Adolescent Rehab Centers
Adolescent drug and alcohol abuse is a serious issue. In this page we will investigate the benefits and advantages of adolescent rehab centers and treatment options for addiction as well as rehabilitation for teens. If you or someone you know suffers from addiction, we urge you to seek out adolescent rehab centers in your area to find a rehabilitation center near you. Clinics, programs and treatment options are available at adolescent rehab centers in your area.
The best adolescent drug rehab centers recognize a key difference between adults and teens. They are wired differently. Teens have biological reason for engaging in impulsive, irrational behavior. Their brains haven’t fully developed yet. A specific area of the brain, the amygdala, is responsible for instinctual reactions like fear or aggression as well as the formation and storage of emotional memory. As a species survival mechanism, this brain region develops early in people.
The portion of the brain that controls reasoning, the frontal cortex, keeps maturing through adulthood until about the age 30. This is why adolescents often exhibit poor impulse control acting before considering the consequences of what they are doing. Adolescence is also the stage of life when teenagers develop neural connections while pruning other prune brain pathways, so behaviors established in adolescence are reinforced throughout life. Adolescent drug rehab centers have to take these biological factors into account when developing effect drug or alcohol rehab programs for teens.
Peer pressure is enormously important to adolescents. Group support is at the heart of effective drug or alcohol recovery programs, dating back to the original Alcoholics Anonymous. Teens need their own peers to support them through recovery since the pressures they face are different from people who have jobs and families of their own.
Adolescent recovery begins with a recognition that a problem exists. In teens, this awareness does not usually come from the teen herself. Parents have grounds for concern if their adolescents exhibit some of the following symptoms:
- Emotional distance, depression or constant fatigue
- Poor grades in school
- Behavior problems
- Changes in friends
- Lying, hostility
- Deterioration in physical appearance
- Health problems, like bloodshot eyes, weight loss
- Physical evidence of drug use
Causes might include
- Poor family communication
- Family conflict
- Alcoholism or drug use at home
- Insufficient parental supervision
- Lack of family support or inconsistent discipline
If you ask yourself if you can afford drug or alcohol adolescent rehab, ask yourself if you cannot afford to pay for this. In many states if your teenage child drives under the influence of drugs or alcohol and causes an accident, parents can be held liable. Since teens are still maturing, it’s vital to nip the drug and alcohol problems early through rehab or they could face these problems for the rest of their lives.
A residential adolescent rehab center is the better solution because it will remove a teen from her environmental influences, but non resident treatment can be a viable option as well if parents and family take an active, supportive hand in rehabilitation.
Here are some of the factors to consider when choosing the best adolescent rehab center for your teen:
- Is the adolescent rehab center reputable with appropriate accreditation through by your state’s government? What credentials does the staff have? What is the staff to patient ratio? How often does the staff turnover?
- Does the rehab center have separate facilities for adolescents or are adults and teens mixed in?
- Is the rehabilitation affordable? Will it be covered by your health insurance or state programs?
- What is the length of the stay required? Is there ongoing transitional care after finishing the course?
- Is the facility convenient to home? The best drug and alcohol rehab centers for adolescents involve the family in recovery. Can you and the teen’s other loved ones show for meetings and take an active part in the adolescent’s recovery? As an intermediate step to being released, many rehab centers allow teens to visit home for weekends. Is the place close to public transportation or will an adult have to pick up the patient by car?
- How will your adolescent’s emotional and educational needs be met during rehab? What is the center’s record of success? Can you meet with graduates to discuss their results?
- Visit the place. Check out the grounds. Are they well maintained? Is there a positive attitude on display? Are the meals nutritious and tasty? How structured is the program? Are there exercise facilities?
As a parent it’s important to take action if you suspect your adolescent of drug or alcohol abuse. Recent research shows that users who begin early are likely to retain addictive habits into adulthood. Don’t dismiss self-destructive behavior like drug an alcohol abuse as a phase. Start by opening a dialogue, then taking the steps that are needed.
