Adolescent Substance Abuse Risk Factors – Child Psychology
My son refuses to go into treatment. What should I do?
Adolescents who refuse treatment usually do not see their drug use as a problem and see no need to stop. Also, they may still have yet to see the negative consequences of drug use. There are certain interventions that deal with improving the motivation to change, called Motivational Enhancement Therapy. In certain cases, external leverage may need to come from concerned agencies to make them receive treatment. Some parents may even see these as counterproductive. The idea of getting adolescents into treatment is to work on improving their motivation.
Engagement in treatment also allows disrupting the cycle of continued use. Adolescents will often continue to deny problems resulting from drug use. In these cases, it can be necessary to ask for additional external leverage by referring them to agencies like the Youth Services Bureau (YSB). The YSB is a government social services agency that provides prevention programs and treatment to families and youth at risk for delinquent behavior. The YSB may compel the youngster to get into treatment to avoid having to go to court or being placed in detention. Recalcitrant and persistent drug use is an indication for inpatient admission. As parents, you may sign in your minor for treatment. This is where the family can rally together. That family member whom the youngster has identified to be most supportive of him or her can reinforce this decision. I have seen time and again adolescents who were admitted after vehemently refusing treatment say that this experience has helped them. Admission disrupted the cycle of use. It also allowed for providing necessary family interventions and increasing readiness for continuing aftercare treatment.
I have used drugs before and I’m using them again; I’m at a loss about what to do. Where can I get help?
This is one of the sensitive things that will have to be dealt with at some point during counseling. Parents will inevitably blame themselves once they find out that their children have used drugs. It is best to deal with family issues in a straightforward and honest way, and at the same time, also work with your child in dealing with his treatment. Partnership for a Drug-Free America has very good tips on how to talk to your kids about this. It is important for parents to receive concurrent help to deal with their own sobriety. For parents who do not live with their substance-abusing adolescent, it is a bigger challenge to get them help. In this case, responsibility falls heavily on working with the adolescent in strengthening his or her self efficacy. It is doubly difficult to expect kids to stop using when their parents are not sober.
Eleanor’s comments:
Having information about drugs has been helpful. Kush, haze, E, L, purple haze-words that come straight from kids. The Web sites are helpful in separating facts from myths.
Resources for parents who have children abusing drugs or for those who suspect as much include the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s A Family Guide to Keeping Youth Mentally Healthy and Drug-Free Web site (available at:http://family.samhsa.gov). The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration also has a telephone hotline and Web site to assist in identifying drug treatment programs throughout the United States. By reading our texts, you should have recognized that drug abuse should be treated as a disorder with onset during adolescence, and it needs to be treated aggressively and early. Remember, drug use causes lasting negative effects with serious psychosocial and legal consequences for your developing child. Receiving treatment now will make a difference in your child’s life and yours, and it can be done!
American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry (AAAP)
American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP)
American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM)
Cocaine Anonymous World Services
Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)
www.justice.gov/dea/contactinfo.htm
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Office of National Drug Control Policy
Partnership for a Drug-Free America
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration (SAMHSA)
SAMHSA’s Health Information Network
US Screening Source, Inc.
