Addiction knows no boundaries and can affect individuals of all ages. According to the Amercian Society of Addiction Medicine, addiction is defined as a chronic brain disease that involves a short circuit in the brain motivation, memory, and reward circuitry. Unfortunately, addiction is rising among teenagers and parents are finding it difficult to know how to help.
According to information gleaned from their Monitoring the Future Study, the National Institute on Drug Abuse states substance abuse among teens seems to peek between the grade levels of tenth to twelfth with percentages ranging from 30 to 40%. Even with DARE programs in place since 1983, drug use continues to be a societal problem that digs its claws into youth beginning as early as middle school. It is imperative parents, caregivers, and school officials understand the warning signs of drug and alcohol addiction and the different types so they can help teens receive the treatment they need.
Substance abuse related – Tobacco, street drugs, prescription drugs, alcohol
Behavioral related- Food, sex, gambling, pornography, video games, exercise, work
Teens can become addicted to substances and have behavioral addictions at the same time. When they are experiencing both, the confines of their disease increase and can lead to complete meltdowns. Individuals can experience multiple addictions that are all interrelated in some form or fashion, making each one increasingly difficult to overcome.
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Turning Winds Academy is a troubled teen boarding school is made up of a staff-community that is made up of professionals who specialize in both academic and therapeutic treatments.Together, both academic and therapeutic staff are focused on..
While most teens will not become addicted from their first hit or sip, continued drug and alcohol abuse changes the way the brain operates, leading to addiction. While many teens begin to use drugs and alcohol because of peer pressure, some teens end up continuing to use as a coping mechanism to deal with the stress and anxiety they experience on a day to day basis.
Often, teens lack the coping skills they need to deal with day to day life which can cause them to be more susceptible to addiction. All too frequently, teens have an underlying mental health condition that can further exacerbate their addiction.
Family – A teen’s home life and their family have a big impact on their susceptibility to addiction. A family history of substance abuse seems to play a vital role in addiction as well.
Friends – A teen’s social circle can have an even greater impact on their substance abuse risks. Hanging with the wrong crowd can lead to drug and alcohol experimentation.
Early use – When a teen uses drugs at an early age, they are more likely to become addicted. Those who use drugs in their early teens are more likely to advance to harder drugs and alcohol as they grow older.
Modus of use – Studies have proven injecting or smoking a substance allows it to enter the brain within seconds which can create an intense high that fades quickly, leading teens to attempt to reproduce that feeling by using again and again.
Drastic and unexplained changes in personality or behavior
Deterioration in physical appearance and grooming
Shaking, slurred speech, tremors
Bloodshot eyes
Strange smells on their person in or their room
Isolation or withdrawing from friends, family and activities once enjoyed
Sudden mood changes that can become violent
Periods of intense hyperactivity or agitation
Periods of being “spaced out”
Lack of motivation
Getting into frequent trouble with authority figures at school, home, and in the public
Once a parent has learned their teen is dealing with drug or alcohol addiction, it is imperative they do all they can to understand the disease so they can be there for their child. The symptoms a teen goes through can be far-reaching and devastating.
Teens who are addicted may experience the following symptoms:
It is imperative individuals realize there is treatment for drug addiction but it is not always easy to overcome. Unfortunately, willpower alone will not be able to curb the compulsive desire to use. It takes a concerted effort to overcome the constraints associated with addiction so teens can be set free.
Common forms of addiction treatment include:
Turning Winds is an inpatient treatment program that treats teens between the ages of 13-18. This therapeutic boarding school focuses on providing teens with cognitive behavioral therapy and an eclectic array of treatment forms to help teens overcome the boundaries that are preventing them from being free of their addictions.
Turning Winds understands how frightening it can feel to find out a child is addicted. They focus on the five pillars of change which are character education and life skills, health and wellness, outdoor education, therapeutic success, and academic achievement. Here, troubled teens and their families can begin to heal from the devastation of addiction. Turning Winds helps mend what has been broken because of the disease of addiction.
Contact Us: 800-845-1380
https://www.turningwinds.com/Sober-Living-Homes-for-Troubled-Teens/
Turning Winds is a residential treatment center for troubled teens that offers professional clinical services as a “next-step” aftercare program for recovering addicts. Nestled in the beautiful mountains of Montana, Turning Winds is a resid..
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Our mission is to rescue teens from crisis, renew their belief in their own potential and reunite them with their family and a sustainable path of success.
31733 S Fork Yaak Rd Troy, MT 59935
Phone: 800-845-1380
International: 208-267-1500
Fax: 888-892-4568
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