What Methods Teen Treatment Centers Use to Fight Addiction

What Methods Teen Treatment Centers Use to Fight Addiction

By Matt Brindisi

The rising popularity in teen treatment centers is something that inspires mixed emotions. On one hand, we are happy that we have these places of rehabilitation to help teens get better but at the same time, we are exposed to a growing set of teenage problems that didn't exist before: chronic depression, alcohol addiction, and illicit drug abuse and prescription drug addiction.

Let us look at the three pronged approached adopted by teen treatment centers to counter this growing menace of substance abuse:

1. Counseling: Teens are at a vulnerable state of life where their decisions are usually impulsive and influenced; which is one of the reasons why they become victims of substance abuse. During the counseling phase, the counselor has a heart to heart chat with the patient and find out the root cause of his addiction. Short-term behavioral goals are charted out which can put a full-stop to drug abuse. These can be in the form of cognitive therapy, Narcotics Anonymous, Alcoholics Anonymous and other such programs. There is also another treatment program which is rapidly gaining ground, also known as 'Stimulus Control' that shows the teen how to practically stay away from 'stimulus' or 'triggers' in the form of situations and people that can lead to substance abuse and substitute it with conditions that foster participation in healthy activities.

2. Medication: Medication also assumes a lot of importance when used to treat various forms of addiction and boost the immune system. For instance, in case of nicotine cravings, an antidepressant like Buproprion is administered. If a teen is addicted to opiates like heroine, it is normal for him to have strong withdrawal systems post the detox procedure. In this case, Methadone, levo-alpha acetyl methadol or Buprenorphine hydrochloride are used as non-intoxicating opiates that can take care of these problems. Naltrexone is also used by doctors to counter the opiate effects and has been found to be especially useful in cases of opiate overdose.

3. Family Intervention: In a teen rehabilitation center, the family intervention aspect does matter a lot when it comes to effective treatment, as the people who are seeking treatment are not yet adults. The treatment aspects in this case include multidimensional family therapy (MDFT) and multifamily educational intervention (MFE).

Parents should cooperate fully with the treatment and should play a good role in motivating their children along with the efforts of the teen rehab. Apart from the above three points of treatment, there is a tilt towards motivational enhancement therapy that strengthens the mental resolve of the teen to stay away from these vices. The most effective time period for complete and comprehensive treatment is between three and five months in a long -term residential treatment program where not just substance abuse but every teen problem is addressed. When the matter is out of control for the parent, and the teen is too much into drugs, it is better to act promptly and take him to one of the best teen treatment centers for rehabilitation.

Find more information on Teen Addiction Treatment Methods. Helpful and informative information on Teen Rehab Programs is available.

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