Why Professional Help Is Necessary for Treating Teen Addiction

Teenage drug use is more rampant in today’s American culture than ever before. With America’s opioid epidemic reaching historic numbers in terms of usage and fatal overdoses each year, locating professional addiction treatment for teens becomes increasingly critical.

For parents of addicted teens, it is crucial to find the most effective, professional treatment methods for their child. Unfortunately, many parents of drug-addicted teens fail to seek the most appropriate forms of professional help for their ailing son or daughter. Failure to locate and utilize said-professional treatment could easily lead to lifelong addictions or even fatal consequences for addicted teens.

With this in mind, Elk Mountain Academy would like to educate parents on the many complicating factors of drug addiction and drug relapses. We hope that by defining the many factors of drug and alcohol addiction, parents of addicted teens will be encouraged to seek immediate professional help for their struggling teenage son or daughter.

Behavioral Triggers That Commonly Lead to Relapse of Drug Usage

When it comes to professional addiction treatment, it is more than simply addressing a troubled teen’s physical addiction to drugs. Teenage addiction, like that of adults, is a complicated issue that requires many actionable treatment methods to treat, not only the superficial addiction but all facets of drug addiction. One of these contributing factors that require the attention of professional help is that of behavioral “triggers” that are commonly known to induce drug and alcohol usage/relapses.

  These emotional/behavioral triggers may include:

• Life’s stresses: For teenage addicts, this may include academic, parental, or personal expectations. Stress is one of the leading causes of teenage drug abuse.
• Environment associated with drug usage: Teenage addicts often associate certain environments with that of using and abusing harmful substances. For example, when visiting a place where they have used drugs/alcohol in the past, teens may be overcome with the urge to use whatever substance they associate with said environment. Consequently, it is crucial for recovering teens to abstain from visiting “old stomping” grounds whenever possible.
• Social Networks/ bad influences: Unfortunately, ending friendships with peers who have contributed to the abuse of drugs is difficult for most recovering teens. However, ending relationships with past users is critical for the overall rehabilitation of recovering teens as these negative influences can easily lead to the relapse of using harmful substances.  

When it comes to managing potential “triggers,” professional help is paramount. While participating in professional counseling/rehabilitation teens learn invaluable lessons in how to avoid and overcome the imminent behavioral triggers they will undoubtedly face upon returning home.

Professional Help Provides Much-Needed Supervision

One of the most important reasons to consider professional help for an addicted teenager, is, of course, the 24-hour supervision they will be provided.

In any effective treatment program, the overall well-being of every teen is of paramount importance. Meaning that every teenage client will be supervised on a 24-hour, seven-days-a-week basis. With this constant supervision, teens are able to receive mental health treatment for their many underlying issues, or hidden mental health issues, that lead to the development of their addiction.

Without this intensive psychiatric attention to their mental health-related issues, it becomes much more difficult, if not impossible, for teens to receive long-lasting recovery from their addictive symptoms.   

In short, without professional help, the likelihood of a teenager achieving full-rehabilitation is reduced to near-zero percent chances.

Opioid addiction is more than a physical dependence on drugs. Even after detox, when physical dependence has resolved, addicts are at high risk for relapse. Psychological and social factors are often powerful stimuli for prescription drug abuse relapse:

• Stress, especially sudden life stresses
• Cues in the environment, like visiting a neighborhood
• Social networks, like spending time with friends who continue to use drugs

Elk Mountain Academy Provides Treatment for Addicted Teenage Girls

As the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) points out, “Drug addiction is a complex illness characterized by intense and, at times, uncontrollable drug craving, along with compulsive drug seeking and use that persists even in the face of devastating consequences.”  

In other words, drug addiction, like any other form of mental disease, is an overwhelmingly complicated issue, one that requires clinical treatments that are as dynamic as the addiction itself. Fortunately for addicted teens and their families, residential treatment facilities, like that of Elk Mountain Academy, are more than capable of effectively providing such a necessary, clinical treatment for their addicted child.

Regarding further information about how Elk Mountain Academy can assist your child today, please call us anytime at 800-845-1380.