Teen Alcohol Treatment
- Teen Alcohol Treatment
- Treatment Facts
- Residential Centers
- 11 Tips for Parents
- Risks of Addiction
- Outpatient Programs
Table of Contents
Risk Factors
Signs and Symptopms
Addiction Health Problems
Time for an Intervention
Elements of Rehab
Parent Involvement
Get Help at Newport Academy
Adults function differently than teens do. Their brains are fully developed. They've had more life experience, and more time to work, develop relationships and attempt functioning out in the world while maintaining an addiction to alcohol. Teens need a treatment that caters to their limited experience as well as their perspective on life and the issues they deal with on a daily basis. They also need a medical and therapeutic team trained to understand the mechanics of the teenaged brain and the chemical changes that happen when a teen drinks. It’s important, too, that they spend their experience in alcohol rehab surrounded by peers struggling with similar issues with whom they can feel safe sharing their own thoughts and experiences in a group setting.
Assuming that your teen is going through a phase and will simply grow out of his or her alcohol abuse is a mistake. The research is clear – the earlier you enroll your teenager in alcohol treatment, the more likely it is that he or she will find meaningful recovery. Unfortunately, most people don't seek out treatment until they have been actively abusing alcohol for 20 years or more. The fact that the substance is legal confuses teens; many believe that their use of the drug is normal even though it inhibits their lifestyle, destroys their health and takes away opportunities that they would have had otherwise.
Getting your teenager into a teen alcohol treatment program gives them the chance to stop the issue of alcohol abuse and addiction before it has a chance to take hold and take over your teen's life. At Newport Academy, we provide all these things and more for your child. Contact us today to find out more about how we can help your child to stop drinking and start living a life of positivity.
Risk Factors for Teen Alcohol Addiction
There are a number of factors in a teen's life including history, personality and genetics that may put him or her at higher risk than the average adolescent for the development of an alcohol addiction. The following risk factors may increase your teen’s susceptibility:
- Family history of alcohol abuse
- History of childhood abuse or trauma
- Teens with diagnosed or undiagnosed mental illness
- Teens who struggle with self-image issues
- Friends with alcohol problems
Age Matters
The younger a person starts drinking, the more likely it is that he or she will continue drinking. About 90 percent of adults struggling with chronic alcohol addiction started drinking before the age of 18. In fact, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, teens who drink before the age of 15 are four or five times more likely to become addicted to alcohol than those who wait until after they are 21.
Unfortunately, only about 10 percent of teens who need help will get the alcohol treatment they need. Of that 10 percent, only one in 10 will receive the crucial follow-up care necessary to maintain sobriety after attending a teen alcohol treatment program. What will your teen’s experience be?
Signs and Symptoms of Teen Alcoholism
Does my teen really need alcohol treatment or is this just a phase that will pass on its own? It’s a common question that parents have and it’s one that comes from a place of hope. A phase is harmless and requires no drastic measurements. If it’s a phase, then everything will be fine. If it’s something more serious than that (e.g., alcohol abuse or alcohol addiction) then your teen needs alcohol treatment.
Physical Symptoms
The physical signs that your teen needs alcohol treatment may or may not be obvious depending on your child’s personal style. In general, an abrupt change in style that includes an unkempt appearance, clothes that highlight drug abuse and general inattention to hygiene can mean that alcohol abuse has gotten out of control if you know that your child is drinking.
There are other physical signs, aside from your teen’s appearance that can tip you off that alcohol has become a problem. Empty beer or liquor bottles in their car, the smell of alcohol on their breath (give them a hug when they come home) or the fact that their friends drink can all be tip-offs that your teen is drinking frequently.
The more obvious signs of teen drinking – DUIs, drunken fights, coming home drunk, skipping school to drink or getting caught with alcohol at school – are huge red flags that it’s time to do something about your teen’s alcohol problem.
Emotional Signs
It may be more difficult to pinpoint the emotional signs that your teen needs alcohol treatment given that the teenage years are a highly emotional time by anyone’s standard. If you know your child is drinking, it may have an emotional cause and an emotional consequence. For example, if your teen is upset about your divorce, a death in the family or of a friend, or due to an issue with her friends, she may be more likely to drink heavily to numb the pain. Mood swings, extreme depression and irritability in connection with frequent drinking are signs that your teen would benefit from alcohol addiction help.
Five Signs Your Child May Need Teen Alcohol Treatment
In the fight against teen alcohol abuse, it is absolutely crucial that parents recognize that warnings signs that their child may have a drinking problem.
- Their drinking has caused their schoolwork or class attendance to suffer.
- They are engaging in reckless behavior
- They smell of alcohol when they come home in the evening
- They lie about their whereabouts when they leave the house
- They become isolated, or forgo old friends for new social circles.
Health Problems Caused by Alcohol Addiction and Abuse
Your teen’s brain and body are developing and maturing at a rapid rate during the teen years, but if alcohol is continually introduced into the limbic, endocrine and immune systems during this time of development, health problems can result.
- Limbic system. Between the ages of 12 and 20, the brain is developing and growing at a significant rate. The limbic system – the reward system in the brain – is part of that development, but if a teen abuses alcohol, serious adverse effects can result, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Drugs and alcohol target the reward system to give the user a sense of euphoria and to get high. In the process, the limbic system is altered. With continued use, drugs like cocaine, heroin, MDMA, crystal meth, opiate painkillers and other drugs make it difficult to feel happiness without using the drug.
- Endocrine system. The endocrine system is responsible for assisting the reproductive organs and muscles in maturing. It does this by stimulating growth hormones and reproductive hormones. When your teen uses alcohol in large amounts (binge drinking), the levels of reproductive and growth hormones decrease, and this can disrupt the development of ovaries, testes and the parts of the brain that control the endocrine system. Depending upon the amount of alcohol your teen drinks and how often he or she indulges, this disruption may be brief. However, if your teen continues to drink heavily for a long period of time, there can be irreparable damage to the reproductive system that has long-lasting effects.
- Immune system. The immune system is not only developing during the teen years, it is also necessary for it to function properly in order to protect your teen against viruses, bacteria and disease. Drinking alcohol can severely limit the ability of your teen's immune system to protect him or her against the threat of illness, leaving him or her more vulnerable to infection. Additionally, long-term alcohol use can mean chronic illness if the immune system is damaged and cannot recover.
Time for an Intervention
When you realize that your teenager is struggling with alcohol abuse and countless requests for them to stop have yielded nothing but more drinking, it’s time to put them on the right track. An intervention can help you do that, providing you with a formal forum in front of people who care about your teen and who can help you remain calm and focused during the discussion. Setting your teen up for success starts with getting them the alcohol treatment help they need.
The Elements of Teen Alcohol Treatment
When a teenager enters an alcohol treatment program, parents can expect the child to receive kind, compassionate care that impacts every aspect of the individual. Most programs include detox, counseling and aftercare as their foundation for treatment.
- Alcohol detox: During alcohol detox, the teenager will be a given a chance to let harmful alcohol toxins leave their system. This process generally takes a few days, during which the individual may experience withdrawal symptoms, including: depression, mood swings, irritability and hallucinations.
- Counseling: The real "meat" of teen alcohol treatment is individual and group counseling. It is during these sessions with an addiction counselor that the teen can genuinely open up about the root causes of their drinking problem, and why they have been unable or unwilling to quit until this point. During group counseling, other teens share their stories as well, and everyone in the group is urged to provide support for one another. Because young people are so closely tied to their peer group, counseling can result in breakthroughs that lead to real progress during teen alcohol rehab.
- Aftercare: Aftercare programs are all about preparing for life after treatment and learning how to apply the things that were learned there every day. Aftercare programs can include follow-up counseling, role-playing to help anticipate certain social situations and support groups that follow the mold of 12-step programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous.
How Can Parents Get More Involved?
There are a number of ways that parents can get involved and participate in their teen’s alcohol treatment. Whether you opt for outpatient or inpatient treatment for your teen, you will be encouraged – in some cases, required – to take part in the program and support your teen. The home environment is such an important piece in the success of your teen in recovery that Newport Academy has a number of resources for parents and avenues for their involvement.- Be a more involved parent. Parents need to understand the relationship between their involvement in the lives of their children and the trouble that child gets into. Parents need to ask the right questions about where their children are going, and who they are hanging out with.
- Take the time to learn the warning signs. By knowing what to look for, parents can gain a significant advantage over the situation. Looking for the signs mentioned above, and never entering into a state of denial about their child's potential alcohol use, parents can help catch a problem before it reaches epidemic proportions.
- Share the knowledge. Parents need to sit down and talk to their kids about alcohol at an early age. Kids want to do the right thing, but sometimes do not readily understand what that means. By pointing out the potential damage that alcohol can have on their lives, parents are giving their children a fighting chance in a world that may pressure them to drink while they are underage.
Family Therapy
Family therapy allows parents to meet one-on-one with their teen in an emotionally safe setting. With the objective guidance of a psychotherapeutic professional, you and your teen are given the tools that you need to talk to each other about past issues and underlying problems. In some cases, this allows you to address family problems that have been building for years. In other cases, you can work on the act of communication and how to deal with day-to-day issues without allowing them to escalate. The goal is to build a stronger foundation for your relationship with your teen that will provide them with the support they need when they complete teen rehab.
Parent Support Group
Our Parent Support Group at Newport Academy is available to parents of teens in both our inpatient and outpatient teen alcohol treatment programs. Here, parents can meet other parents of teens with the same issues and gain peer guidance, insight and support. The Parent Support Group is also a good place to voice concerns, gain perspective on incidents that occur with your teen, and learn more about what is dangerous and what isn’t when it comes to risk of relapse.
Educational Classes and Workshops
Understanding what is happening to your teen physiologically and psychologically due to alcohol abuse can help you in dealing with your teen. If you know what to expect and have a clear idea of what they are going through, you will be more effective at supporting them appropriately. The risk is that many parents will inadvertently enable their teen’s issues with alcohol, thinking that they are providing them with love and support. Educational classes and workshops provided by Newport Academy will help parents to learn how to positively support the recovery of their teen and help them fight the temptation to relapse.
Parental Involvement at Newport Academy
Parents of teens enrolled at Newport Academy are always welcome to contact us for a progress report or to check on their teen during treatment. Educational classes, our Parent Support Group and family therapy are all available for parents of teens enrolled at Newport Academy. Contact us at the phone number listed above to schedule a tour or begin the enrollment process for your child.
Alcohol Treatment at Newport Academy
Alcohol use among young people has been a constant heath and social problem in the United States for the past hundred years. Specific usage numbers may change slightly over the years, but those parents who have seen their children lost in a sea of alcohol consumption care little about the facts and statistics - they only wish to help them get well and stay sober. Teen alcohol treatment offers a safe, proven-successful method for getting teens sober and showing them how their behavior can negatively impact the rest of their lives.
Newport Academy provides teen alcohol treatment for young people and their families in a safe, productive environment that creates real results. For more information, contact Newport Academy today.
