Why your teen needs teen drug treatment
About two-thirds of teens drink alcohol before their senior year in high school. More than half use an illegal drug, and about 20% use prescription drugs recreationally. These figures from the Central Institute on Drug Addiction demonstrate how widespread drinking and drug use are among kids today.
Teen drug treatment gets a lot of contradictory information concerning drug and alcohol use. This is especially true in the current climate of marijuana legalisation. More teenagers than ever before use marijuana. Teenagers even learn about drugs like Molly and Purple Drank from popular culture or their peers, in fact.
Many teens experiment with risky behaviours, such as taking drugs or alcohol. The prefrontal cortex and other parts of their brains that regulate impulsivity, willpower, and decision-making aren’t fully formed. This biology demonstrates why some adolescent decision-making is poor.
You need assistance getting your teen back on track when lack of self-control and undesirable habits become an issue. Never undervalue the value of a programme for treating young drug addiction. Since the majority of teenagers deny their need for care, it is up to you to make the best choice.
What Does an Adolescent Checkup Look Like?
We make sure to give our maturing patients a perspective that is appropriate for their age because teenagers are no longer considered children but are also not yet adults. This entails keeping parents informed while providing a private setting for the youngster to discuss concerns with their doctor that they might not want to bring up in front of their parents.
It’s crucial to always keep the teen in mind and to let them speak for themself. In order to provide comprehensive, whole-person treatment, we also want to learn about the patient’s interests, passions, and personality in addition to their medical history.
Puberty
Puberty, the physical transition from childhood to adulthood, is one of the first topics you should bring up with your adolescent. Puberty may start as early as age 8, however you may wish to delay it as long as you can. Make your child aware of things like body hair, a changing voice, acne, periods, and breast growth in order to prepare them in advance. In order to make sure your child’s growth is on track, you should also take them in for a yearly checkup. Establishing trust with your teen by having these chats early will assist.
Substance Use
Substance use should be one of your main areas of concern as a parent when researching the typical health issues that teenagers experience. Contrary to prior decades, kids take less substances today, but they are more easily accessible and highly concentrated. For instance, the weed and cigarettes you were cautioned against as a youngster are now available in new, electronic forms like THC capsules and e-cigarettes, which are considerably simpler to purchase and conceal.
Don’t lecture your teen; just make sure they are aware of the risks. The majority of doctors use motivational interviewing because direct criticism and consideration of long-term effects are typically not effective with adolescents. Have your teenager practise the following process:
- Determine the effects of engaging in dangerous conduct.
- Discover ways to stop the behavior (or quit if use has already begun).
- Create a strategy for potential scenarios using role-playing and examples from the actual world.
Mental Health
Teenagers’ mental health has undergone significant transformation in recent years. Now that almost every teenager has a cell phone, their classmates can reach them whenever they want. Now, any bullying that takes place during the school day can spread to the apps they use at home. Keep an eye on your teen’s behavior, consider any concerns they may have, and take the initiative to get in touch with their school if required.
Teenagers’ despair and anxiety have also increased as a result of COVID-19 owing to online learning, financial strains on families, fatalities, and other pandemic-related issues. Let your adolescent know they may come to you with any mental difficulty as they are more able to express their feelings verbally than children. Then, assist them in locating a reputable psychiatrist.
Sexual Health
Your child should have all the tools necessary to stay safe when they enter the dating scene. Birth control, condoms, STD testing, or abstinence are just a few topics you should have early conversations with your adolescent about because it’s unlikely they’ll ask you for advice on these topics on their own.
What Else Can You Do to Encourage Health for Teenagers?
- Encourage your teen’s interests. Regardless of how foolish you may think their pastime or interest is, encouraging them to continue participating in something meaningful might help them stay motivated.
- Encourage open dialogue. Your adolescent should be aware that they may talk to you about anything and that you won’t judge them.
- Recognize that teenagers don’t always want to talk. Strike a balance between allowing them their space and assuring them of your support should they require it.
