Substance Abuse Amongst Teens

Everyone remembers their teenage years. There are memories of laughter and tears, sneaking out at nighttime, stolen kisses and broken hearts. Friends and promises are made while tradeoffs are negotiated between schoolwork and socialising. Friends and fun can become the centre of the world for some in their formative years. For other individuals, teenage memories are darker.

The Rise of Teen Substance Abuse

Drug and alcohol abuse feature heavily in the life of many adolescents. The use of drugs and alcohol as social lubricants begins in teenage years and can become a lifelong problem if left untreated.

Have you ever woken up not remembering what happened the night before? Most of us have had a few big nights in our lives where we’ve had a little too much to drink. Imagine waking up with that feeling once a month, once a week, twice a week, even every day.

The perpetual state of a foggy head, a sore body and regret is felt far more often by a substance abuser than a recreational user. The occasional drink isn’t classified as alcohol abuse; it’s commonly considered a right of passage for most teens. Similarly, dabbling in the occasional drug doesn’t make the user an abuser. Recreational drinking and drug using behaviour becomes substance abuse when it negatively affects the individual. These effects are physical, psychological and social.

Teenage Drug and Alcohol Abuse

Teenagers caught in the cycle of alcohol abuse may not recognise that they have a problem. In fact, they may simply be acting in the same way that they see others in their peer group behaving. Their social drinking can seem normal in the context of house parties and binge drinking amongst friends.

Alcohol abuse will begin to differentiate them from their friends when the abuser starts needing to drink to have fun, or to ease discomfort in social situations. Alcohol appears to make life easier for the abuser, but it is actually making them dependant on substances to enjoy life.

Teen drug abusers find themselves in a similar situation. Drugs that provide an escape from the pressure and awkwardness of being a teenager and from the pressures of school and home life can become habit forming. Some teens find themselves drawn into drugs through social situations or others may use them to escape everyday life. It’s difficult to differentiate between use and abuse of drugs and alcohol, but dependency on either is substance abuse.

We still don’t know whether it’s genetic programming, life circumstances or a combination of the two, that lead teens into dangerous use of alcohol and drugs.

Treatment for Teen Substance Abusers

However, there is help for teenagers who are stuck in a cycle of substance abuse. Psychological and medical intervention are the key to successful long term remission of substance abuse.

Treatment centres have the potential to improve life outcomes for teens. These facilities bring together all the necessary components to ensure comprehensive recovery for teens who are caught in destructive patterns of substance abuse.

Early Intervention for Substance Abusers

Treatment centres allow teens and their loved ones to receive treatment for drug and alcohol abuse. Without treatment, teens have the potential to grow into adults with substance abuse problems. As the abuse continues the patterns of behaviour become further ingrained in the individual’s concept of who they are. When a teenager’s identity revolves around being a drug or alcohol abuser, they become an adult who identifies as a substance abuser. Early intervention allows the teen to develop a well rounded concept of self during these years of identity crisis. Treatment centres assist with early intervention for drug and alcohol abusers.

Drug and alcohol abuse are not individual problems. Even if the abuser feels alone, even if they have isolated themselves in an attempt to hide their problems, they are connected to others. Substance abuse affects the family and friends of the individual, probably more then they realise.

The Slippery Slope of Substance Use and Abuse

Mood changes are only one aspect of the signs of substance abuse. Financial problems can also arise from the abuse. Many teenagers have after school jobs and can pay for their habits themselves but others rely on sneaking money from their parents purses. Cheques can be forged; objects from the family home can be pawned as drugs or alcohol become more important than people.

If you are the parent of a teen who is abusing drugs or alcohol then you can be the catalyst for change. Taking your child to a treatment centre offers them a lifeline and a way out of the cycle they’re stuck in.

It’s important to know that it is not your fault as a parent, you have not failed. You also can’t deal with the problem on your own. Teens need the specialist help and advice that they can receive from the counsellors and health care professionals at these facilities. Treatment centres offer support to drug and alcohol abusers and their families.

Substance abuse can be treated and teenagers can be educated so that they can become nondependent on drugs and alcohol and live their lives happily.

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