Tolerance, as it relates to alcohol dependence and drug addiction, is often misunderstood by many in the general public.  In the manner that drug and alcohol tolerance functions, it can be a safety mechanism to the body and, at the same time, deadly.  This makes awareness of the subject critical for anyone who engages in alcohol abuse or drug abuse, as well as those in recovery.

It can easily be assumed that tolerance means that an individual can drink more alcohol without getting drunk, or handle drug use in a seemingly controlled manner.  With this assumption comes the belief that these “abilities” are an example of the natural differences that exist from one individual to another.  While this is partially true, the nature of alcohol and drug tolerance is much more complicated.

Alcohol tolerance is the example with which most people can relate.  Consider the amount of alcohol you need to drink before you feel the effects, or “buzzed”.  Let’s say this is 2 beers.  If you drink 2 beers every day, over time you will feel less of an effect.  If you want to feel the same effect, you must drink more alcohol.  The amount of alcohol needed for the same feeling will continue to increase as you add more alcohol.  

The same concept works with drugs.  Alcohol abuse or drug abuse can result from tolerance since individuals will chase that feeling by drinking or using more on each occasion.  If the cycle continues with regular daily alcohol or drug intake, the body can become physically dependent and alcoholism or drug addiction is the result.  

On this road to addiction that we just followed, the brain has protected the body from overdose, with tolerance, by adjusting to the higher levels of substance use.  This benefit of drug tolerance can become a dangerous consequence, though, for recovering individuals who relapse.  The addicted brain still needs a large amount of drugs for an effect, but the body returns to a lower tolerance of what is essentially a poison.

At the time of first use on a relapse, the brain will dictate the most recent amount of drugs used to get a desired effect.  If the formerly recovering addict is not careful, this amount can easily cause a drug overdose or even be fatal.  Many drug addicts are not aware of this fact, and will even ignore warnings from fellow drug users because they don’t realize the consequences they face.

While alcoholics are less likely to overdose on alcohol during first use on a relapse, they may experience what is known as a lack of tolerance.  At this point, a drunken feeling may result from only 1 drink.  Lack of tolerance can actually occur with anyone who drinks alcohol, but it is typically coupled with alcohol dependence.  Of course, that 1 drink will still not be enough to satisfy alcoholics and they can become a danger to themselves through inebriation and alcohol’s effect on the body.

This information is good to share with teens, friends in recovery, or anyone you may know who engages in alcohol abuse or drug abuse.  Too many see tolerance as a benefit both early in substance use and in addiction.  Tolerance is explained in effective alcohol and drug treatment as part of addiction education groups to prevent accidental overdoses among those who may relapse.  Bringing this awareness to the general public may save even more lives.

Tarzana Treatment Centers in Los Angeles provides youth alcohol and drug treatment and addiction education.  We specialize in treatment for mental health and substance use disorders, and have two primary medical care clinics in the San Fernando Valley and Antelope Valley.  If you or a loved one needs help with alcohol dependence, drug addiction, or co-occurring mental health disorders, please call us now at 800-996-1051 or contact us here.

Southern California Locations for Alcohol and Drug Treatment
Tarzana Treatment Centers has locations all over Southern California in Los Angeles County. Other than our central location in Tarzana, we have facilities in Lancaster in the Antelope Valley, Long Beach, and in Northridge and Reseda in the San Fernando Valley.

Teen drug addiction does not only occur with drugs like heroin and methamphetamines.  Prescription opiate and benzodiazepine abuse can quickly lead to addiction, and we should not forget about marijuana and alcohol which are still drugs.  Parents need to be aware of these facts so they can easily spot the signs of impending drug addiction with their youth.

Don’t be fooled by the idea that if you don’t catch your adolescent using strong drugs, then it is not a big deal.  Granted, finding evidence of heroin or methamphetamine use can scare any parent into contacting the closest drug treatment center.  Too many parents, though, do not take the same drastic action with other drugs, and may simply resort to grounding or other minor punishments.

Alcohol and marijuana are the best examples.  Many parents still believe it is okay to allow teen alcohol use in the home, in hopes that they will not drink outside the home.  In most cases they will and put themselves at risk of injury and death.  Adolescents, in most cases, simply don’t drink responsibly like adults.  Getting a buzz is the purpose as opposed to having a social moment with friends.

The 21st Century has seen an equalizing with alcohol of the social acceptance of marijuana.  The drug has become normalized with such a high percentage of the population having smoked pot in younger days.  If marijuana use caused them no major problems, parents may allow their teens to use it or just wave it off as typical youth behavior.   What they don’t know is that marijuana is now much more potent and addictive, and can also lead to injury or death if they drive under the influence of pot.

Now prescription drugs like Hydrocodone (Vicodin), Oxycodone (Oxycontin), and benzodiazepines (Xanax and Valium) have become popular with adolescents.  Adolescent prescription drug abuse is largely driven by a low perception of risk.  Teens believe there is no danger that comes with the high, as long as they take the drugs in controlled situations.  But drug addiction can take hold quickly with these drugs, which can lead them to try heroin addiction since it is cheaper and more potent.

Drug addiction treatment usually begins with drug detox or alcohol detox.  Drug withdrawal symptoms include flu-like aches and intestinal problems among others, and alcohol withdrawal can be fatal in serious cases.  It is best to avoid the need for medical detoxification before teen drug treatment.  The way to do this is to treat all teen drug abuse equally, and seek treatment at the earliest signs of use.

Tarzana Treatment Centers in Los Angeles provides youth alcohol and drug treatment, as well as prevention education.  We specialize in treatment for mental health and substance use disorders, and have two primary medical care clinics in the San Fernando Valley and Antelope Valley.  If you or a loved one needs help with alcohol dependence, drug addiction, or co-occurring mental health disorders, please call us now at 800-996-1051 or contact us here.

Southern California Locations for Alcohol and Drug Treatment
Tarzana Treatment Centers has locations all over Southern California in Los Angeles County. Other than our central location in Tarzana, we have facilities in Lancaster in the Antelope Valley, Long Beach, and in Northridge and Reseda in the San Fernando Valley.

It’s no secret that a certain percentage of teens will recreationally use alcohol or drugs before they finish high school.  We would all like to wave a magic wand and put a stop to it, but that is just a dream.  We can only do our best to teach adolescents the damage that alcohol abuse and drug abuse will cause in their lives.

Sometimes it seems like a futile effort.  Some of our youth will engage in substance use no matter what they are taught, or even if they face legal and academic consequences.  Many of them begin using out of curiosity or peer pressure, and others do so in order to escape negative feelings.  Some are even undiagnosed with mental health disorders, and find comfort in self-medicating.

The consequences of teen alcohol and drug abuse are evident to anyone whose primary work is in service to adolescents.  At schools, we see promising students suddenly miss homework assignments or watch grades drop on tests.  Youth organizations and similar groups notice that some kids just stop attending meetings and functions.

Sadly, there is no magic wand that will put an end to adolescent substance abuse.  Prevention is an effort that must continue, though, because teens will otherwise not hear our message of consequences.  They will be left only with reasons to try alcohol and drugs, and none make them think first about future problems.  Although it may seem like a lost cause, at times, lives are saved every day.

In times of doubt, remember that when teens engage in alcohol abuse or drug abuse they increase the likelihood of future problems with alcohol dependence or drug addiction.  Each and every adolescent that hears this message gets the opportunity to live into adulthood alcohol and drug free.  At the very least, we can attempt to delay the start of substance use until after adolescence.

It is also important that we know when to refer teens to youth alcohol and drug treatment.  There is often a delay because of the mistaken parallel between adolescent substance abuse and adult substance abuse.  In actuality, teens need to at least speak with an addiction counselor at the first sign of abuse so the true nature of the problem can be understood in each case.

Adolescent alcohol and drug treatment helps teens to discover why they use alcohol or drugs.  This allows them to grow by dealing with life problems instead of escaping with substance use.  When mental health disorders are discovered, the treatment center should include in-house care for co-occurring mental health disorders.

Tarzana Treatment Centers in Los Angeles provides youth alcohol and drug treatment, as well as prevention education.  We specialize in treatment for mental health and substance use disorders, and have two primary medical care clinics in the San Fernando Valley and Antelope Valley.  If you or a loved one needs help with alcohol dependence, drug addiction, or co-occurring mental health disorders, please call us now at 800-996-1051 or contact us here.

Southern California Locations for Alcohol and Drug Treatment
Tarzana Treatment Centers has locations all over Southern California in Los Angeles County. Other than our central location in Tarzana, we have facilities in Lancaster in the Antelope Valley, Long Beach, and in Northridge and Reseda in the San Fernando Valley.

From 2002 to 2009 only Oxycontin abuse has held a steady trend among adolescent women, when looking at illicit drugs.  The popularity of prescription drug abuse is dangerous for teen women for several reasons.  They are perceived to be low risk, are highly addictive opiates, and can lead to illegal heroin use when these women become adults.

Prescription drugs have the lowest perceived risk among all teens.  Since most teen women tend to seek security for themselves, it stands to reason that they would feel safer using prescription drugs over marijuana, cocaine, and methamphetamines.  Even Oxycontin, a very strong opiate pain killer, can be considered safe by the most security-conscious teen women.

Opiates are highly addictive, though, so even one use can lead individuals down a quick path to addiction.  As opiate tolerance builds in teen women, they need higher doses to get the desired effect from Oxycontin.  Once dependence sets in the drug is needed to, at the very least, relieve opiate withdrawal symptoms.

As time passes and dependence increases, prescription opiate addicts usually switch to heroin in order to satisfy their habits.  For adolescent women, this is certain to open the door to illegal activities and negative behaviors.  Their friends and acquaintances also change, and they may frequent unsafe locales to obtain illegal drugs.

Opiate addiction must be addressed immediately when problems arise.  Women face more physical, mental and emotional consequences than men from prescription opiate and heroin addiction.  The first stop should be medical detoxification, followed by residential or outpatient drug treatment.  Some women may find comfort in knowing that gender-specific treatment is available that includes childcare.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration published a report on alcohol and drug use trends since 2002.  It includes data that supports the information above at this link:
http://www.oas.samhsa.gov/NSDUH/2k8NSDUH/tabs/Sect8peTabs1to43.htm#Tab8.19B

Tarzana Treatment Centers in Los Angeles provides drug detox and women only alcohol and drug treatment as part of our commitment to integrated behavioral healthcare in alcohol and drug treatment.  If you or a loved one needs help for drug addiction or alcohol dependence, please call us now at 800-996-1051 or contact us here.

Southern California Locations for Alcohol and Drug Treatment
Tarzana Treatment Centers has locations all over Southern California in Los Angeles County. Other than our central location in Tarzana, we have facilities in Lancaster in the Antelope Valley, Long Beach, and in Northridge and Reseda in the San Fernando Valley.

Most parents take the “Not my kid” approach to teen alcohol and drug abuse.  Statistics show, though, that many of them are not facing reality.  Most of the adolescents who engage in alcohol abuse or drug abuse can fool their parents, unless the parents know what signs to look for.

It is difficult for parents to accept that teen alcohol abuse or drug abuse are the reasons why their children’s’ grades are slipping or friends are changing.  They see it as a reflection on themselves.  So teens are rarely confronted with the subject until parents find drugs, or after an automobile accident or arrest.

There are many reasons, other than the obvious, that parents should try to stop youth alcohol or drug abuse as soon as it begins.  Besides being injured, causing injury or death to others, and having arrest records, teens do permanent damage to their minds and bodies by using alcohol and drugs.  At the very least, brain development suffers and the likelihood of future problems with alcoholism is increased.

Some clear signs are the smell of alcohol or drugs, missing money from around the house, and finding drugs or paraphernalia in hidden places.  These signs usually mean that teens have used alcohol or drugs for some time, and became complacent.  Adolescents are very careful about getting caught in early stages of use.

By the time the above signs appear other things should be evident, and parents can address the problem early.  Mood changes and defensiveness is difficult to measure with teens.  So when an abrupt change in friendships occurs, parents should insist on meeting the new acquaintances.  A sudden change in grades, loss of interest in favorite hobbies, and unusual outbursts are also very telling.

A very strong sign of teen substance abuse is when appearance and hygiene become messy, but perfumes and colognes are regularly used.  They don’t seem to care about how they look, yet they must mask the smell of drugs and alcohol.  

When parents see changes like those listed above, they should talk about them with their teens.  There are too many consequences to ignore them due to what is most-likely pride.  Adolescents need to hear the negatives of substance abuse from their parents to counter what they hear from their friends.  Otherwise, they may end up in alcohol or drug detox and treatment.

Tarzana Treatment Centers in Los Angeles provides youth alcohol and drug treatment as part of our commitment to integrated behavioral healthcare in alcohol and drug treatment.  If you or a loved one needs help with alcohol dependence or drug addiction, please call us now at 800-996-1051 or contact us here.

Southern California Locations for Alcohol and Drug Treatment
Tarzana Treatment Centers has locations all over Southern California in Los Angeles County. Other than our central location in Tarzana, we have facilities in Lancaster in the Antelope Valley, Long Beach, and in Northridge and Reseda in the San Fernando Valley.

The holidays mean that teens will be out of school and, for many of them, a lack of supervision.  Adolescent drug abuse is not going away, and parents would like to think they can trust the youth in their homes to abstain from such activities.  But perceptions of risk may play a part in young minds, making them believe they are not doing anything harmful.

Many parents struggle to find positive activities for their teens during the holiday break from school.  But even so, a lot of them are left seeking something to do with the idle time in between.  And since boredom is a major reason given by teens for substance abuse, even the most trustworthy can be at risk.

Perception of risk is an important factor for teens who are faced with a decision of whether or not to use drugs for the first time.  So parents should be aware of trends pertaining to the perception of risk for the age groups in their household.  This is because perception varies due to both age, and the drug in question.

The graph below is from a report sent by the University of Maryland, College Park that shows variances in perception of risk by age group and the drugs marijuana, LSD, cocaine, and heroin.  Parents can use this as a guide to discuss the real risk of drugs with adolescents at home.  It is the best defense against teen drug abuse.

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-- Source: http://www.cesar.umd.edu/cesar/cesarfax/vol18/18-48.pdf --

Tarzana Treatment Centers in Los Angeles provides family services as part of our commitment to integrated behavioral healthcare in youth alcohol and drug treatment.  If you or a loved one needs help with drug addiction or alcohol dependence, please call us now at 800-996-1051 or contact us here.

Southern California Locations for Alcohol and Drug Treatment
Tarzana Treatment Centers has locations all over Southern California in Los Angeles County. Other than our central location in Tarzana, we have facilities in Lancaster in the Antelope Valley, Long Beach, and in Northridge and Reseda in the San Fernando Valley. 

They say history and trends repeat over time.  Drug abuse trends change as new generations reach adolescence, not only depending on availability of specific drugs.  The recent upward trend of hallucinogen and “club drug” use among adolescents harkens back to the 1960’s and those who “tune out and turn on”.  Parents and the drug and alcohol treatment community need to take note.

Teen drug abuse trends have increased with club drugs like MDMA (ecstasy) and, making a comeback, LSD (acid).  Ecstasy is not a true hallucinogen, but its use causes psychological sensory “enhancements”.  The physical effects mainly affect heart rate and blood pressure, which can be fatal to some.  Coupled together, risk of overdose is high for many seeking to prolong the euphoria.  And the psychological withdrawal can lead to suicidal ideations.

LSD is a strong hallucinogen that gained popularity in the 1960’s.  Many popular artists were experimenting with it, and even endorsed the drug.  To date, there are still those who believe that LSD offers more benefits than problems for its users.  But the fact remains that LSD alters sensory perception in a way that places the user in danger.  There is nothing positive for the LSD user who believes he can safely walk off the top of a building.

Parents must realize that teen drug abuse in today’s world does not differ much from the drug culture of the 1960’s.  When adolescents feel as part of a group or cause, they will often follow trends of the majority to fit in.  If a drug culture develops in that group they may at least try the drugs that are being used by their peers.  Teens look for acceptance among their peers in any generation.  

We can be happy that efforts to slow adolescent drug abuse are working with most illicit drugs.  But while the percentage of youths using marijuana, cocaine, prescription drugs (non-medical use), and methamphetamines has dropped, the increased use of ecstasy and LSD are clear warning signs of trouble.  Parents need to be educated about signs that their teens or friends are using them.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration has released the latest report on drug use trends.  The excerpt below is from an article introducing the findings, which includes a link to the report.  We need to continue our work with all illicit drugs, but it is especially important that we are aware of youth drug abuse trends.

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“The survey findings are important because they often point to emerging patterns of substance abuse,” said Gil Kerlikowske, Director of National Drug Control Policy.  “Although we see some success reversing trends in prescription drug abuse, there are indications that progress in other areas may be at a standstill, or even slipping back, particularly among youth. As we develop the Obama Administration’s first drug control strategy, we will emphasize a balanced approach that can respond to current and emerging drug abuse trends. Improving substance abuse prevention and treatment systems will be among our priorities.”

Despite many positive trends, the most recent NSDUH survey also reveals continuing problems and setbacks.  For example there were significant increases in the rates of Ecstasy and LSD use among youth over past few years.  The level of past year Ecstasy use in 2008 for youth was 1.4 percent – lower than the 2.2 percent in 2002, but higher than the lowest level of 1.0 percent reported in 2005.  Likewise, the 2008 level of past year LSD among youth of 0.7 percent, while lower than the 2002 level of 1.3 percent in 2002, is significantly higher than the lowest use rate of 0.4 percent reported in 2006.

-- Source: http://www.samhsa.gov/newsroom/advisories/090910NSDUH)5111.aspx –

Tarzana Treatment Centers in Los Angeles provides drug addiction education as part of our commitment to integrated behavioral healthcare in youth alcohol and drug treatment.  If you or a loved one has a problem with drug addiction or alcohol dependence, please call us now at 800-996-1051 or contact us here.

Southern California Locations for Alcohol and Drug Treatment
Tarzana Treatment Centers has locations all over Southern California in Los Angeles County. Other than our central location in Tarzana, we have facilities in Lancaster in the Antelope Valley, Long Beach, and in Northridge and Reseda in the San Fernando Valley.