Many people are aware of the annual Monitoring the Future Survey hosted by the National Institute on Drug Abuse. This important survey of teen behavioral trends helps schools, parents, and mental health providers gauge the needs and resources for substance abuse treatment. The 2022 survey results offered some encouraging information, including that illicit drug use (heroin, synthetic cannabinoids, opioids, MDMA, and methamphetamine) was holding steady or even dropping when compared with previous years. Daily marijuana use, however, exceeds that of daily cigarette use among high schoolers. Vaping is another trend that is on the rise in this demographic.
High-risk behaviors among teens are hardly new. Teens seem to be hard-wired to experiment with substances and other risky behaviors, possibly due to an undeveloped executive brain functioning in the area of the brain associated with reasoning, processing risks, decision-making, and impulse control. With this aspect of brain development still under construction, teens may take more risks, such as abusing drugs and alcohol. When it becomes apparent that a teenager is engaging in substance abuse, it is important to seek an adolescent rehab California program that addresses the differences between adult and teen addictive behaviors and is customized for teens.
Teen Treatment and Recovery
The teen years are difficult. It is rare to find an adult who would ever desire to repeat such a challenging chapter of life as one’s teen years. These days, social struggles, bullying, social media abuse, academic stress, divorce, mood disorders, physical or sexual abuse, or the death of a loved one can all spark interest in using drugs or alcohol as a form of self-medicating or escapism.
An effective adolescent rehab California program understands that in order to treat teen substance abuse, it is imperative to identify the specific sources of emotional pain that may be driving it. This entails focused individual and group therapy, in particular cognitive behavioral therapy, that can enable teens to develop new coping tools in response to the stressors or triggers that had, before treatment, resulted in substance use.
Family Therapy in Teen Rehab
For the adolescent, the family is their primary source of love and support. The family provides the social structure that will be used for all other relationships to come. When there is discord in the family dynamic, it can impact the members of the family in various ways. Communication issues, unclear boundaries, lack of respect on either side, or family upheaval such as a move or a divorce can all result in teen behavioral problems.
A teen treatment program should highlight family therapy as an intrinsic treatment element for a successful recovery outcome. During family therapy, members are provided a safe and supportive platform to express frustrations, disappointment, anger, sorrow, fear, or whatever emotions might be at play within the family. Family therapy also provides a place to explore new techniques and communication skills that can improve the home environment and make it conducive to improved family connections for the long term.
BNI Treatment Adolescent Rehab California and Dual Diagnosis
BNI Treatment Treatment Centers is a physician-owned and operated, teen treatment center for adolescents ages 12-17 located in Southern California. With a keen understanding of the unique stressors that teens experience and their developing brains, the doctors and clinical staff at BNI Treatment Centers have designed a program to be tailored to the teenager’s specific needs. BNI Treatment Centers is also uniquely positioned to treat teens with a dual diagnosis, with an expert psychiatrist on staff to create a treatment plan that simultaneously addresses both the substance use disorder and the mental health disorder. For more information about BNI Treatment Centers adolescent rehab program and medically monitored detoxification, please contact us today at 888-522-1504.
