Drug and alcohol abuse is an epidemic among young people. It’s no wonder. Substance abuse takes over the lives of adults, too. There are over 22,000 fatal prescription drug overdoses in the United States each year. Some of those victims are young people. While these statistics can be terrifying for a parent, they can also be the catalyst for quickly recognizing a substance abuse problem and taking loving action to intervene before it’s too late.
Programs like the one found at Ocean Breeze Recovery specialize in identifying and treating substance abuse problems with compassion and expertise in the field. They’ve encountered troubled youth before and they know what works for them and what doesn’t. Parents find great hope when they turn to these programs and take a tough stand against the alcohol and drugs that are taking over the lives of their children. It’s the turning point for parents and teenagers when they step through the doors of a treatment center and speak with professionals for the first time. To get through those doors, though, parents must be alert to signs of alcohol and drug abuse.
Signs of substance abuse
– Alcoholic blackouts: Teenagers who drink a lot sometimes experience something called blackouts. They might say or do things they don’t remember. This is very scary for the child.
– Mood swings and frequent outbursts: Substance abuse often causes sufferers to lose control. This is no exception with teenagers. They might have angry outbursts or bouts of depression that seem to have no explanation.
– Flushed skin: This is one of the physical symptoms of drug or alcohol use. Alcohol especially causes a flushed appearance of the face.
– Loss of interest in regular activities: If your child suddenly stops enjoying their lifelong love of sports or music, it might be a sign that they’re replacing those olds loves with drugs or alcohol. As substance abuse progresses, the sufferer often loses interest in all activities outside of getting their substance of choice and staying on it.
– Personality changes: No one knows a child better than a parent. There’s a connection there that can’t be broken. If you notice a distinct and sudden difference in a child’s personality and behavior, and there seems to be no other cause for it, it’s possible they are using drugs or alcohol to cope with life.
Hope for adolescents
Residential Programs
If an adolescent has a severe drug or alcohol problem, residential treatment programs for drugs & alcohol might be the first step to recovery. These wonderful programs provide intense inpatient monitoring and recovery meetings to add structure to the lives of troubled teens and help them learn how to live within the confines of structure. Most importantly, it helps them to understand their illness and conquer it. These programs are created and carried out by professionals who have vast experience in substance abuse problems for young people. They include psychiatrists who can diagnose underlying mental illnesses and treat them effectively, drug and alcohol counselors who’ve worked in the field for years, and caring monitors who help bring structure to the facility.
Intensive Outpatient
An extra layer of protection against relapse is a follow-up intensive outpatient program. This keeps the adolescent involved in the recovery community by requiring them to attend ongoing substance abuse meetings, counseling sessions, and in some cases, agreeing to be tested for drugs. These outpatient programs slowly integrate the teenager back into the drug-free world and show them how to cope with problems that arise within it. Unfortunately, life is often difficult to deal with even for adults who don’t use drugs or alcohol. For teenagers who’ve learned to turn to drugs as a solution to all their problems, they often need extra encouragement as they begin to live life again without drugs.
Seek help now
The Mom Blog Society cares about these types of issues and wants moms to take a firm stand against substance abuse before it takes over their homes. Anyone who’s dealing with a child who is trapped in the horrors of addiction knows how difficult it can be to take the first step. Luckily, there are millions of other mothers who have gone through the same thing and now have their loving children back better than ever before. The best way to get started is to make a simple phone call to a treatment program and find out what they have to offer your son or daughter.
