Marijuana has become one of the most popular drugs of abuse among young people, and according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, most teens who start using this drug do so during the summer months, when free time is ample and supervision levels are low. Teens who use this drug on a regular basis may soon find that they have little to no control over how much they use and when they use it, and they may need to enroll in rehab facilities in order to get help. While enrolling a child in a program like this is difficult, the statistics indicate that parents who take the plunge could be helping their children avoid very serious consequences later in life.
Common Patterns of Abuse
Programs that focus on addiction in young people are likely quite experienced at dealing with marijuana since the Treatment Episode Data Set reports that 71.9 percent of teens ages 15 to 17 who enter rehab report that marijuana is their primary drug of abuse. It’s likely that treatment providers have dealt with this particular substance hundreds or even thousands of times during the course of their work, and it’s likely that they’re quite adept at determining how the drug works inside the human body and what might need to be done about the problem.
While marijuana might be a prime drug of abuse, there are many teens who abuse multiple drugs in addition to marijuana. For example, the Treatment Episode Data Set also found that about 56 percent of teens who enrolled in treatment programs for heroin also used marijuana. Treatment programs might be able to provide these teens with sophisticated help that can allow them to heal from multiple drugs of abuse, even though that might be hard for teens to do on their own without help.
Preventing Problems
In comprehensive marijuana rehab programs, teens have access to all sorts of resources that can help them to heal, including:
- Individual therapy
- Group therapy
- Support groups
- Medication management
- Experiential therapy
- Family therapy
- Addiction education
All these resources are designed to help teens understand their minds and the triggers that can lead to the compulsive use and abuse of drugs. Those teens who succeed in these programs could prevent some of the very real problems marijuana can cause. For example, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration reports that adults who used marijuana prior to age 12 were twice as likely to develop a serious mental illness when compared to those who used the drug when they were 18 or older. Young teens who go through rehab may stop the abuse and prevent at least some damage, and they may have the tools that could allow them to handle future mental health challenges without relying on drugs. The lessons they learn could help them to succeed in life, where they may have struggled without the help of a rehab program.
When rehab is complete, teens will have many of the tools they’ll need to successfully fight an addiction, but they’ll still need a significant amount of help from their families. In fact, a study in the journal Psychology of Addictive Behaviors suggests that adhering to continuing care (likely in the form of therapy and support group meetings) is closely associated with reduced substance abuse among teens who complete a residential addiction program. Parents will need to stay involved, in order to ensure that their teens continue to improve and participate in treatment.
If you’d like to learn more about marijuana rehab, or you have questions about how long the program might take and what it should accomplish, please call us.