If you or a teen you know is struggling with substance use, the time to act is now. Teenage drug and alcohol use is an emotional issue for teens and their parents. Sadly, teen substance use is common and parents and other guardians can be confused about the best way to help their teen.
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Drug Rehab for Teens is Integral to Recovery
Overwhelmingly, substance use experts and psychologists agree that young adult drug rehab is the best possible way to help teens stop using and abusing drugs and alcohol. There are a number of reasons why rehab treatment is necessary, including the following:
Teens will Benefit from Peer Group Presence
Teens often end up using certain drugs or alcohol due to peer pressure. It isn’t uncommon for a teen to start using because a friend or relative ‘dares’ them or emphasizes that everyone else is doing it.
Peer group presence and example during young adult drug rehab could spur an addicted teen to take action for themselves. Also, teens might find it comforting and vindicating (“I’m not the only one”) to know that there are other teens struggling with the same issues.
Bad Influences may be the Source of Teen Addiction
A large part of the success of inpatient drug rehab is that it helps addicted individuals get away from the negative influences and available substances that got them addicted in the first place. During rehabilitation days are filled with therapy both individual and group, recreational therapy, gym visits, yoga and equine therapy. No drugs or alcohol are available and there are no temptations.
If you have a teen who is struggling with drug or alcohol use, getting them help may simply be a matter of helping them distance themselves from problem friends and acquaintances.
Holistic Treatment can Increase Sobriety Success
Many teens in drug rehab get treatment in the form of counseling and therapy, but they also benefit from other techniques that are more holistic. For example, it might be helpful to some teens to get nutrition counseling or training from a personal trainer.
Many teens are subject to increased stress and anxiety due to school or home life, so in this way, receiving therapy to relieve stress can help as well. For example, meditation, yoga or art therapy may be a benefit.
It’s important to Recovery to get away from Stressors
Getting away from negative influences is essential for success at drug rehab, but regular, everyday stressors can be worrying for some teens. For example, many young people are troubled by homework stress or anxiety about relationships, their college prospects and their futures.
Simply getting away from all of these stressors can be helpful to teens. Time away from negative influences and high stress situations can give them a chance to relax and recuperate from their busy lives.
Identifying Early Signs of Substance Abuse
The sooner substance use is identified the more successful the outcome can be. If a teen’s grades begin to decline or they suddenly congregate with a different group of friends, perhaps isolate themselves from family members and are needing more money; these are all signs of possible substance use.
I hv been on 10/325 oxy 5 to 6 times a day for 10 years due to chronic back pain, ra, spinal stenosis and nerve damage. After a day of work I was in such agony I needed to be helped to my car and from my car to work and eventually I could not work at all. I never increased the dosage and decreased it to 3 or 4 when I could in order not to increase the dosage. Recently due to a family emergency I left in such a hurry I left my pills at home. By morning I was pretty sick. The symptoms were similar to those I had been having each morning but much worse. It dawned on me that I might be taking the oxy because I had to and not because of the debilitating pain that over the years had diminished. I am not saying the pain is gone. It is there and constant. But maybe I could get by without so much oxy. So I did a not too smart thing, I went cold turkey off the oxy. It has been about 2 1/2 weeks. It is still really hard and I am still pretty sick. The daytime is manageable but the nights are unbearable. My heart is racing, my legs are everywhere and I end up walking the halls and am exhausted fr lack of sleep. I hv had to take 1/2 an oxy for the last two nights. I couldn’t bear the symptoms and I had to sleep. But that is all I have taken. None during the day. The pain is manageable and hopefully I will find a non addictive alternative for those days when it isn’t. My question is how long will I have to deal with the withdrawal symptoms and am I just prolonging them with the 1/2 oxy I have taken for the last two days.
Sheyla,
It’s understandable that you needed the nighttime dose in order to sleep. If you continue needing to do this, try lowering the dose every 3-4 days. I’d also recommend talking to your Dr about the BP medicine, clonidine. This medicine has properties that other BP meds don’t have that help fight withdrawal from opiates. It can help with anxiousness, insomnia and more. Restless leg syndrome during opiate withdrawal is largely due to the lack of dopamine that opioids have been providing for your dopamine receptors. You can add dopamine naturally by taking certain supplements and eating certain foods or you could ask your Dr for a dopamine agonist medication that is designed for Parkinson’s disease patients but is often prescribed for rls.
**The natural way: These amino acids promote dopamine- dl-phenylalanine (dlpa), l-tyrosine, l-dopa, mucuna pruriens. With the amino acid make sure you take a good multi-vitamin (that contains- b6, b12, magnesium,
vit c, zinc) and eat/drink the right foods- bananas, avacados, cruciferous vegetables, nuts, seeds, dark chocolate, green tea. * stay away from sugary caffeinated drinks and excess sugar. Also get plenty of exercise plus do stretching at night to relax the legs. **here’s another tip (and I don’t know why this works, but it always did for me) My mom would give my Dad dill pickle juice to drink when rls bothered him as it did quite often. I remembered this one night, years ago, during my own bout with opiate withdrawal. So I went to the fridge and chugged right out of the jar (don’t tell anyone ?) and within 30 minutes my legs settled back down.
**The pharmaceutical way- ask you Dr about prescribing the dopamine agonist medication Requip or Mirapex to help with rls. Many say that these medications also help with other symptoms of low dopamine. Other prescibed medications that are sometimes taken with those , or instead of those, are Gabapentin (neurontin) or Pregabalin (lyrica). These two medications help with many of the symptoms of withdrawal and as an added benefit they are non-narcotic choices for pain management. However, they can cause a dependence. I too am a chronic pain sufferer who used opioids for many years to manage pain. Through the years the pain became less severe but I still needed to have pain management in order to improve the quality of my life. I have used lyrica ; which has done very well for me.
~Mary
OAS RECOVERY SPECIALIST
*DISCLAIMER – Any suggestions given here should not be considered medical advice since I am not affiliated with the medical field. Please consult with your Dr before starting any supplements, otc/prescribed medications, exercise regime or changing your diet.