Detox Programs
One of the reasons teenagers find drugs and alcohol so exciting is the danger they represent. Unfortunately, a teenager's understanding of this danger is often a glamorous, abstract idea, and by the time the danger is real and starts affecting their lives, it's too late to deal with on their own. The truth is that addiction is not at all glamorous. Addiction is painful and it's ugly; it's physical. It is an illness, and it requires medical intervention.
For many teenagers, the first time they experience getting high is when they raid the family medicine cabinet or bar. A lot of the drugs available in the home, such as painkillers, are dangerous because they become physically addictive within a short amount of time. This means that the addicted person must take the drug on a daily basis simply to feel 'normal', and the longer this continues, the worse the addiction becomes. It also takes larger and larger doses to achieve the 'high' that was originally experienced. Additionally, once popping pills or having a few drinks becomes normalized, the experience will often progress to obtaining and experimenting with street drugs, such as cocaine or methamphetamine.
The withdrawal symptoms from severe addiction can become life threatening. Teenagers who are experiencing a physical addiction will need to be admitted to a detox program before they can enter a drug rehab program. Detox programs are a medical treatment plan designed to remove drugs or alcohol from an individual's body while alleviating physical withdrawal symptoms. This type of treatment is used in preparation for entering a drug rehab program; it does not address the psychological and habitual issues of drug addiction. Detox programs are generally a short-term treatment, lasting from five to seven days, and should be followed by a long-term or residential drug and alcohol rehab program designed to treat teenagers and young adults.
There can be medical risks associated with alcohol and drug withdrawal, especially in the case of severe alcohol addiction, heroin addiction, and addiction to prescription painkillers. Addiction to these substances is a physical illness, and it affects teenagers and young adults from all social and economic backgrounds.
Some of the withdrawal symptoms include:
- Stimulants. This includes cocaine and amphetamines. Withdrawal symptoms include: severe fatigue, sleep disturbance, muscle soreness, racing thoughts, depression, suicidal thoughts, and in severe cases, drug induced psychosis.
- Benzodiazepines. This includes Valium, Xanax, Klonopin, Ativan, Ambien, and others. Withdrawal symptoms include: anxiety, jitteriness, shaking and tremors, insomnia, sweating, nausea and diarrhea, and in severe cases, convulsions.
- Opiates. This includes OxyContin, Heroin, Vicodin, Darvocet, Percocet, Hydrocodone, Tramadol, and others. Withdrawal symptoms can be very painful. Symptoms include: sweating, severe muscle pain, crawling skin, diarrhea and abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, intense cravings, extreme anxiety, and in severe cases, seizures.
- Alcohol. Withdrawal symptoms include: irritability, tremors or shakes, insomnia, anxiety, agitation, and in severe cases, convulsions, hallucinations, delirium tremens, and even heart attack.
As soon as parents realize their child has become addicted to a drug or to alcohol, they must act quickly. Very often a long-term or residential drug rehab program will be able to suggest an appropriate detox program that is run by doctors and staff trained specifically in drug and alcohol detoxification. Programs designed specifically for teenagers and young adults generally have the most long-lasting success.
Article written by Jillian Blume
