Terry Cline, Ph.D. and SAMHSA Administrator, says that treatment programs which are designed around specific needs and concerns can help improve the treatment's outcome. Two years ago, the National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Services polled over 13,000 facilities to see which offered specialized programs, and find out what they offered.

"About 83 percent of all responding facilities reported offering at least one special treatment program. The percentage was slightly higher (88 percent) for large facilities, which treat 120 or more clients, although 72 percent of facilities that treated fewer than 15 clients also offered a special program."

SAMHSA offers an online Substance Abuse Treatment Facility Locator that people can use to find facilities close to home or that offer specific programs.

Read more at EmaxHealth.com.

Labels: rehab, treatment, detox_programs

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Those aren't words any parent wants to hear, but are exactly the words that a Michigan wife spoke to her husband about their teenage son. What followed were years of struggle; their son in and out of rehab, arrested, failing drug tests, and refusing to get the help he needed.

"My son became a liar and a con artist. That may seem redundant, but they are different. He conned the staff at the first in-patient rehab into believing he was road ready after only a week of treatment. Despite our protests, my wife and I had no say in the matter... He would tell us later he was thinking of using every minute he was there."

Today, their son is in his sixth rehab facility - this time it's a long-term inpatient facility that was mandated by the court. The father's advice is simple; don't believe it can't happen to your family. They didn't believe it could happen to theirs. Read more at Freep.com.

Not sure what to look for in an adolescent residential drug treatment center? Or what to expect? Learn more in the article "What Parents can Expect While Their Teen is in Residential Treatment" at DrugRehabTreatment.com.

Labels: parents, rehab, recovery

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Drug-abuse experts call it "generational amnesia", and they say it explains why cocaine use is increasing among adolescents. Generational amnesia happens when sufficient time has passed and a new generation is no longer aware of the dangers of a particular drug. It's one of the main reasons for the cyclical increase and decrease in popularity of certain drugs.

"The visibility of cultural markers - and the absence of cautionary tales - leads to the assumption that coke is not as harmful, say, as heroin (which was associated with the high-profile overdoses of River Phoenix and Curt Cobain in the 1990s), or methamphetamine, whose recent popularity in the gay community has led to a targeted campaign against it, said Perry N. Halkitis, a professor of applied psychology at New York University who studies behavior, the AIDS epidemic and drug abuse."

By and large, cocaine is thought to be safe, which means that more teens are likely to try it. It's also considered "fashionable" in the entertainment and finance industries, which drives its popularity. The annual survey conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration found a 20 percent increase in past-month use between 2004 and 2005, meaning that 20 percent more people admitted to using cocaine within the last 30 days. Read more at TheLedger.com.

The Teen-Help-Directory offers resources for parents on teen substance abuse and drug addiction, including articles about the warning signs and what treatment options exist. Learn about teen drug and alcohol use and prevention tactics to keep your adolescent on the right path.

Labels: cocaine, teenagers, rise_in_use

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Hundreds are gathered at Chicago's Navy Pier on Monday, June 18th for a "Vigil for Lost Promise"; an event focused on honoring the potential of individuals who lost their lives to drugs.

"The highlight of Monday night's vigil ceremony [was] a special candlelight honor walk within the ballroom, featuring family members lighting candles and walking up to a special 'Wall of Remembrance' where they will post photographs of their loved ones."

The event began at 6:30pm in the Grand Ballroom and featured several guest speakers. Read more at NBC5.com.

Labels: death, families, surviors

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The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)'s Treatment Episode Data Set has revealed some distinct differences between the substance abuse risks for girls and those for boys. Most notably, though girls only made up 1/3 of the total number of adolescents admitted for treatment in 2005, they were much more likely to have a co-occurring psychiatric disorder.

"Adolescents admitted with a psychiatric problem in addition to a substance abuse problem were counted as having a co-occurring disorder. Girls were more likely to have such co-occurring disorders, which were reported in 23 percent of the female admissions compared with 18 percent of the male admissions."

Girls were also more likely to enter treatment at an earlier age for both alcohol and marijuana, and were much more likely to abuse drugs like cocaine and opiates. Read more at EMaxHealth.com.

Learn about the connection between teens and drugs at the Teen Help Directory. You'll find information about adolescent substance abuse and teenage drug abuse at TeenHelpDirectory.com.

Labels: risky_behaviors, genders, disorders

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The number of patients between the ages of 16 and 25 being treated in Victoria for alcohol-related brain injuries rose 16 percent in the last ten years. Many attribute this rise to the high concentration of bars and clubs in the city center.

"Staff at Arbias, which provides support to people with alcohol or substance-related brain damage, are treating about 600 young people annually in Melbourne, up from about 120 a decade ago."

There are currently more than 1,000 establishments in Melbourne's city center that are licensed to serve alcohol. Many of them are open well past 1am. These and other statistics are causing many in Australia to call for the legal drinking age to be raised to twenty-one. Read more at TheAge.com.au.

Parents struggling with troubled teens and drugs can find help at ByParents-ForParents.com. Read The Signs of Drug and Alcohol Abuse in Teenagers to learn more to learn more about underage and binge drinking.

Labels: underage drinking, brain_damage, binge_drinking

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The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence coordinated a "Family Day for Prevention" in Middlesex County, New Jersey. The purpose was to raise awareness, and some additional funds, for the Middlesex County Substance Abuse Coalition.

"The key to drug, alcohol and substance abuse prevention is education, and the first line of defense against it is parenting, [Nina] Nieves said. 'The values that we impart is what they're going to give back to us. If I say "You cannot drink until you're 21, and then drink in moderation," I have to enforce it so they (my children) can learn by example,' Nieves said."

The 2nd annual Family Day included a 5k run, a bike ride, and it raised several hundred dollars for the Middlesex Coalition. Read more at THNT.com.

Parents struggling with troubled teens and drugs can find help at ByParents-ForParents.com. Read The Signs of Drug and Alcohol Abuse in Teenagers to learn more.

Labels: prevention, awareness, education

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It's easy to find statistics about teenage drug use. It's also fairly easy to find tragic stories of teens that lost their lives, or ended up in prison, because of their addictions. The dangers of drug use are well-known, yet teens continue to get drunk, get high, and get addicted. Why?

"Life is often difficult for teenagers. When they're unhappy and uncomfortable with themselves and have neither a healthy outlet for their frustrations nor a trusted confidant, they may turn to chemicals for solace."

The media often makes drug use look much more prevalent than it actually is, making teens feel like it must not be "a big deal" if so many people are doing it. Teens who feel socially awkward, depressed, or ignored by their parents are also more likely to turn to alcohol and drugs. Read more at DrugFree.org.

Labels: addiction, media_influences, causes_of_teen_substance_abuse

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The U.S. Department of Justice has partnered with other service organizations and foundations to offer grants to communities willing to develop a juvenile drug court program that's in keeping with the Reclaiming Futures model.

"RWJF [Robert Wood Johnson Foundation] launched Reclaiming Futures in 2002 to change the way judges, probation officers, treatment providers, families and community members work to help youth in the justice system get off drugs and alcohol."

The program combines system reform, treatment improvement and community engagement to help teens. The grants up to $425,000 for a period of four years will be awarded to up to four communities. Read more at Home.BusinessWire.com.

If your teen has been in trouble with the law because of teenage drug use, then DrugRehabTreatment.com can help you find residential drug treatment center. Learn how to choose a residential drug treatment center.

Labels: drug_abuse, drug_courts, criminal_justice

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A study of 10,000 15- and 16-year-olds found that teens that get larger allowances are more likely to drink. The conclusion drawn by the British researchers who conducted the study is that the higher allowances enable teens to buy their own alcohol.

"About one-third of teens in the survey said they bought their own alcohol, and they were six times more likely than their peers to drink in public places, three times more likely to drink frequently and twice as likely to binge on a regular basis."

The researchers used the study to call for parents to better regulate how their teens spend money, and also for better enforcement of laws that prohibit the sale of alcohol to minors. Read more at Reuters.com.

Labels: binge_drinking, money, affluence

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Dr. Berth K. Madras, U.S. Deputy Drug Czar was in Georgia on Wednesday, where she praised the efforts of those who are part of the national drug court system. There are over 1,900 drug courts nationwide that see over 16,000 people a year - and many of those people turn their lives around.

"'Drug courts are a cost-effective and innovative way to combat substance abuse in our society,' continued Dr. Madras. 'Now tested and proven on a relatively small scale, drug courts must serve as a model for how to address the broadest population of substance users in the criminal justice system..."

President Bush has committed an additional $21.7 million to expanding and further resourcing U.S. drug courts. Read more at TheCitizenNews.com.

Military boarding schools offer discipline to troubled teens and their families. Find the best military boarding schools at BoardingSchoolsInfo.com.

Labels: prevention, drug_courts, criminal_justice

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Prescription drug abuse has become more common than the uses of heroin and crack/cocaine combined. Most parents take proactive steps to keep their prescription medications where they can't be found or stolen, but teens can also buy them online - often without a prescription.

"According to CASA [The Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse], there are 581 websites that advertise or sell controlled prescription drugs... One of the most disturbing things about this study is that 84 percent of these websites don't require a prescription to buy these drugs."

It's becoming increasingly important for parents to monitor what their kids are doing online. Prescription drugs can only be bought online using a credit card, so careful scrutiny of credit card statements is important as well. Read more at Fox16.com.

Concerned about adolescent substance abuse? DrugRehabTreatment.com has the answers you're looking for about prescription drug abuse and other more about drugs and teens. Visit DrugRehabTreatment.com for help on teen drug addiction.

Labels: over-the-counter-drugs, internet, prescription_drugs

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Sharon Levy, MD and medical director of the adolescent substance abuse program at Children's Hospital in Boston is one of many in the medical community who feel that better drug screening methods are needed to adequately determine if a teen is using drugs.

"'OxyContin use, for example, which is just about an epidemic here in Boston, is not detected on those screenings. Neither is ecstasy, and many tests don't detect alcohol... If a kid is using one of these, the drug test will be negative.'"

Add to that the fact that most substances only stay in the system for 24 to 72 hours, and random drug screening becomes a very hit-or-miss method for identifying kids who might have substance abuse issues. Read more at News.Nurse.com.

Labels: drug_testing, drug_screening

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