Teen treatment centers on a daily basis treat hundreds of cases wherein teenagers are addicted to a variety of drugs and alcohol. In fact, the amount and variety of drugs that they take are no different from what adults consume.  The symptoms and signs of drug abuse among teens have a bearing on the kind of drugs that they abuse.  Here are some of the symptoms and signs shown by them when take variety of drugs:

Alcohol abuse: Some of the common signs of alcohol abuse in teens include smell of alcohol on their breath or body, bloodshot eyes, erratic behavior, abusive demeanor, lying, stealing, mood swings, having things that are related to alcohol abuse like alcohol bottles etc, change in the group of friends that he has.
Tobacco addiction or smoking: The signs are discolored lips and stained teeth, frequent smell of tobacco from his breath, cigarette butts at various places in his room or paraphernalia like ash-tray.
Cannabinoids:  Signs of cannabinoid abuse includes sleepiness, increased appetite, lethargy, increased state of excitement or happiness, paranoia and reddish tine in the whites of eyes.
Inhalant addiction: Example of inhalant addiction among teens is visible in the form of confused mindset, irritability, smell of gasoline or other solvent in the body and runny nose
Depressants: Signs of addiction to depressants, according to a famous teen treatment program, is in the form of lowered inhibitions, slowed heart rate, low blood pressure, inability to sleep, dizziness and even going into the state of coma.
Cold medication: if a teenager is addicted to prescription drug addiction like cold medications for instance, Benadryl; the signs exhibited include anxiety, rapid or fluctuating heart-beats and inability to sleep.
Narcotics:  The symptoms of narcotic abuse include increased tolerance towards pain, overexcited behavior, lethargy, slowed heart beats etc.
Hallucinogens: Teens who are addicted to hallucinogens tend to have problems sleeping; their perceptions are blurred, they are not in touch with their emotional responses and they experience a sense of paranoia.
Dissociatives: Teens who are into abusing ‘dissociative anesthetics’ tend to experience high blood pressure, increased heart rate, loss of memory, aggressiveness, irritability and even vomiting
Club Drugs: Teens who take club drugs like Ecstasy tend to get increasingly intimate with people, experience euphoria, is not able to sweat and gives in easily to sexual overtures.
Anabolic steroids: Teens who consume anabolic steroids tend to get irritated easily, experience rapid growth in muscle, loss of scalp hair, increase in acne etc.

As we know, drug addiction can be so highly embedded in the body and mind of the victim that when there is a withdrawal, the physical symptoms tend to be just about the opposite of how a person feels when getting high on these.  Parents have to make sure that they are in close watch about the changing behavior of their teens once they are addicted to drugs. They should not hesitate to bring their kids to teen rehab centers where comprehensive treatment is given to break their addiction and lead a drug free life as quickly as possible.

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After spending numerous amount of years with teenagers I can’t remember a time when there has not been at least one teen who has flirted with the idea of suicide. It seems there is always a teen struggling with suicide and even the extremes of cutting themselves or some sort of self mutilation.

Because of this I decided to take a look at how drug addiction can lead to teen suicide.

Something that we don’t think of is the connection between teen drug abuse and suicide. There are some studies that would suggest that teens who use drugs regularly are more likely to consider suicide as well as to act upon their thoughts. According to the American Psychiatric Association, many teens suffer from depression.

When a teen is living in this world of depression it is not unlikely that they would find a means of “self-medicate” with drugs in order to avoid exposing themselves to their friends or adults. As we know through years of dealing with teens and their drug abuse that the use of drugs does not alleviate the problems, but instead, usually aggravate them, leaving the teen with a feeling of helplessness and hopelessness. This places them at greater risk for suicide attempts.

From my own personal experience and watching the decisions that teens make while they are abusing drugs, we see that the use of drugs will cloud their judgment, and lower their natural survival instinct. Drug use affects the chemical balance of the brain, intensifying feelings of sadness, depression and loneliness. In an article I wrote on teen withdrawal we can see just having to deal with the withdrawal from the drug, and intense feelings of crashing profoundly affect the young person’s mind and mood. While these factors exist in adult addicts, they are more intensified in the young adult and teen, particularly due to his dependency upon adults.

Something we do not understand nor think of when it comes to the progression of usage of drugs among teenagers is that they have a readily supply of tools that could either help them commit suicide or even lead to an untimely death. Overdosing is one of the easiest and most common methods of suicide.

Did you know that suicide is the third leading cause of death amongst young people from the ages of fifteen to twenty-four.

The one thing we are noticing is that teens, especially today, are under a tremendous amount of pressure. Caught in the crossroads between childhood and adulthood, teens are filled with conflicts about themselves, their identity, and their place in the world. It is not uncommon for teens today battle between peer pressure and performance placed upon them from society and even at times parents to perform and do so perfectly all the time.

These factors, coupled with their perception that the adult world doesn’t or can’t, understand their angst, leave them vulnerable and isolated. These factors contribute to both addiction and suicidal intention, both of which also feed on the other.

I have been told that some of the methods for treating a teen with suicidal intentions are very similar to treating teens with addictions. Some have said that most of the root causes are quite similar. The most important thing for an adult to provide the teen, is an avenue of communication. I have an article “8 tips to get your teen hearing you again” that will help you communicate with your teen.

Something that we know to be true is that communication between a teen and their parents is vital to any type of recovery. Teens need to feel as though they have someone they can turn too and express their feelings and problems. He or she need to feel that they are not isolated. There are people who care about them. They are not the only one who is struggling with these problems. This of course is only the first step. If a teen is suicidal they need to receive professional guidance.

Here are some suicide facts you should be aware of:

A teen that has lost a friend to suicide is at higher risk for depression, delinquency and drug abuse. (Estimates by the American Association of Suicidology place this risk at three times that of the average teen.)
Studies reveal that a family member of a loved one who has committed suicide is at up to 5 times the risk for suicide themselves.
Suicide facts indicate that thousands of children and adolescents are affected by a suicide each year.
Emotional distress of child survivors of suicide may go unnoticed if they do not have a chance to share their pain.
We can all help in suicide prevention by learning about statistics, suicide rates and teen suicide.
There is no timetable for recovery, suicide survivors are forever changed by the tragedy.

In the first portion of this series I talked about the danger of living in a co-dependant relationship with your teenager who is using drugs. In this part of the series I want to talk a little about what that relationship looks like and how it plays out in the family when you have a teenager who is using drugs.

Some may not even know that they are in a co-dependant relationship with their teenagers who are using drugs. For instance I’m the leader in a recovery program. When we were starting the recovery program a man approached me to let me know how he responded to the use of drugs with his own teenager.

He told me that he would make his home a safe environment for his teenager and their friends to come and hang out and get it out of their system. Keep in mind this was a leader in the local church and was telling me this as we were promoting a Celebrate Recovery program.

As I stated in the first series, co-dependency is actually a learned behavior. You can actually pass it down from one generation to another, constantly teaching those that you raise how to function and live in a co-dependant relationship. This man was teaching his son how to not only live in a co-dependant relationship but how to raise his own kids in a co-dependant relationship.

The first thing you need to do is ask yourself…am I living in denial?

I cannot tell you how many parents live in denial when it comes to their teenagers drug use. Even when they know it is going on they will slip into co-dependant relationships with their teenagers and allow them to continue on the path of destruction.

We do this in all kinds of ways, but the truth is that we are living in denial.
We make an excuse for our child no matter what.
We blame others for their behavior.
We change teachers at school because they don’t understand our child.
We blame Johnny down the street for my child/s actions.
We say it is only a joint or a drink but nothing serious.

Folks that is denial, you are living in denial to the fact that your child has a problem. If you are ever going to help your child you must first face and admit your denial. God says in Jeremiah 6:14 (TLB), “You can’t heal a wound by saying it’s not there!”

Hiding our feelings, living in denial, freezes our emotions and binds us. Understanding and feeling our feelings is where we find freedom. Second Peter 2:19 (GNB) tells us: “They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of destructive habits-for a man is a slave of anything that has conquered him.”

There is a saying, “we are as sick as our secrets.” We cannot help our teenagers who are abusing drugs grow until we are ready to step out of our denial into the truth. The Bible says, “They cried to the Lord in their troubles, and he rescued them! He led them from the darkness and shadow of death and snapped their chains” (Psalm 107:13-14, TLB).

We have the false belief that denial protects us from our pain. In reality, denial allows our pain to fester and grow and to turn into shame and guilt. Denial extends your hurt. It multiplies your problems. Truth, like surgery, may hurt for a while, but it cures. God promises us in Jeremiah 30:17 (TLB), “I will give you back your health again and heal your wounds.”

Question by scooooby: I need articles on teenage drug abuse?
I’m doing a project in school where I have to talk about the issues of drug abuse in teens. I have to find articles on the problems of addiction, social life, and health issues relating to the drug usage. It must be a minimum of 3 pages long (per article). Thanks!

Best answer:

Answer by C J
Please look at this website www.settingcaptivesfree.com
There is help here. Free online courses on a number of issues.

“And you shall know the truth, and the truth will set you Free”
(John 8:32)

God bless.

Give your answer to this question below!

Teen treatment centers have issued a ready- reckoner for parents to understand the various set of symptoms that their children can exhibit when afflicted with alcohol and drug abuse. In fact, it has been that teens today are more aware of the cocktail and combination of drugs that can make even adults gasp in disbelief.  Dual addiction or taking two types of drugs together or mixing drugs with alcohol is a fatal thing that some teens indulge in.  Here are some of the signs and symptoms prevalent in teens according to various types of drugs and alcohol that they indulge in:

Alcohol addiction: Symptoms include intoxication, erratic or unstable mannerisms, abusive language being used, mood swings, bloodshot eyes,  foul odor that reeks of alcohol on the body and breath, presence of a different set of friends who tend to be brash with a carefree streak of mind, presence of alcohol bottles hidden in certain places, bottle caps, and behavioral traits like stealing and lying
Nicotine addiction. Discolored lips, pale face, dry skin, tobacco smell on the breath, presence of an ash-tray and cigarette butts and ash strewn at certain places in the room.
 Inhalant addiction: Confused demeanor, mood swings, runny nose and smell of gasoline and such substances in the body.Cannabinoids: Signs that are associated with Cannabinoid abuse include delirious mindset, fluctuating highs and lows in behavior: euphoria followed by episodes of lethargy, reddish hues in the eye, inability to sleep.
 Narcotics: The signs displayed by teens who are addicted to narcotic substances include overexcitement, slowed heart beats and higher tolerance towards pain
 Depressants: It has been observed by teen rehab programs that teens that are addicted to depressants have lowered inhibitions, lack of sleep, dizziness, low blood pressure and decreased heart-rate.
Hallucinogens: Teens who are addicted to hallucinogens have problems with their sleep, their vision tends to be blurred at times; they are paranoid and they are not able to be in sync with their emotions.
 Cold medications: Teens who are addicted to cold medications, an infamous form of prescription drug addition, tend to show signs that include inability to sleep, anxious behavior and rapid heartbeats.
 Dissociative Addiction: Those who abuse dissociative anesthetics suffer from increased heart rate, memory loss, aggressive behavior, mood swings, high blood pressure and even vomiting.
 Ecstasy: Teen treatment centers have seen that cases of those who are admitted to Ecstasy and such types of club drugs usually tend to be euphoric with an inability to sweat, memory loss, fluctuating heart beats and being overtly promiscuous.

All of these signs and symptoms that are typical of different types of teen substance abuse also have uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms when these drugs are denied.  It is the responsibility of the elders to see to it that teens are not coerced or induced in substance abuse because not only cause various health complications but they can also result in crimes like  thefts, robbery, molestation, rapes and homicides.

The Progression of Chemical Use from Experimentation to Addiction:an understanding of the differences “drug abusers” enabling denial “drug testing” “Sacramento” “granite bay” “folsom” “fair oaks” “Carmichael” “adolescent” “substance abuse” “teen drug abuse” “adolescent drug use”