Getting Help for a Substance Abuse Problem

Everybody who has been in high school knows that it can be pretty unpleasant at times. Stress and drama pretty much define the majority of high school experiences, and for teens, using drugs and alcohol is a really easy was to escape the hell that high school can be.

So if drugs and alcohol make you feel better, then what's the big deal? In most cases we already know the answer to this question. Unless you skipped class that day, we all learned that drugs are bad, drinking is dangerous, blah, blah, blah. In one ear and out the other. Most teens know the dangers of using and abusing drugs and other substances, but they either ignore those facts or think that those things won’t happen to them.

If you have a friend who is using drugs, it is important to get them help. This site has some really helpful tips for talking to a friend about their drug problem. Approaching a friend about their drug problem can be really scary, and they might reject your help. But as a good friend, it is important to take that risk and tell your friend that you think they need help.

If you think that you might have a drug problem yourself, there are also ways that you can get help. A good first step would be to talk to your parents, even though they’re probably the last people that you want to ask for help. You and your parents should then check out these two sites:

Sample Treatment Program This link will lead you to a site for a treatment program in Scotts, Valley, CA. This page will show you what an adolescent treatment program might include from detox, to inpatient treatment, to aftercare programs.

Adolescent Treatment Facilities This link will take you to a list of different facilities throughout the country that have treatment programs for adolescents with substance abuse problems.

The idea of admitting that you have a drug problem or confronting a friend about their problem might be really scary, but in the long run you’re really doing yourself and your friend a huge favor.

Labels: teen-addiction, teen-alcohol-abuse, teen-drug-abuse, teen-drug-help, teen-rehab, teen-substance-abuse

posted by beth @ 12:28 PM