The teenage years are supposed to be a carefree period, where young people dream big and enjoy friends and family. Sadly, it doesn’t always work out that way. Some teens fall into the trap of substance abuse and spend time coping with drug dependence.
Teen drug dependence requires action. The longer it goes unaddressed, the greater the risk that the problem will persist into adulthood. And that’s when the stakes get much higher for everyone involved — including society.
Getting a young person into treatment for drug dependence requires vigilance and understanding. Every parent needs to be on the lookout for the signs of drug dependence to be able to steer their child toward the right resources for treatment and long-term recovery. If you’re seeking drug addition treatment for a teen you love, please contact our North Carolina treatment center at 866.300.5275 today.
What is Drug Addiction?
Doctors prescribe pharmaceuticals to address specific purposes within the body. When you have a headache, you take iBuprofen, and the pain dissipates.
But when you abuse drugs, you’re shifting functions in the brain entirely. It’s almost as if you are rewriting a recipe with a different ingredient. Your brain comes to depend on that ingredient. When the ingredient is an intoxicating substance such as cocaine, heroin, or alcohol, you have the makings of an addiction.
The challenge comes in trying to reverse that dependence. When you stop supplying the drugs or alcohol, your body reacts physically. You begin a period of withdrawal.
Withdrawal symptoms can be unpleasant and potentially even fatal. When you are at this point, you require treatment for drug dependence.
5 Signs of Drug Dependence in Teens
Knowing the signs of drug dependence is crucial. Here are five of the most common warning signs of drug dependence in teens:
- Outward physical changes: Problems with hygiene, weight loss, bloodshot eyes, shaky hands, or other symptoms
- Isolation: Walking away from long-time friends or joining a new group of friends
- Extreme mood swings: Anger, hostility, anxiety, depression
- Sleeping too much or unable to sleep
- Challenges to authority, breaking the rules, plummeting grades
You know your child the best. Trust your instincts. If something strikes you as just not right, it may be time to get help.
Taking on Teen Drug Dependence
Unwinding the painful impacts of drug dependence requires professional support. Young minds are fragile, and the problem is too complicated to try to solve on your own. But what can you expect from treatment?
Ultimately, the experience is different for everyone. But the stages are universal, and they include:
- Intake: Doctors will do a full medical and psychological assessment to establish how healthy your teen is.
- Planning: Information from the assessment flows into a comprehensive treatment plan that serves as your teen’s guide through rehab.
- Detox: Most often, the first step in addressing drug dependence is a period in detox, where your teen steps down from their addiction under the supervision of doctors who address withdrawal symptoms.
- Counseling: Teen drug dependence requires time one-on-one with a therapist who specializes in addiction medicine. Your teen will also use group therapy and other treatment options.
- Aftercare: A high percentage of graduates from treatment relapse in their first year; the resources of aftercare, such as ongoing counseling, to reduce the risk of a relapse.
Treatment of drug dependence requires strength and commitment. But rest easy knowing that facilities such as Foothills at Red Oak have helped thousands of young people find their way back to sobriety.
Get the Right Help at Foothills at Red Oak Recovery
Teenage drug dependence threatens promising young lives. If a close friend or someone in your family shows signs of teen drug dependence, consider encouraging them to seek treatment from Foothills at Red Oak Recovery or another rehab center in your community. The staff at Foothills at Red Oak Recovery® focuses on compassionate treatment for boys between the ages of 14 and 17. Our services are geared toward helping teens through treatment for drug and alcohol abuse. Our treatment programs include:
- Alcohol addiction treatment
- Heroin addiction treatment
- Cocaine addiction treatment
- Opioid addiction treatment
- Benzo addiction treatment
Reach a counselor today by contacting Foothills at Red Oak at 866.300.5275 and set up an initial consultation.
