As parents, it’s hard to watch your child suffer, but it’s even harder to watch them needlessly suffer at the hands of addiction. If your teen is abusing drugs, you’re probably feeling alone and helpless, but there is hope. Entering your teen into a drug detox and addiction treatment program can ease the grip addiction has on your teen and teach your teen how to live a life free of drugs. Detox will flush your teen’s body of all residual drug toxins so they no longer experience the unwanted effects of their drug use. Undergoing drug detox at a drug rehab can provide the additional treatment necessary to help your teen finally maintain sobriety.
Teen Drug Detox: Having the Talk
According to Drugfree.org, only 10 percent of the estimated 1.4 million teens with substance abuse problems receive treatment. Don’t let your child be another sad statistic. It’s hard to have a conversation about your teen’s drug use and even harder to suggest drug rehab. Your teen, like any drug addict, will probably become angry and defensive and refuse treatment. Don’t let this deter you from getting your child the help that he or she needs. Before you broach the subject, call a drug addiction treatment center that specializes in teens and young adults and ask them how to begin the conversation. The treatment center’s counselors understand the unique issues your teen faces and can give you guidance. In some instances, they may suggest an intervention. If this is the case, you’ll be walked through the process and will have a team of people waiting for your teen at the drug detox center to help your child through the treatment.
Teen Drug Detox: What to Expect
Drug detox is the same for teens as it is for adults. Your teen will enter a detoxification program that will remove all traces of drugs from their system. During the first stage of detox, your child will experience physical and psychological withdrawal symptoms. The nature and severity of these withdrawal symptoms vary greatly depending on the type of drug your teen uses and the frequency of use. But even teens that are severely drug dependent will be able to detox safely and relatively comfortably under the supervised care of trained addiction specialists.
The second stage of teen drug detox will be to enter your teen into an addiction treatment program for 30 to 90 days. Most drug detox centers simply provide treatment to avoid physical withdrawal symptoms, but detox alone is not a treatment and is not effective in preventing relapse. If you’re serious about your teen’s recovery, you should find a drug detox center that incorporates counseling and therapy during and after the detoxification process to help your teen with the psychological components of their addiction. Most drug treatment programs offer a combination of 12-step programs, educational counseling and cognitive-behavioral therapy. In addition to these traditional treatment methods, many drug treatment programs also offer alternative methods of treatment. These highly effective alternative treatments include holistic treatments that address a person’s entire well-being, including their physical health, mental health, and spiritual health. Some of the most popular treatments for drug addiction are acupuncture, massage (for an additional cost)therapy, yoga, Chinese medicine, and more.
Another thing to consider when choosing a teen drug detox center is if they offer dual diagnosis treatment. According to a 2009 study, an estimated 70 percent of teens suffer from undiagnosed clinical depression. Oftentimes teens and young adults will turn to drugs as a way to cope with an underlying mood or personality disorder, such as depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), etc. Dual diagnosis treatment will simultaneously treat both the addiction and the underlying disorder so that full recovery is possible.
Teen Drug Detox: Get Help Today
If your teen is abusing drugs or alcohol, you’re not alone. There are treatment centers and counselors who specialize in treating addiction in teens and young adults. Don’t let addiction destroy your child’s life any longer. Call a teen drug rehab today and ask how detoxification and addiction treatment can put your teen back on the right path.
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