Teen drug abuse is on the rise, and if this trend continues, we’ll continue having thousands of adolescents in rehab facilities. As members of society, we have to look out for signs of drug abuse in our teens. This will help us identify substance abuse disorders early on. We can intervene before their condition worsens with the help of an adolescent drug addiction treatment facility. In order to understand why teenagers abuse drugs, first we need to understand their reasons for doing so. Teenagers turn to drugs for various reasons, but there are a few common reasons. Destinations for Teens will help you understand why teens struggle with drug abuse and provide addiction treatment services if your teen is struggling with drug addiction.
Reasons Why Teens Struggle With Drug Abuse
Quitting drug use can be quite challenging for people. When it comes to teens, it becomes even more complicated. Drugs affect teens differently than adults. Teens are also more likely to develop an addiction in comparison to adults. Five common reasons why teens struggle with drug abuse include:
- Peer Pressure: Teens are very susceptible to influence from their friends. This is because, during your teenage years, you feel an urge to impress your peers. With this mindset, abusing drugs in order to fit in becomes tempting for a teen. The pressure from friends may transform a first-time user to a regular user. With time, the teen develops an addiction that they may struggle with in silence.
- Genetics: In the adolescent phase, the brain is still developing. As a result, teens are prone to having poor judgment and making bad decisions. They are more likely to engage in risky behavior such as drug use. Drug use at this stage of life changes how the brain develops significantly. Drugs alter the balance of critical neurotransmitters in a teenager’s brain. Since the teen is still maturing, the alteration can quickly lead to an addiction.
- Pressure From Expectations: Teenagers experience tremendous pressure from different quarters. For instance, the pressure from adults to achieve good grades in school or pressure from peers be the coolest kid on the block. Some teens can cope. Others resort to drug use to manage the pressure. Once they realize drugs can make them feel better temporarily, they become dependent on it. In the long run, it becomes hard to quit.
- Experimentation: Some teens end up struggling with drug use because of experimentation. They experiment because they see people glorify some of these drugs. Sometimes it’s also because a close member of the family uses the drug. Teens who experiment with different drugs may end up with multiple substance addictions. Parents need to pay attention to drug abuse signs since teens do this in secret.
- Trauma and Abuse: Teens may have experienced abuse or trauma in their lives. In order to cope, some teens turn to drugs and subsequently develop an addiction. Teens do not realize the “relief” they may feel from using drugs is only temporary.
Drug Addiction Treatment at Destinations for Teens
Destinations for Teens offers a variety of treatment programs that can help teens struggling with drug addiction. With locations throughout California, the caring staff at Destinations for Teens develop individualized treatment plans so your teen can find lasting recovery. Some of our programs include:
- Residential treatment program: This involves your teen living at our facility. They can receive around the clock care and with our educational program, your teen will not fall behind in school. Our academic team will assist your teen in catching up, staying on track, and moving ahead with their education.
- Partial hospitalization program: Your teen can attend our safe, daytime program that incorporates education and therapy.
- Intensive outpatient program: Destinations for Teens offers a partial-day intensive outpatient program (IOP). As a part of this program, your teen will attend group and individual therapy sessions. IOP also incorporates our education program.
- Alumni program: Once your teen leaves our care, they will stay connected through our alumni program. This program is critical to relapse prevention and the continued development of healthy coping skills.
Understand Why Teens Struggle with Drug Abuse at Destinations for Teens
Knowing the early signs of drug abuse in teens is vital. When you identify drug abuse signs in your teen, seek help immediately. Destinations for Teens can help teens struggling with drug abuse by teaching them healthy coping skills. To learn more about our teen treatment programs, contact Destinations for Teens today by calling 877.466.0620.