Before teenagers have reached the 12th grade, they will already have had their first taste of alcohol or participated in recreational drug use. For some, these things only happen once, and they move on in life.
But, for others, these things become full-fledged addictions. If your child is struggling with substance abuse, it’s time to look into teen drug rehab.
We’ve created a comprehensive guide that will fill you in on what to expect from a teen drug rehab program and more.
Why Do Teens Do Drugs?
There are several reasons why teenagers begin to abuse alcohol and drugs, with one of the main ones being peer pressure. Teenagers don’t want to be the one in their group that doesn’t want to do the same things everyone else is trying.
Thus, in a bid to ‘fit in,’ they succumb and do things like drink alcohol and do drugs. Another reason teenagers fall into addiction is they are bored and curious about what doing drugs will feel like.
Unfortunately, this experimentation can lead them down a rabbit hole they won’t be able to climb out of without help from people trained to offer them the support they need.
Now that you’ve understood some reasons that started your child’s addiction, it’s time to discuss what to expect from a teen drug rehab program.
Personalized Treatment
Treatment isn’t a one size fits all; therefore, they will need a personalized plan for your child to get the most out of treatment. Before your child begins treatment, a coordinator for the facility will sit down and speak with you about their treatment.
In coordination with you and your child, our staff will work as one to ensure they have what they need as they continue in treatment. It’ll take a collaborative effort on everyone’s part to ensure long-term recovery.
Expert Help
The last thing you want to do is hand your child over to people that don’t know what they’re doing. However, another thing you can expect from a quality rehab facility is for your child to receive help from trained staff.
Each staff member has undergone the necessary certification and training to do their jobs. For example, the counselors who oversee the group and individual therapy sessions will have obtained degrees in substance abuse counseling.
Detoxification
Detox is one of the first things your child will undergo. While you don’t want to think about your child suffering from withdrawal symptoms, it must happen.
They won’t be able to learn and get to the root of their addiction if they can’t think clearly. The only way to begin treatment and receive the shared information is to give the body time to completely rid itself of the substances your child was taking.
As your child goes through withdrawal in the facility, there will be medical staff on hand to oversee the process. The reason for this is because, in some instances, withdrawal can be life-threatening.
Mandatory Therapy
Therapy is an essential part of addiction treatment for both adults and teenagers. Your child will learn several things while in treatment about themselves and from others they’re in group sessions with.
There are several forms of therapy that facilities use, including:
- Recreational
- CBT or cognitive-behavioral therapy
- Family therapy sessions
If your family has issues with codependency and enabling behavior, family therapy will be the place to work through these things. Family therapy is essential because if a teenager comes out of treatment and nothing about their atmosphere has changed, it increases the chances of relapsing later on.
CBT focuses on discovering what your child thinks about and how it’s contributed to their addiction. By identifying where these thoughts come from, they will learn to change these behavior patterns and turn them into positive thoughts.
They’ll learn a series of strategies to help them stay clear of situations that lead them to use.
Use of Medication
Not all facilities use MAT as a form of treatment, but it’s not uncommon for medications to be a part of the treatment process. The best drug rehab center for teens will discuss with you the types of medications they use before your child begins treatment.
For example, your child might be given a mood stabilizer or something to help reduce pain.
Will It Work?
When your teen is in treatment, and even before they begin their program, one question you’ll have is, ‘will it work?’ The last thing you want to do is send your child into a program without confirmation that they will come out of it squeaky clean.
The thing about addiction treatment is there is no way to say 100 percent when your child finishes the program; they’ll never do drugs again. The goal is to educate them about how they got to this point.
As well as teach them to identify their triggers and learn methods to cope with these triggers without using. It’s up to your teenager if they want to make a change and remain sober after they’ve finished their program.
What to Expect from a Teen Drug Rehab?
Not only have we told you about what you should expect from a teen drug rehab, but we’ve also given you some answers about other questions you might have had. Remember that your teenager needs you as they take on one of the hardest things they’ve ever undergone in their lives.
Now that you know what to expect from treatment, it’s time to contact Eagle Overlook Recovery for Adolescents. We’ll help your child get back their lives and begin their recovery journey.