About Drug Treatment for Teens

It’s very important for drug treatment for teens to address the addiction, but this type of therapy goes much further. The three staples of drug treatment for teens are detoxification, counseling and after care. Whether parents choose an inpatient or an outpatient facility for their teens or not, the rehab center will first focus on removing the toxins in the teens’ bodies that are always left behind after abuse or addiction to drugs or alcohol.

There is specialized treatment available to help your teen today!

Teens will need an inpatient program if they have been using drugs or alcohol heavily or on a regular basis for a period of time long enough to cause them to experience very discomforting withdrawal symptoms during detox. Teens that are having difficulties stopping their usage but have manageable withdrawal symptoms may be able to enter into an outpatient program. The benefit of the outpatient program to parents is that these are much less expensive.

Finding Drug Treatment for Teens

Parents, of course, will need to consider the cost of drug treatment for teens, but the most important thing is that they find the most appropriate setting for their teens. The main thing to address first is the severity of the teen’s addiction. If it would be impossible for the teen to detox without needing medication to handle the withdrawal symptoms, an inpatient facility is the only place for him or her.

Some teens begin taking drugs and drinking alcohol to dull the symptoms they experience from a mental illness. Part of drug treatment for teens is treating a dual diagnosis of the drug or alcohol addiction and the mental disorder, and parents will need to look for a facility that can accommodate both diagnoses.

Teens that have damaged their bodies will need to be nursed back to health with proper nutrition and vitamin replacement therapy. The appropriate inpatient facility can be found for this purpose as well. Outpatient programs will work for those who are having difficulties coping with their daily duties but their addictions are not severe enough to warrant a stay in an inpatient facility.

Benefits of Drug Treatment for Teens

The right drug treatment for teens can only be advantageous to them and their families. Teens who have underlying mental conditions receive the right treatment for these disorders so they can leave drugs and alcohol behind. Those who are self-medicating because they are having difficulties surviving a harsh childhood learn to live with their pasts without compromising the present and their futures by indulging in drugs and alcohol. All teens learn to live healthier lives so they can continue developing into adulthood.

How Drug Treatment for Teens Differs from Adult Drug Treatment Programs

Treatment will need to be different for teens than it is for adults because teens are often highly influenced by their peers. Generally, adults are not taking drugs and drinking alcohol because of peer pressure, so their treatment programs do not address it. Teens’ thinking is also less forward-thinking than adults, and the therapy needs to be geared toward helping these teens to consider how they are damaging their futures with their drug or alcohol use.