Saturday, September 25, 2010

Teen Girls Now Abuse Drugs More Than Boys. How to Know if your "little Girl" Has a Drug Problem

Author: Christin Shire


It's official, teen girls now have more problems with drug and alcohol abuse than do teen boys; and they more than likely are using drugs or alcohol for completely different reasons. Additionally, because they don’t often show the same type of behavioral disturbances as do teen boy substance abusers, girls often continue to use for longer at unsafe levels before parents ever know the real extent o the problem.





Firstly, teen girls don’t use drugs and alcohol for the same reason that teen boys do (Why teen girls get addicted ). Teenage boys tend to use drugs and alcohol recreationally, and use for the excitement, fun and experimentation that drugs promise. Girls are far more likely to take drugs or alcohol as a way to combat low self esteem, to gain self confidence in a group, to attract the attention of older teen boys who also use, and to use drugs as a way to combat feelings of depression and anxiety.





Girls suffer more from drug abuse





Unfortunately, teen girls also seem to be uniquely affected by their drug use, and teen girls (already at a higher risk for depression that teen boys) if using and abusing drugs or alcohol are two and a half times more likely to experience clinical depression. They are also far more likely to experience an unwanted pregnancy, contract an STD and also to use drugs for properties such as weight loss.





The problem with pills





Teen girls are especially attracted to prescription pills, attracted by the ease of access, the perception of safety, and the perception of positive side effects (decreased anxiety and weight loss). With some prescription pain killers every bit as addictive as heroin, this is problematic.





Additionally, teen girls tend to abuse for longer on average before receiving intervention and professional help. Teen boys using drugs and alcohol are more likely to get in trouble at school, more likely to get into fights or problems with the law, or more likely to have a DUI; while teen girl users tend to avoid most of these problems. The problem is that without some of these obvious signs of use, parents and teachers remain unaware of the level of use, and are unable to intervene in a timely manner.





Parents need to be on the lookout for drug and alcohol use and abuse in teenage girls, and understand that some of the signs may not obviously point to drug use.





Increasing moodiness and depression is a normal sign of drug use and abuse that very rarely gets identified as such, with parents misattributing changes in behavior to the normal expressions of adolescence. While some moodiness can obviously be expected during the formative adolescent years, excessive signs of depression are not normal; and very likely indicate a greater problem.





If your teen no longer has any interest in family activities or wants to spend all of their time in their room, you should be concerned.





If your teen no longer cares as much about their appearance, you should be concerned.





If your teen suddenly drops all old friends for an assortment of new, and seemingly unsavory friends; you should be concerned.





If grades suddenly slip, you should be concerned.





Any or all of these behavioral signs may or may not indicate a problem with drugs or alcohol, but they are worrying behaviors and they do need to be investigated; and if your child is not experimenting or abusing drugs or alcohol, they may be enduring some form of clinical depression. A professional diagnosis can be very helpful for parents concerned about the health and safety of an at risk teen.





You can never protect your teen from all of the dangers out there, but you can do a lot simply by staying involved and active in their life, by leading with a good example on drugs and alcohol use, and by having clear and understood rules on the use of any form of drugs or alcohol.





Talk to your teen, stay involved, make time for mutually enjoyable activities; you'll be in a far better position to evaluate what changes in behavior may mean, and how far from normal these changes really are.




Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/teen-girls-now-abuse-drugs-more-than-boys-how-to-know-if-your-quotlittle-girlquot-has-a-drug-problem-226610.html



About the Author

Christian Shire is an addictions professional writing about all matters pertaining to treatment and recovery. If you need help making a decision about treatment visit Choosehelp to read more.



Read the daily addiction blog Troubleblog for stories of recovery and the latest news on treatment options.

Thursday, September 23, 2010

What is Rehab or Rehabilitation?

Author: Daniel Osteler


Rehabilitation or also called as rehab, is the treatment for a person who is suffering from an illness. You can find three basic types of rehabilitation, which are classified based on the type of illnesses.



  • Psychiatric rehab- Psychiatric rehab or psychosocial rehab is the process of restoring a person, who is diagnosed with a psychiatric disability or a mental disorder, for their wellbeing and functioning properly with the community.

  • Penology Rehab- Criminal rehabilitation is called as penology rehab. In this process of treatment, the basic assumption they follow is that not all criminals are permanently criminal, and it is quite possible to restore them to the social community as contributing and helpful citizens.

  • Neuropsychological rehab- Retraining of the neural pathways to improve process of thinking, which is weakened due to disease or traumatic injury.


In summation, we can derive that rehabilitation is a process of recovery of a person, who can function properly for regaining independence and quality for his/her self, after the illness occurs.


The success of the rehab process completely depends upon the will of the person to get well. The earlier the process is started, the greater the chances of reverting back to normal life.


We saw above the classification of the rehab processes based on the illness of an individual. Now, we will go through the different types of rehab treatments in a rehab process. They are as follows:



  • Outpatient rehab- Like the name suggests it is a treatment process for the individuals who do not live at the rehab center due to some reasons. Due to this, variation may occur in the intensity of the treatment during the day. However, the treatment programs are structured on the requirements of the individuals.

  • Inpatient rehab- This treatment is for the individuals who live in the rehab center. The main motive for doing so is to keep the patients away from the cause of the illness, such as drugs and alcohol, in drug addiction cases. The patients have to live in the center for the entire span of the rehab program.

  • Short-term rehab- This treatment consists of intensive programs which help the patient to stay away from drugs and alcohol. The duration of such a treatment might be 4 to 10 weeks. The individual undergoing the treatment is able to maintain his/her daily routine because of the 5 days a week structure of the treatment.

  • Long-term rehab- This treatment process is designed for individuals who need intense and uninterrupted care for a long period. The treatment consists of dealing with the emotional, social, spiritual, vocational and physiological needs. They also offer aftercare programs that aim at relapse prevention and support.

  • Residential rehab- The qualified teams at the rehab centers offer different treatments, which are undertaken in places, which are suitable for the patients to recover. The environment is made to resemble home, so that the patient is relaxed and is removed from his/her surroundings for a faster recovery.



Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/mental-health-articles/what-is-rehab-or-rehabilitation-2889371.html



About the Author

Daniel Osteler is a great author that provides information of Rehabilitation. Rehabilitation is a process to cure a person of addiction or other types of illnesses like mental disorder etc. They can get back to a safe and secure life with the help of rehabilitation. A lot of therapies, counseling, & medication go into this process to help the patient to control his or her problems and recover from it.

Sunday, September 19, 2010

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.




Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Matt_Brindisi


http://EzineArticles.com/?What-Methods-Teen-Treatment-Centers-Use-to-Fight-Addiction&id=4583383