We tend to think of the teenage years as a time of experimentation. Kids tend to try on various activities and identities. While testing limits and exploring different roles is definitely a necessary part of growing up, these can easily lead to dangerous pastimes, including teen substance use. As a parent, relative or friend, it’s crucial to know how to spot the warning signs of teen substance use before the problem escalates.
Things to Look Out For
You don’t need to be an addiction expert to be able to recognize the signs of drinking or drug use. Taking time to inspect your teen after a night with friends can reveal many clues. These may include the smell of marijuana or cigarettes, red or heavy-lidded eyes with dilated pupils, slurred speech, balance difficulties or mood swings. Other behavioral signs that may indicate teen substance use include the following:
- Withdrawing from friends or activities they once enjoyed
- Secretive behavior
- Stealing
- Sudden, uncharacteristic use of incense or air fresheners in their room
Teens are unpredictable. There’s always a chance that your suspicions are unwarranted. However, it’s far better to be wrong than to ignore a strong gut feeling.
Conducting a Room Search
No matter how sacred you believe privacy to be, you might ultimately decide that your concerns for your teen’s health override even the strongest principles. If you suspect that your child is using drugs, you should check potential hiding places. Frequently, these include bureau or desk drawers, small video, CD or jewelry boxes, in a plant, inside compacts or lipstick tubes, inside over-the-counter medication bottles or even books. Taking steps to look through your child’s possessions may seem overly intrusive. However, it just might turn out to be the early intervention step that enables you to confront him or her. It’s important to stop this dangerous behavior before things get out of control.
Help for Teen Substance Use at Crestview Recovery
Despite your best efforts, sometimes there’s nothing you can do to protect the people you love from entering the downward spiral of addiction. Teen substance use is heartbreaking, and it has the potential to tear families apart. That’s why you need help from Crestview Recovery in Portland, Oregon, the Pacific Northwest’s most respected residential drug rehab facility.
At Crestview Recovery, we understand the unique aspects of substance use among young people and know how to help your 18- or 19-year-old learn how to live a healthy, drug-free life. Our focus is on the whole person, and everything we do in our integrated therapeutic programs encourages the growth of a well-rounded, sober individual. We work to equip them with the tools they need to take on the challenges and temptations of the outside world. Young adults entering our program can expect many of the following programs during their treatment:
- Referral to a detox program
- Individual, group and family counseling
- Evidence-based therapies to get to the root causes and triggers of the addiction
- Social and recreational programs to enhance physical fitness and spiritual growth. These might include hiking, white water rafting, mindfulness meditation, nutritional counseling, massage and Reiki
- Full continuum of programs that include residential, partial hospitalization, intensive outpatient, outpatient and aftercare
Your teen is at a pivotal time of life. Help him or her maximize chances of success here at Crestview Recovery. If you’re a young person who wants to live a balanced and healthy life free from the chains of teen substance use, take the first step today. Call our knowledgeable, caring counselors at 866.262.0531.
Since 2016, Dr. Merle Williamson, a graduate of Oregon Health Sciences University, has been the Medical Director at Crestview Recovery, bringing a rich background in addiction medicine from his time at Hazelden Treatment Center. He oversees outpatient drug and alcohol treatments, providing medical care, setting policies, detox protocols, and quality assurance measures. Before specializing in addiction medicine, he spent 25 years in anesthesiology, serving as Chair of Hospital Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee and Chief of Anesthesia at Kaiser Permanente. This experience gives him a unique perspective on treating prescription drug addiction.
