Teen rehabilitation centers in the US have kept a steady tab on the rising cases of drug and alcohol abuse among teens. In fact, most of the authorities and sections that report on drug related cases find teen rehabs to be a valuable source of information. A teen rehab in Chicago maintains that parents have to tread cautiously while checking on their kids. They should not be strict enough to suffocate their freedom and not lenient enough to make them meander towards different kinds of vices.  Parenting is an easy job if you just keep it simple and do not act irresponsibly in front of your kids.

Coming to the statistics that reflect teenage substance abuse, they are definitely alarming; jeopardizing the future of today. Parents these days are caught up in their tensions: rising debts, mortgage, and marital problems. Most of them do not know what is happening in the lives of their kids and the open; perverse culture perpetrated by the Internet and the media surely add fuel to the fire.  Recent reports say that there are 3,600 teens who smoke nicotine every day.  The most abused drug is Marijuana among teens, and those who have a colorful night life replete with parties are known to abuse the infamous ‘Ecstasy’.  A shocking 30 percent of teens have admitted that they have abused at least one drug in 2007.

 Anabolic steroids are also being taken by teens to increase performance and stay alert. But there can be many problems due to these: premature ageing, impotency in men, clitoral enlargement in women, skin diseases, acne, stunted growth etc. Premature ageing is something that accelerates 3 times faster for people who are abusing drugs.   So, do not take teen substance abuse lightly and make sure that any teen who is suffering from such a problem is admitted into a teen rehab center where the best therapy can be given.

 Teen treatment centers say that there are many reasons that can be cited for the increasing number of substance abuse. Teens are impressionable and have a rebellious streak in them; most of them want to toe the line of someone who is getting lucky. For instance, if one teen says that Ecstasy really works for getting physical with a girl, the others who are in the group take it on the face value and practice it.   Lack of proper knowledge, peer pressure, pornography and violent films, teen anxiety and tensions and neglect by family and friends are some of the main reasons for teens to have a distorted view of life.

People who have abused drugs in their teenage life have even landed up with irreversible damage to their organs.  Since some of the organs, especially reproductive organs are still being developed at puberty and adolescence; taking alcohol and drugs can harm the development.  Substance abuse is known to pollute the blood with toxins, cause liver damage, kidney problems and nerve related ailments.  The chances of turning schizophrenic, delusional and suffering from other mental problems inability to cope with stress and other daily pressures of life is something that is very much possible in a teen who is abusing drugs. The chances of relapse are also tough for someone who abuses alcohol and drugs at such a young age. So without hesitation, take your teenager to a teen drug rehab to get timely treatment.

In a large way, alcohol abuse depends on the age group of people who are involved in it. For example, if you check out the trends of alcohol abuse in Vermont, you will find that the abuse in teenagers is quite different from the way it is present in the older population. The complications are different, the causes are different and even the cures are different.

Here, the main thing to be remembered is that alcohol abuse is not a physical dependency. This is a habit of the mind. When a person is into an alcohol abuse or any other kind of substance abuse for that matter, it is the mind of the person that dictates the dependency. It is in the mind that the euphoria is created and it is in the mind that any further feelings for using the substance are created. That is why it is quite apt to say that alcohol abuse exists in the mind and not in the body. Now, since the minds of people of different age groups are distinctly different, the ways in which alcohol abuse affects them are also distinctly different.

In Vermont specifically, this distinction can be made out quite clearly in the way the treatment program for alcohol abuse is conducted in different treatment centers. There are treatment centers here that focus on a particular age group. You will find that the treatment pattern that is formulated for a person who is in the age group of 12-18 years will be quite different from the treatment that is designed for people who are above 65 years of age. Not just the counseling part of the treatment, but also the medical approaches followed will be vastly different.

Let us take a brief look into how alcohol abuse treatment in Vermont is complicated by age-related issues in the patients.

Alcohol Abuse in Vermont for the Teenagers

Today, it is not surprising to see children as young as 12 years in some treatment centers of Vermont. The conditions of dependency are becoming more and more dramatic in people of younger age groups because of peer pressure and become emotional issues at home such as family neglect and over-expectation of performance in studies, etc. are driving them to the bottle. There is a chance that these people do not even know what alcohol is but are using it just because they like the feeling they creates. They do not know what repercussions this substance can have on their bodies and minds.

This is where the specially designed counseling treatment works. The one thing it does is to coach the young people into understanding what an alcohol habit is all about and what they can do to come out of it. The repercussions of the addiction are detailed to them, and they are explained how it can affect their personal life, their relationships, their studies and everything about their future life.

Of course, mere counseling is not going to work. Using various behavioral therapies and medicinal approaches, the treatment providers try to keep the problem at a minimum level. Speaking of medicinal approaches, detox may not always be used for teenage alcohol abuse treatment in Vermont because of its intense way of working. Another important aspect here is to include parental counseling because most parents do not know how to deal with an alcoholic junior in their homes.

Alcohol Abuse in Vermont for the Seniors

The biggest problem that can complicate alcohol abuse in Vermont for seniors is the high prevalence of prescription drug abuse. Together, these two substances can cause a dependency that is very difficult to shake out of. There can be other dependencies too, considering that the person will have lost the effect that alcohol can create and may have tried other kinds of addictive substances.

Treating for seniors becomes complicated also because they people might have been with their addiction since a very long period of time and only a very intense detox program may help save their lives. But the detox itself will be very difficult because of the heavy withdrawal they will face.

Other physical and mental issues can complicate the treatment for seniors too. If there are any other chronic problems, then it becomes important to treat both issues simultaneously because one of them can easily influence the other. In such cases, a dual diagnosis treatment approach is adopted in Vermont. Such a treatment method is available in most treatment centers for alcohol abuse in Vermont today.

Teenage drug addiction has become more prevalent in today’s culture than thirty years ago. Then alcohol and marijuana were the primary substances used by adolescents. In 2009 however, the prevalence of teen drug addiction has become alarming.

The number of adolescents undergoing drug addiction counselling has increased rapidly. Many centres have begun to accept patients younger than eighteen seeking help with addiction because the demand has become so great. However, adolescent drug abuse is a delicate subject as the psychology of teenagers is extremely complex and external factors are often influential in drug use in this age group.

Adolescence is not easy
Adolescence begins at approximately age 10 for girls and 12 for boys with the further development of their reproductive organs and sexual maturity. Hormones develop and behavioural changes begin to occur as well as physical changes. Individuals experiencing puberty and adolescence are going through one of the most difficult times of their lives. The physical and emotional changes play a large role in the confusion and the need for acceptance which adolescents feel at this time.

Peer pressure is a big motivator behind the increased use of drugs and alcohol. Adolescents are experiencing a stage where they struggle to find their identity whilst emerging from the safety blanket of their parents. They are beginning their preparations for adult life and self-esteem can suffer in the confusion which adolescence brings.

Drugs and self-destructive behaviour
To a teenager, it seems that only their friends understand them. The need to be accepted can involve participating in the same behaviour as their circle of friends, which can be experimenting with drugs and alcohol. Alcohol and marijuana are commonly used by teenagers, as are ‘party’ drugs such as MDMA (ecstasy), Acid (LSD) and magic mushrooms. Harder drugs such as cocaine, heroin, crack-cocaine and crystal methamphetamine are sometimes used by adolescents but less frequently. Solvents such as glue, paint thinners and aerosol gases are also a popular choice of drug for teens.

Professionals are generally hesitant to label a teenager as an addict for two reasons: Firstly, addiction is a disease – if a person is using drugs regularly, this does not mean that they are a drug addict. Secondly, teenagers are developing psychologically and it can be dangerous to diagnose someone as an addict before they are at least 20 years old.

Disease of Addiction
The disease of addiction is incurable, grows progressively worse and is fatal unless arrested. It can be stopped by the application of drug addiction counselling and a programme of recovery. The disease concept states that an addict is sick and that their drug use and other compulsive behaviours are symptoms of this ‘sickness’. Either someone has the disease or not.

Those addicts that do start drinking and using can experience a ‘honeymoon period’. This is a phase when an alcoholic/addict is at the beginning of their drinking/using career: an enjoyable time when the disease has not progressed yet. Addicts generally begin this phase of addiction in their teens.

It must be emphasised that many teens who do not have the disease of addiction will try drugs and may use them regularly until they decide they do not need them and want to stop. An addict will not be able to stop – this is the difference between addicts and non-addicts. Addiction sees those with the disease continuing to drink or take drugs for the rest of their lives until they receive help. It is also the reason why many professionals will not label a teen as an addict as they may just be going through the adjustment to adulthood.

Getting help
A teenager may not qualify for diagnosis as an addict yet drug use and compulsive disorders such as eating disorders, self-harm, promiscuity and other risky behaviours are a clear message that there is a problem. Whether it is addiction or not, help is available.

Signs to watch for if you suspect your child is taking drugs are:

Declining school marks and truancy Weight loss or gain Large or pin-prick sized pupils Secretive behaviour Abandonment of old friends for a ‘new’ group Lack of finances, never having money, borrowing money Money going missing in the house Disappearance of their expensive personal possessions Isolating, spending a lot of time in their room or out of the house Violent outbursts and rage Lack of interest in things which used to please them Smell of solvents or thinners on their clothes or in their mouths Glass pipes, burnt/broken light bulbs, rolling papers, tinfoil, hypodermic needles, melted lighters, plastic ‘bankies’ in their possession

Help is available for teens using drugs. It can be very beneficial for them to undergo drug addiction counselling at a drug and alcohol treatment centre if the problem is serious. A centre which encourages clients to follow a 12 Step programme of recovery (such as Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous), and provides one to one counselling and therapy groups and a healthy lifestyle will have the best results.

It is never a good idea to force a teenager into recovery from drug addiction or other compulsive behaviours, neither is it a good idea to put them into a rehabilitation programme simply if you discover your child has taken drugs – this may do more harm than good. If your child has begun to develop a serious addiction problem and cannot cease their use of drugs and other compulsive behaviours, then treatment is a good idea.