How to Help Your Teen Through Addiction

Addiction can come in all shapes and sizes. The most worrying types are the kinds that are easily accessible. Yes, hard drugs are always a concern, but if your teen can get into your prescriptions, or there are pressures at school, or even if they get too caught up in the curated world of social media, all of these can lead to addiction.

Addiction hurts your kid and all those around you, and understanding and seeing addiction for what it is is the best thing you can do for them. Knowing the signs, finding them the professional help they need, and being the support for their aftercare is what you can focus on right now.

Know the Signs of Addiction

Knowing the signs of addiction is the first step, and all parents should become familiar with them. This way, they can spot the early signs and work to mitigate the behavior before it becomes an ongoing issue. Even social media can form addiction-like behavior, and seeing the effects early on can help save your child from low self-esteem and even more serious mental illnesses like depression or an anxiety disorder.

Find Professional Help

There are three main options when it comes to professional help and therapy:

Traditional Therapy

Traditional therapy will involve your child going to a therapist by themselves or as part of a group therapy session. For a better community environment and facilities that provide more hands-on care, you will want to look at either outpatient therapy or inpatient therapy at a rehabilitation center like Elevations RTC.

Outpatient Therapy

Outpatient therapy can refer directly to the portion of a rehabilitation regimen that has patients attend therapy sessions at the center and then go home at the end of the day. Being committed to inpatient therapy is not a necessary prerequisite to having your child attend outpatient therapy. Drug addiction rehab may be crucial to your teen's recovery.

Inpatient Therapy

Inpatient therapy means your child will be committed to rehabilitation within the facility where they will live, detox, and attend therapy while being helped by dedicated staff. For safety concerns, we strongly recommend that individuals choose inpatient detox wherever possible. Stopping drug and alcohol use can be harmful, and having adequate help is crucial.

Find a Support Group

One of the most important parts of staying on the straight and narrow is to not be in it alone. Knowing what your child has been through is not the same as going through it yourself, and therefore you both need to find a support group and ensure that your child attends. This could be organized by the rehabilitation center you use, or it could be an external support group.

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Build New, Healthy Habits

When at home, it is important to build new, healthy habits. Do it together as a family so that you can bond together and all benefit. Make healthy meals together, exercise as a family (hiking, going to the beach for a swim once a week, going for bike rides, etc.), and try to build up routines that bring you all closer together. This also means helping your teen find hobbies that will keep them occupied and engaged. The goal is to give them a new life that is healthier and more fulfilling, but this goal can take time, so be patient.