Confronting the Problem – A Drug Abuse Intervention

A professional is trained to approach the person involved in self destructive behavior. This addictions expert is skilled at talking to an addict in a clear and respectful way about the behaviors in question.

By engaging in a drug abuse intervention, your objective is for the person you love to listen and accept help. This can be quite difficult because someone who is a drug or alcohol abuser does not know they are not in control; in fact, they usually believe the opposite – they are in complete control. To them, their drug or alcohol use seems normal compared to that of their peers. Drug and alcohol abusers tend to make expensive mistakes and have a decrease in productivity as well as trouble maintaining healthy relationships.

Drug abuse intervention specialists help addicts confront their problems using an objective process. It is better for a stranger to intervene because unless you are a professional counselor, you may not understand how to conduct an intervention. You may also be incapable of dealing with the confrontation or the addict’s anger. If your intervention fails, you may suffer and feel angry. Helping your loved one get help is all you need to do. A drug abuse intervention should be left in the hand of a professional.

How a Drug Abuse Intervention Works

An intervention is carefully planned by addiction counselors. The intervention could be the only way to stop an addict from continuing down a spiral of drug addiction. No matter what happens on intervention day; it will certainly get the drug user’s attention. Even if the person refuses to get help at that moment, the odds are that they will change for the better at a later time. It could be tomorrow or the next day or perhaps next month, but it will work.

An effective intervention will ensure that the addict gets the help he needs to make a full and lasting recovery. It was once believed an addict had to hit the bottom before he would accept help, but that’s not true. A drug abuse intervention will often help motivate a person to seek assistance.

How to Identify Different Types of Teenage Drug Abuse

Teen treatment centers are springing about in various parts of the world to counter the escalating cases of teen drug abuse. These centers adopt a sensitive stands towards treating drug addiction for individuals who are in this impressionable age group. It is by now common knowledge that teenagers in a bid to ape adults, virtually abuse every drug that is abused by adults.

Teen treatment centers have witnessed a high incidence of alcohol abuse among teenagers. Nowadays whenever they want to party, many of them involve alcohol as a natural extension of feeling good about a certain event. The drugs that are abused by teens include nicotine products, prescription drugs that include weight loss drugs and cold medications, stimulants, hallucinogens, inhalants, depressants, ketamine, PCP, anabolic steroids and Ecstasy. Here is an elaborate set of information on the kind of drugs that are abused:

1. Nicotine and tobacco products: This includes cigarettes, cigars and chewing tobacco.

2. Marijuana and Hashish: The preparations of the Cannabis plant that is taken in dry herbal form is an infamous drug with teenagers. It is also called by other names like ‘pot’, ‘Mary Jane’, ‘Ganja’, ‘weed ‘etc. When smoked this drug is referred to as ‘joint’, ‘pipe’ or ‘bong’.

3. Cold medications: A considerable number of teenager abuse cold medications like Benadryl and Sudafed.

4. Inhalants: Inhaling substances like ammonia and gasoline is also common and this process is called ‘huffing’.

5. Stimulants: Stimulants are drugs like cocaine, methamphetamine and amphetamine. They are referred by slangs like ‘black beauties’, ‘uppers’, ‘speed’, ‘toot’, ‘rock’, ‘crack’, ‘crank’, ‘skippy’ and crystal. Stimulants, also known as ‘psychostimulants’ tend to cause momentary pleasure in either their physical or mental state.

6. Narcotics: Narcotics include drugs like Heroin, Morphine, Codeine, Vicodin and Oxycontin. The nicknames for these drugs are ‘Tango and Cash’ ‘Monkey’ ‘Schoolboy’ and ‘Cody’. Narcotics tend to make a person experience increased pain tolerance or cause reduced perception of pain.

7. Hallucinogens: Drugs like LSD come under ‘Hallucinogens’. The effects include pupil dilation, altered changes in terms of perception of time, emotions and senses; wakefulness and reduced appetite. Hallucinogens are also referred to by their nicknames ‘yellow sunshines’, ‘buttons’ ‘acid’ and mushrooms’.

8. Depressants: Depressants that comprise barbiturates and benzodiazepines can temporarily shut the function of a particular part of the mind or body. As a result, a person feels sedated. While stimulants are said to be ‘uppers’ depressants are ‘downers’ in the real sense of the term. They are known by slangs like ‘ roofies’, ‘downers’, ‘yellows’ and ‘yellow jackets’.

9. Dissociatives: Dissociatives are a class of drugs that blocks signals to the conscious mind from other parts of the brain. These drugs can cause hallucinogenic effects like putting a person into a ‘trance-like’ mood, leading to sensory deprivation and dissociation from what is happening around. Some of the examples include ‘Phencyclidine/PCP’ and Ketamine’. They are also referred to in close circles as ‘getting wet’, ‘angel dust’ ‘love boat’ ‘lovely, ‘boat’, ‘cat’, and ‘Vitamin K’.

10. Club Drugs or Ecstasy: Teenagers also abuse Club Drugs or Ecstasy (MDMA or Methylenedioxymethamphetamine) which leads to increased euphoria, a feeling of getting intimate with others and reduced anxiety and depression. They are referred by various nicknames like ‘X’ and ‘XTC’. It is a commonly used recreational drug and commonly associated with rave parties.

What to Look For in Teen Drug Abuse

Drug abuse in teens is a major problem that cannot be pushed under the carpet, so to speak. About 33 percent of teens have been abusing some form of drug or the other, according to the finding of a well-known teen treatment center at Florida. It is common for teenagers to lie, stay put in their rooms at their homes, become a recluse, make excuses, become physically or verbally abuse etc as some of the behavioral signs of drug abuse.

Youngsters who are suffering from drug abuse tend to have paraphernalia related to drugs. Many of them are in the habit of injecting drugs which is why they wear full-sleeved shirts to cover the marks.

The smell of drugs is enough to stir emotions that are concocted with pleasurable sensations. Mood swings, temper issues and the tendency of teens to steal money and sell things from the house to get money for drugs is also common. Drugs are costly and to make sure that they do not lose out on their consumption, they even take to other forms of vices like gambling and stealing to make way for funds that they can arrange to get more drugs.

Some of the paraphernalia that are abused by drug addicts include rolling papers, matches and drug pipes that are smoked; needles, syringes that are used to inject drugs and pill bottles for substances in the pill format. Drug symptoms are complicated and can unleash a variety of behavioral patterns in different people depending on the drug and the immunity of a person. For instance, if cocaine…..

Substance abuse can adversely affect bodily functions like breathing rate, heart rate and blood pressure. Teen treatment centers have efficient monitoring systems in which the patient’s condition is monitored closely and various kind of medication is administered at regular times to make sure that the patient is able to develop immunity and is able to beat cravings. There are medications that can specifically offset drug effects. Apart from giving the usual medicines to counter drug cravings, there are other medications and treatment measures given to treat various diseases and conditions that manifest from drug abuse. For instance, people who are suffering from addiction to Ecstasy drug can suffer from high temperatures which are where one of the aids that are used to treat them is cooling blankets.

There are various types of group therapy and individual therapies including counseling to understand the root cause of addiction. Due to individual and group therapy, the teenager is able to open his mind and heart so that the psychotherapist who treats the case is able to figure out what is the real reason for the person to get into addiction at such a vulnerable state in life. With a good disciplined form of therapy, teen treatment centers are able to solve the addiction related problem comprehensively so much that the person is able to live a good life and stay off addiction forever. There are many drug rehab units who have created a big name for themselves dedicating themselves to the cause of rehabilitating adolescents involved in drug abuse.