When you hear the term binge drinking, you probably think back to college, picturing parties that stretched over days or classmates that became ill from alcohol on a regular basis. But binge drinking specifically refers to an excessive amount in one sitting, and for teens, this happens in the blink of an eye. If you have a son or daughter who may be in situations where alcohol is available or even encouraged, you should arm them with good information and a skeptical attitude about the “casual” nature of social drinking, as it will often be pushed as by their peers. It can be dangerous to assume they understand any of this without your input.
Teen Drinking Is Binge Drinking
As adults that can use alcohol responsibly, it may have escaped our minds that children under the age of 18 simply do not have the neurological development to handle alcohol in any reasonable way. In fact, this development is rarely complete until a person’s early/mid-20s. More than half of their drinking is binge drinking since many teens are trying it out of curiosity and have no idea how their bodies will respond to multiple drinks in one sitting. Most teens who find themselves binge drinking will not actually have an alcohol use disorder, but their impaired judgment will still put them at risk of:
- Developing substance use disorder
- Death due to overdose
- Injuries due to intoxication
- Health complications including organ failure
- Unwanted pregnancy
- Academic deficiencies
How Can Destinations for Teens Help?
At Destinations for Teens, our addiction and mental health specialists live by a code of integrity that values truth above anything else. This means that the services provided by our team are aimed at giving young people as much support and strength as they need to battle these issues. Our services include but are not limited to:
- Substance abuse treatment — At Destinations for Teens, we believe in a holistic approach that is client-centered and customized to consider all aspects of mind, body, and spirit. Let our team of professionals guide your child through everything from residential treatment to alumni support that continues long after the end of successful therapy.Â
- Mental health treatment program — Our commitment to integrity also means that we are very careful with initial contact with our new clients, as there is always a strong probability that teen substance addiction is intertwined with more complex mental health disorders. This is normal for many teens in recovery, and therefore we are ready to give whatever help we can, regardless of where the treatment takes us.
- Dual diagnosis program — This is standard practice at Destinations for Teens. Even if your daughter or son does not present with a more complex mental health disorder, we always include baseline mental health treatment in our customized programs. We are well aware that clinical treatment of substance abuse alone will almost certainly lead to relapse.
We understand that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to addiction treatment, which is why our expert, compassionate clinical team makes sure to customize our treatment plans to the needs of each individual client. Choosing the best California drug rehab for teens starts with exploring different treatment philosophies and program options. It is important to ask whether a facility includes dual diagnosis treatment for teens with addiction and mental health concerns. All of our addiction and mental health programs are gender-affirming and are available to teens aged 12 to 17.
Contact Destinations for Teens Today
Sometimes it takes a village to let a teen heal, and parents should not feel shame if it’s too much for them to control. Teens may relapse into bad behavior that can’t effectively be dealt with unless they have continuous outside help. Reach out to us online or call us today at 877.466.0620.
References: Smith, J. (2005). Commentary: Alcoholism and free will. Psychiatric Times.Â