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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 888-777-8565 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.