognizing the signs of teen drug use early is essential to intervening early through open communication, support at home, and teen substance abuse treatment with mental health professionals.
Taking swift action can lead to successful recovery and help your teen regain a healthy trajectory. This guide explores everything you need to know about teen drug use and recovery, equipping you with the knowledge to support your child effectively.
Teen Drug Use and Recovery
Teen drug use can have severe consequences for physical and mental health, as well as academic and social functioning. Successful recovery from substance abuse doesn’t happen overnight.
Treatment plans often require comprehensive familial support, long-term counseling and therapy, and a dedicated commitment to recovery. Here’s what concerned parents need to know about teen drug use and recovery:
Signs and Symptoms of Teen Drug Use
When teens use drugs under the same roof as the rest of their family, the signs are usually obvious and become harder to hide with time.
Inhalants, vapes, cigarettes, alcohol, and weed have distinct scents and can seep into clothes. There are physical and behavioral signs of certain forms of drug use, including bloodshot eyes, insomnia, or slurred speech.
Drug paraphernalia, from wrapping papers to injection kits, is often a dead giveaway of secretive drug abuse. Furthermore, parents should watch out for changes in personality and mood, including severe mood shifts, irritability, and depression.
Common Causes of Teen Drug Use
Substance use disorders can rarely be tied to a single specific cause. A teen’s susceptibility to a drug’s addictive potential, their resistance to the drug’s effects, their attitude towards drugs and drug use, their resilience against peer pressure, and the circumstances surrounding their continued substance use all contribute to the beginning and continuation of teen drug use.
According to the CDC, the most common risk factors identified with underage drug addiction include family history of substance use, parental attitudes towards drug use, poor parental monitoring, parental drug use, low academic achievement, childhood sexual abuse, mental health issues, family rejection of sexual orientation or gender identity, association with delinquent peers, and lack of school connectedness.
Talking with Your Teen About Drugs
Given the ease of access to information through the Internet and pop culture, it’s reasonable to assume that your teen knows about drugs like weed, alcohol, and even certain prescription drugs before you would think to discuss these with them. Ask them what they know and screen their knowledge and understanding about the dangers of drug use.
Then, talk to them about your values, expectations, and boundaries regarding their drug interactions. Teens will mirror what they know and see – if their parents smoke and drink, they’re a lot more likely to smoke and drink as well. But if they know their parents strongly disapprove of smoking and drinking and know about the dangers of tobacco and alcohol use, then they’re also less likely to start drinking or smoking at an early age. Be sure your teen knows where you stand, especially with regard to teen or underage drug use.
If you suspect that your teen is taking drugs, then your first step should always be to talk to them about it. Without any physical evidence of drug use, your best bet is to infer potential drug use due to changes in behavior. Talking to your teen gives them a chance to come clean or explain why they’ve been acting strange lately. If your teen admits drug use or if it’s clear that they’ve been using drugs, then discuss treatment.
It’s easy to judge or lecture a teen with substance use problems, but addiction and drug use are complex. The factors around a teen’s drug use are often such that you can’t singularly blame their poor decision-making, and turning a vulnerable moment into a time for judgment can break down important bridges of communication between you and your teen at a crucial time for them.
Seeking Professional Help: When and How
There is a line between drug use and drug addiction, but that line is often irrelevant for teens. Underage drug use – or even early adult drug use – can be much more dangerous than single instances of drug use in a person’s late 20s or early 30s.
A developing brain reacts differently to addictive drugs, and teens who start using drugs at an earlier age – including alcohol and nicotine – are more likely to struggle with addiction and other forms of substance use.
If you know your teen has been using drugs, then it’s essential to talk to them about professional help. A professional assessment is an important first step. Many addiction treatment facilities start with a comprehensive assessment of a teen’s mental and physical health to better determine the circumstances around their addiction and settle on an appropriate treatment approach.
The Recovery Process: What to Expect
Teen addiction treatment usually begins with complete detoxification and treatment of withdrawal symptoms, followed by intensive medical and psychiatric care to help address a person’s well-being in the coming weeks and months. Addiction leaves both the body and mind in a critically fragile state, and it’s essential to work on rebuilding one’s self-esteem and non-addictive coping capabilities to prepare for a life without drugs.
After an initial treatment program, most teens are encouraged to continue to invest in their mental well-being by staying in touch with other people in recovery, continuing to go to therapy, and adhering to any psychiatric or medical guidelines, such as medication.
Aftercare programs help match teens to therapists or support groups that provide long-term treatment. Support from friends and family is also important, especially for preventing relapses or addressing relapses with professional support.
Teen Substance Abuse Treatment
Teen substance abuse is a critical issue that affects not only the individual but also their family and community. Visions Adolescent Treatment Centers specializes in compassionate, comprehensive treatment programs for teens struggling with substance abuse, utilizing a blend of therapy, education, and family involvement.
Discover a supportive environment where your teen can learn, grow, and recover, surrounded by experts dedicated to their well-being.
Contact Visions Treatment Centers in Southern California today to see how we can help guide your teen toward a healthier, substance-free future.
Conclusion
Parents play a crucial role in recognizing the signs of drug use, fostering open communication, and guiding their teens toward recovery.
By seeking professional guidance and employing holistic treatment approaches, such as those offered by specialized centers like Visions Treatment Centers, parents can support their teen’s journey through the challenges of teen drug use and recovery.
