Recent studies investigating teen drug abuse in the U.S. indicate that teens are abusing marijuana, alcohol, and nicotine vapes at about the same rates they were just before the COVID-19 pandemic. Nicotine vaping rates were consistent across eighth grade (12 percent), 10th grade (20.5 percent), and 12th grade (27 percent).
Nearly 31 percent of 12th graders report using marijuana at least once over the past year, while 19 percent of 10th graders and eight percent of eighth graders say they have either smoked or vaped cannabis.
Almost 52 percent of high school seniors surveyed in this study report drinking alcohol in the past 12 months. A disturbing 31 percent of 10th graders say they have consumed or regularly consumed alcohol.
The use of narcotics other than heroin saw a negligible increase among 12th graders. Approximately 1.7 percent of seniors report taking narcotics like Percocet, Oxycontin, or Vicodin within the past year of their lives.
Even though teen drug use rates have remained, for the most part, steady over the past several years, overdose deaths are increasing significantly among teens and young adults. This sobering fact is due to the surge of extremely potent and sometimes deadly fentanyl flooding U.S. towns and cities.
Illicit drug manufacturers are not mixing an animal tranquilizer called xylazine with fentanyl to make it even more addictive. If a person addicted to fentanyl purchases what they believe to be pure fentanyl, but it contains xylazine, taking their usual fentanyl dose could be fatal.
Warning: Vaping pens, commonly associated with nicotine and flavored e-liquids, also pose a hidden risk as they can be used to consume illegal drugs. These devices can easily be adapted for the inhalation of substances like THC, the psychoactive component in marijuana, and other more dangerous drugs in liquid form.
This capability makes vaping pens a discreet method for drug use, bypassing traditional methods of drug consumption and complicating efforts to detect and prevent substance abuse among individuals, especially teens.
One of the many reasons teens experiment with drugs and alcohol is indeed peer pressure. Adolescents are highly susceptible to peer influence and the need to be “popular” in school and social media.
Social media glamorizes drug and alcohol use by encouraging teens to post pictures of themselves partying to get as many “likes” as possible. Again, peer pressure in school and on social media exploits the adolescent desire to be noticed and held in high regard. Self-esteem is most fragile and malleable during adolescence.
Teen drug abuse can also be attributed to an adolescent’s desire to assert their independence from their parents, environmental factors such as a family history of substance abuse, and socioeconomic status. Teens who grow up in households where drug or alcohol use is normalized are more likely to engage in addictive behaviors.
Teens living in single-parent households may be subject to the daily stress of living in poverty–lack of food, eviction, or homelessness–which leads to escaping their situation through drugs and alcohol.
Studies show that most teenagers start using drugs to cope with stress, anxiety, or other mental health issues. The pressures of academic performance, social relationships, and family dynamics can be overwhelming for some teens.
Self-medicating with pot, pills, alcohol, or fentanyl allows at-risk youth to suppress painful emotions and avoid dealing with the chaos of dysfunctional households.
Teens entering residential addiction treatment are almost always diagnosed with one or more mental health disorders. Some of the more common mental illnesses underlying teen drug abuse include:
Youth substance abuse programs do not solely focus on addiction. Instead, they address the psychological factors contributing to substance abuse, such as mental, behavioral, and emotional disorders.
Treating teens with substance abuse disorder begins with first removing them from the environment in which they developed the addiction. Residential treatment centers employ evidence-based youth substance abuse programs that are integrated with therapy, counseling, and holistic activities designed to enhance a teen’s self-esteem and self-worth.
No one will say that it isn’t easy for a parent to decide what is in the best interest of their troubled teen. Realizing that your child needs more help than you can give them is emotionally devastating and mentally bewildering.
Learning more about the benefits provided by residential addiction treatment for teens, and what to expect after your child has completed the treatment program, may help alleviate your fears and make the decision to save your teen from a life wasted by drugs and alcohol.
Residential programs for troubled youth with substance abuse disorders offer the following advantages:
Aftercare support is provided by teen treatment centers for teens and their parents. Support includes:
Creating and sustaining a stable, nurturing home environment is the first step that parents should take to help their teen achieve long-term sobriety.
Learning how to actively listen to their recovering teen, communicating with their teen calmly and compassionately, and establishing boundaries regarding behavior and expectations work well to simulate the structured environment in residential treatment centers for teens.
Parents should also educate themselves about the mental health issues affecting their teens and what they can do to minimize symptoms that may have led to their teen’s substance abuse disorder.
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