Effective substance abuse treatment is back at the forefront of the minds of parents, law enforcement and addiction specialists, as an alarming 37 percent of American teens were revealed to have abused drugs or alcohol over the past year.
What makes this study considerably scarier is that one out of twelve teens was reported to experience symptoms that fall in line with chemical dependence or addiction, with regard to the substance that they were abusing. Of all of the ethnic groups studied, Caucasians, Hispanics and Native Americans had the highest propensity toward substance abuse and addiction among teenagers. The study revealed that African Americans and Asians had the lowest.
Outraged parents and community activists are calling for more specialized substance abuse treatment to combat this growing problem. Addiction treatment specialists are using these latest studies to urge parents to take an active role in keeping their teens away from drugs and alcohol by learning the signs of substance abuse and addiction. Parents, teachers and all others who come in contact with teens are also being encouraged to educate kids on the benefits of staying sober, in addition to the dangers of drugs and alcohol.
The general public is starting to become aware of the dangerous trends teenage drug use is taking, something substance abuse treatment experts have been warning of for years. For starters, marijuana use continues to increase dramatically, especially in terms of daily use among teens. Marijuana has now taken over alcohol as the most commonly abused substance. The scarier fact revealed was that prescription drug abuse has now become the second most abused drug among teenagers, falling only behind marijuana. The University of Michigan’s Monitoring the Future study revealed that every single day, 2,500 new teenagers use prescription drugs to get high for the very first time. Substance abuse treatment experts reveal that prescription drug abuse has increased 430 percent over the last 10 years, and the death toll from overdoses that can come as a result have tripled.
It’s imperative to remember that drug habits and patterns of teens can change every day, and parents need to take an active role in the prevention efforts to keep their kids safe from drugs and alcohol. One in fourteen people who now enter substance abuse treatment for addiction in this country is under the age of 18. While these treatment facilities can do a wonderful job at helping free your loved ones from the grasp of addiction, nothing has a more powerful impact than helping prevent them from going down that path in the first place.
Destination Hope is a full-service substance abuse treatment facility for individuals who suffer from addiction and the many co-occurring illnesses that can join it. Teens have unfortunately become part of the drug and alcohol abuse landscape in this country and we are determined to help them right their path. While Destination Hope is an adult-only facility, we can offer advice and recommendations for treatment for teens under 18. If your teenager is abusing drugs or alcohol, please get in touch with us at Destination Hope.
