Adolescent Eating Disorder Treatment

The internet can be used for good or for evil. Many support groups and message boards can be found online that can help teens find open ears to talk about their struggles. Other message boards and websites exist that can help teens learn everything from how to cook up heroin to tips to maintaining an teen eating disorder. When I was really into my adolescent eating disorder, I found a group online to support me. The only problem was that they were supporting me in keeping my eating disorder rather than recovering from it. Pro-Ana and Pro-Mia sites promote anorexia and bulimia as lifestyle choices, not dangerous disorders. It is the ultimate symbol of denial and sickness, in my opinion. When I was in the fog of my own adolescent eating disorder though, I relied on those sites to cosign and validate my own disordered thinking. Pro-ana sites have everything from tips to losing weight and faking eating to “thinspiration”-- photos of skinny girls and celebrities. Losing weight and becoming sicker is a badge of honor rather than a red flag.
As my eating disorder made my life unmanageable, I needed those sites to make me feel like I was okay. It helped me justify my behavior. What I know now is that I was looking for identification. When I went to the adolescent eating disorder treatment center, I found identification there too, only this time it was for good and not destructive. Suddenly I was surrounded by people who wanted to help me get better, not sicker. I went and browsed a pro-ana site earlier and felt a sort of sickening allure. It seemed easy to fall back into the darkness of my E.D. but ignorance is bliss- I can no longer live in denial. I know that anorexia and bulimia, AKA Ana and Mia, aren’t my friends. Ana and Mia want me to be miserable and sick. Today, thanks to the initial help I got at Visions in Malibu, I no longer need them for friends. I have real friends- friends that are actually people that care about my well being.

Picture of Teen Heroin Use

Heroin use is on the rise among teens, largely due to widespread prescription opiate abuse. Many teen addicts graduate from abusing opiate pills like Oxycontin, to using heroin, which may be cheaper and easier to obtain. A survey by the US Department of Health and Human Services indicated that by 2007, when choosing to use an illicit drug for the first time, 57,000 more teens chose prescription pills over marijuana. This is especially alarming because it changes the status of marijuana as “the gateway drug,” by instead moving teens faster down the path by beginning with opiate abuse rather than ending with it.
Opiate addiction causes a certain physical desperation in addition to emotional and mental attachment to the drug. There is also less of a stigma attached to heroin as it is popular to snort and smoke the drug rather than inject it. Many teens don’t feel like taking pills is a big deal, and smoking and snorting drugs doesn’t seem nearly as dangerous as shooting up, but it is. When I was abusing opiates, I would do anything to avoid withdrawals. If I had to steal pills from my friend’s medicine cabinet or steal money from my mom, I did it. Part of my fear of getting clean was facing the detox process. I couldn’t stop using because I couldn’t stand being “sick”. Treatment helped guide me through the process, and like anything, it had an end. Eventually I felt better and I know today that I never, ever have to go through that process again. Most people were surprised when they found out I was on heroin. Many people that knew me knew I had some kind of problem, but most people don’t assume a teenager from a good home and a good community is a heroin addict. In Seattle my parents certainly didn’t want to believe it, but once the truth came out, they helped me find help at an adolescent drug treatment center. I never thought that I would love being clean, but I do. It feels so good to be free when I wake up, and not sick and trying to figure out how I will get my fix for the day. I owe my freedom to Visions, for introducing me to the tools I need to live a life free of drugs.

DJ AM Found Dead

Adam Goldstein, aka DJ AM was found dead in his New York City apartment of a suspected drug overdose. Drug paraphernalia was found near his body. Celebrity disc jockey Goldstein, who narrowly escaped death in a plane crash nearly a year ago, had at one point attempted suicide to escape addiction, but entered treatment and maintained sobriety for ten years. Prescription drugs were found throughout his apartment and a crack pipe was reportedly found near his body.
Goldstein was a good friend to many people and many recovering addicts are coming forward to recognize how much he helped them in their sobriety. It is truly sad to know that addiction resurfaced and took a person that helped so many people. In his last Twitter post, Goldstein quoted a Grandmaster Flash song: “New York, New York. Big city of dreams, but everything in New York ain’t always what it seems.”

Did Miami's Michael Beasly Twitter His Way Into Drug Treatment?

Michael Beasley, star forward of the Miami Heat may have Tweeted his way right into a Houston drug treatment program this weekend following a series of increasingly disturbing tweets on Twitter, a couple of page deletions, and a TwitPic which may or may not show a couple baggies of drugs in the background of the photo. Beasley’s increasingly bizarre posts including things like, “Not feelin’ this at all,” and “Y [sic] do I feel like the whole world is against me?” precluded his admission to the recovery center. He managed to publicize his own breakdown which may have led to pressure from others to get help.
Social networking sites are popular- especially with teens. For whatever reason, it seems like many adolescents are more comfortable letting the entire cyber universe know what’s going on with them than talking to their parents or loved ones. A suspicious posting on a blog, Twitter, Facebook, or Myspace can be a cry for help that parents may not hear. My Myspace site was covered in suggestive drug slang and hints at self injury when I was using. After my behavior changed, my parents decided to check out what I was up to online. I was so mad at the time, and felt like my privacy was being invaded, but now I know it was for my own sake. After seeing the kinds of things I was putting out into cyberspace, my parents sat me down for a long talk, which led us to the decision to try adolescent drug treatment. It’s a difficult thing, to ask for help, and the process was definitely a struggle for everyone at times, but it was so worth it. I hope that Michael Beasley finds the help he is looking for, and that anyone who needs help finds it. If you feel that your teen may be struggling with drug or alcohol dependency, help is here.

Mexico Decriminalizes Drugs and Mandates Treatment

Mexico decriminalized small-quantity drug possession this week and required that people who have been arrested three times for drug offenses be mandated into treatment. The country is also providing free addiction treatment to anyone who wants it. I admire Mexico for focusing on the bigger problems like the drug cartels and working to treat and help addicts rather than punish them.
Teen drug Treatment gave me a chance to change my life and address my addiction problem. I knew that using wasn’t working out well for me but I didn’t know how to stay stopped when I tried to stop using. I hope that with all of the attention that has been given to our country’s drug problem lately that more people will learn about the benefits of drug treatment programs. I had only heard about rehab on television- I had no idea that such a place existed for teens like me.
I didn’t know that I would get to have good food and actually have a good time while I learned how to live without using drugs. I thought I had been given a pretty grim life sentence of abstinence from drugs when in fact I was shown that living without drugs can actually be really enjoyable. I got to meet other people who had changed their lives and were having a blast in recovery. I am so glad that my parents helped me find a good adolescent treatment program, and that I gave it a chance. Old Mexico or new Mexico I don’t know where my life in would be today without it, but it certainly wouldn’t be this good.

Teen Opiate Rehab Canada

Oh, Canada. What are you doing? A Canadian study including Victoria, BC, in which heroin addicts were given either morphine or HEROIN to treat their heroin addiction found that those in the heroin group were more likely to stay in “treatment.” What? Of course more teen heroin addicts that were given heroin stayed in treatment. They were being given free heroin! The study concluded that the heroin group was less likely to engage in illicit activities when they were supplied with heroin. Yeah, okay. Only a couple of people overdosed during the study.
I can’t imagine having this program in my life rather than the one I have now. I wouldn’t have changed anything! I would still be a junkie! I might not have gotten arrested or stole from my parents but uh- not having enough free, legal heroin wasn’t my problem. There weren’t enough drugs in the world to feed my problem.
I know what works for me, and that’s what I learned in Teen opiate rehab. I can’t successfully use drugs or alcohol. Complete abstinence has given me an entirely new kind of freedom. Of course it was difficult to give up drugs, but the personal changes that resulted from that decision have helped me become a better person. I don’t believe that the answer to my heroin problem was more heroin. The answer to my problem was to seek real help, make some serious changes, and change my life.

Teen Alcohol Rehab

The LA Times reports that it has been proven that alcoholics have more difficulty interpreting facial cues indicating emotion that non-alcoholics. It has yet to be determined whether this social deficiency is a result of heavy drinking or one of the root causes of heavy drinking. Either way, it may be one of the reasons alcoholics have such a hard time perceiving the emotions of those around them.
Regardless of the causes, alcoholism can destroy families. Relationship troubles are frequently one of the first indicators that a teen has a problem. Secrecy, lying, and intense self-centeredness are all early indicators of a teen drinking problem. Teen alcohol rehab helps to repair the broken relationships that alcohol destroys. Family sessions with clinical staff aim to rebuild and strengthen familial bonds and closeness. Individual and group therapy sessions with struggling teens helps to strengthen their own interpersonal communication skills. Alcohol can destroy teens and families, but early intervention and treatment can help repair the damage done, and set troubled teens on the path to a better, more satisfying life. If you have questions regarding adolescent alcohol treatment for your teen, please contact us today.

90% of American Money is Laced With Cocaine

A recent report published by the Scientific American reveals that 90% of American paper currency is laced with cocaine! A study of 18 American cities found that 5’s, 10’s and 20’s were the most frequently tainted, with Washington DC leading the pack by having the highest percentage of tainted bills nationwide. While this is somewhat amusing to me for some reason, it is decidedly disturbing that cocaine still has such a pervasive presence in this country. While cocaine is often thought of the drug of the 80’s, it still makes up a huge part of the drug problem amongst teens in the US.
The idea of US currency being coated in coke leads me to remind people of some of the signs of cocaine use- the first being rolled-up dollar bills, straws, or other pieces of paper! Look for white residue or razor marks on desks, CD and DVD cases, mirrors, or other smooth surfaces. Cocaine can come in vials, baggies, or even ripped up pieces of plastic grocery bags. Whenever I see little pieces of a grocery bag that have been ripped and stretched into a little pouch, I assume it used to hold cocaine. (It’s amazing what paraphernalia you see everywhere when you know what to look for!) Teen cocaine use can be spotted by: enlarged (dilated) pupils, a frequent runny nose, or bloody nose, mouth breathing (being your nose gets hard to breathe out of…it’s weird but trust me), excitability, paranoia, irritability, sleeplessness or excessive sleeping (the comedown). Cocaine use can cause death, especially when mixed with medications, alcohol, or other drugs- which is a really popular thing to do. No one wants to think that their kid is on drugs, and it can be easy to ignore the signs. If you suspect your teen may be using drugs, call us today. Help exists, because no one has to do this alone.

Why I Stay Clean In Los Angeles

Lately the question as to why I stay clean has come up a few times. Either non-recovering peers ask me or I have been faced with encouraging newer recovering addicts and alcoholics at my home group in Los Angeles to give this a chance. Recovery can be a pain in the neck. It’s a hard road to follow sometimes, especially being young. By now, my peers are having weekend parties, drinking at the beach, or having a drink after work. Sometimes I feel left out from what seems “normal,” but then I remember that I can’t drink like “normal” people. That drinking and using as a teen landed me in a lot of trouble and pain not to mention adolescent drug treatment. Now that I am clean and have stayed clean, I can help other teens that are in the same painful place that I used to be in.
Going to rehab in Los Angeles gave me the opportunity to reshape my life. It was aggravating at times- it was hard to let go of my old attitudes and behaviors and replace them with new things. The recovery process felt so foreign but as time has gone on, it feels like the right thing to do and I endure without question. Being around other recovering teens made recovery feel less bizarre and more like something we could all do together. As I stay in recovery now, long after drug treatment and random drug tests, I know I stay to help new teens that feel like I felt. I stay because in recovery, I have a choice in how I live my life as opposed to being a slave to the horrors of addiction. Beginning the recovery process can be the scariest step, but a lifetime of freedom lies beyond that, so contact us.

Troubled Teen Introduced On "The Closer"

The Closer, starring Emmy-nominated Kyra Sedgwick as Brenda, has introduced a new character this season- a troubled teen niece. Charlie (the niece)is the troubled teen who has been flown out to Los Angeles to stay with her Aunt Brenda because her parents are at their wits’ end. She has been acting out and has already gotten into trouble with drug use. Last week’s episode had Charlie receiving drugs in the mail from her friend back home. Brenda’s husband, Fritz, freaks out because a) he is an FBI agent and b) he is sober in the program of Alcoholics Anonymous and having drugs in his home is not something he will tolerate.
I am curious to see how the show will handle Charlie’s issues. As of right now, none of the characters on the show feel like they can help Charlie, which is how many parents of teen drug addicts feel. She is irritable and secretive and clearly struggling with drug abuse. Of course I’m thinking, “I know that game…send her to Visions!” It will be interesting to see if they address the issue of addiction head-on. I think it would be a great venue to promote the idea of teenage recovery and treatment. There are plenty of shows that depict troubled teens, but none that show treatment and recovery for teens. I would love to see Charlie get a chance at recovery, so that the average American might see that teen recovery is entirely plausible. If your teen is struggling with adolescent substance abuse and you feel at your wits’ end, there is help available. No one has to deal with teen addiction alone.

Faces of Meth

This is a slide show of graphic evidence of the amazingly devastating affects of crystal meth even over a short period of time. Imagine what it does to the young adolescent brain?

My teen needs drug treatment

Teen Eating Disorder Treatment

Self magazine has admitted giving Kelly Clarkson a new PhotoShopped body in the September issue because covers shouldn’t reflect reality but, “inspire women to want to be their best.” By denying women the opportunity to see what celebrities really look like, they are supposedly inspiring women to strive for something that is unobtainable- perfection. This is at the very root of my own disordered thinking and eating patterns. When you see tabloids circling dimples in a celebrities butt in a bikini or highlighting a star’s “fat” arms, it perpetuates and compounds the idea that women must be perfectly thin and flawless, which is next to impossible.
After gaining weight during recovery from my eating disorder, I was horrified to see how my body had changed, even though it was definitely for the better. My disordered thinking was difficult to overcome, but treatment at Visions helped me develop a healthier self image. Seeing PhotoShopped images of stars and tabloids pointing out their “grotesque” flaws really challenges my fragile self image. As I grow stronger after coming out of adolescent eating disorder treatment, I don’t feel as compelled to pay attention to the media’s body consciousness and I am working to pay more attention to my own self worth and happiness. If your teen is struggling with a adolescent eating disorder, Visions can help turn your teen’s life around. Give them the gift of freedom and recovery by contacting us today.

Adolescent Drug Treatment Alumni Softball Game

This last Sunday was a great day for meeting up with old friends and celebrating our collective gift of recovery at my Adolescent Drug Treatment Center Alumni softball game. Staff and past residents competed for glory while sharing our common bonds and this year, for the first time ever- clients beat the staff! Yay! It was such a blast to see staff members who had made such a difference in my early recovery experience and to see other residents who had shared the beginnings of the recovery journey with me. It was truly inspirational to see all of the young people who had benefited from Treatment and to hear about the awesome things they are doing with their lives now that they have escaped the perils of adolescent addiction.
Keeping in touch with my treatment center has been part of the unique recovery experience I received there. Being in adolescent drug treatment is a fairly sheltered experience; you don’t have the constant temptation of being exposed to drugs and alcohol. You are separated and safe in early recovery. The gradual transition from teen inpatient treatment to the adolescent outpatient program allows for a “soft landing” upon entering the outside world again; you are back in the world, but with a strong sense of structure and support. As teen outpatient treatment phases out, the program is still a supportive and loving force. Alumni activities allow ex-residents a chance to celebrate their new freedom while sharing their hope with current residents. When I was in treatment, seeing ex-residents having fun in adolescent recovery and enjoying a full life inspired me to embrace what the program offered. Who wants to be stuck in teen drug treatment? I wanted what they had and I worked for it! So even with my massive sunburn, I am so grateful for the fun had yesterday in celebrating my teen recovery- and our recovery. I can’t wait to see who’s joined us next time. Teens do recover, and we’re doing it together.

Cocaine Contributed To The Death Of Billy Mays!

It has been found that cocaine use was a factor in the death of Billy Mays, spokesman for products such as OxiClean and Orange Glo. The medical examiner concluded that cocaine use was a factor in the development of his heart disease, which made it a factor in his death. The pitchman also had therapeutic levels of Xanax, Valium, hydrocodone and oxycodone. I never realized that cocaine can contribute to heart disease, but CNN reports that cocaine, a stimulant, raises blood pressure which can thicken the wall of the left ventricle in the heart.
It is truly unfortunate when anyone meets their end at the hands of drugs and alcohol, but celebrity drug-related deaths can help draw attention to the fact that addiction doesn’t discriminate. Drugs are a harmful force that can ruin lives, young and old. Drugs like cocaine and prescription pills can be very difficult to stop on one’s own. Visions Adolescent Treatment Center recognizes the seriousness of teenage drug abuse, and offers an all-encompassing program to treat all aspects of addiction, from the roots of the problem to the aftermath, such as damaged family relationships and academic performance. It makes me sad any time anyone dies unnecessarily from drug abuse, because we don’t have to be alone anymore. Help exists. Getting clean young provides a whole lifetime of continued freedom.

Teen Opiate Rehab

A survey of 12,000 high school seniors indicates that 12.3% of the teens have abused prescription opiate-based painkillers to get high, confirming the rising trend in Teenage prescription drug abuse. Either ignorant of the dangers, or by choosing not to care, teenagers are putting themselves in great danger by abusing these drugs, which can very easily lead to accidental overdose. The study also concluded that most teens who engage in prescription drug abuse are also more likely to abuse other drugs and to have addictive problems. When I was a using, I considered prescription drugs like Vicodin and Oxycontin to be harmless. I wasn't shooting heroin so what was the big deal? The big deal was that regardless of the substance, I was desperately addicted.
I tried them with a friend who had found them in her parent's medicine cabinet. I began to use my after school job money to buy more pills from kids at school. I stole my mom's prescriptions to trade for opiates. When I didn't have them, I got really sick. My whole life began to revolve around getting more pills. I was constantly calculating how many I had versus how many I would need and how I was possibly going to get them. At the end of my using, I was consuming potentially lethal amounts of pills because my tolerance was so high. I needed help. Visions Adolescent Treatment Center helped me detox and begin the recovery process. We covered all aspects of my life, finding new ways to handle life without using drugs. It was a difficult process, but as the number of teenage prescription drug abusers increases, I am so glad I made it out alive.

Prescription Drug Commercials Are Bombarding the Airwaves

Lately I have been overwhelmed by the number of prescription drug commercials that are bombarding the airwaves. It seems like there is a pill for everything, and while the ads aren't necessarily for medications like Vicodin or Demerol, they definitely reflect our culture's increasingly relaxed attitude about medicating everything. I absolutely recognize the need for medication in certain cases. In recovery, sometimes medication can help when dealing with severe emotional challenges. For instance, if you can't get out of bed to get to a alcoholics anonymous meeting because of crippling depression, then meetings aren't going to help. I suppose I am just concerned about our country's casual attitude towards pills, because it is similar to the attitude I had when I was using. Just woke up? Take a pill. Stubbed your toe? Take a pill. Feeling upset? Take a pill. Going to work/school/bed? Take a pill. Heck, take a handful.
When I went to adolescent drug treatment, I was suddenly faced with having to deal with things clean. My pill addiction made me want to use every time I had an uncomfortable moment. It was hard to do new things without having that veil of intoxication separating me from the world. The new feelings I experienced made me feel like I was crazy, but as I sat through them, they became less foreign. I felt sad, and happy, and angry and upset. I didn't know what to do with my feelings. This is usually why I used. I had never put in the work to learn how to have acceptance, self-honesty, and hope. Working with the medical staff, I was able to sort out what feelings were actually detrimental to my ability to function, and which ones I was simply uncomfortable having. As I have stayed clean, a lot of those feelings have gotten better. I have learned to be patient with myself, and to not panic when I have a feeling. I can call my sponsor, or do some journaling, talk to a friend, or go for a walk. My feelings don't govern my decisions today. I am free from my teen prescription medication addiction because today I know that sometimes there aren't quick and easy answers to everything. Sometimes I have to do some uncomfortable work on myself. While this new process denies me the instant gratification of getting high with pills, the long term results are of a quality that are deeply gratifying. If your teen is struggling with a pill addiction, there isn't a quick fix, but there is help that can last a lifetime. Click here and contact us today.

Help With My Eating Disorder

I began to address my eating disorder when I was in adolescent treatment in Malibu. It has been a very difficult journey and sometimes it has been very hard not to lapse into old behaviors. In the last year, I have really dedicated myself to staying committed to recovery and have recently seen a big change- I’ve gained weight! In the past, this would have destroyed me, but since I have been working so hard to get healthy, I feel pretty good about it. Mostly. Honestly, this week I had a bit of an emotional meltdown when I went to try on a bathing suit I hadn’t worn for three years. It didn’t fit. Later that night I went to put on a favorite summer dress. It didn’t fit. My jeans didn’t fit. Like, overnight my clothes stopped fitting. It’s one thing to talk about the work, to write about the work, to intellectualize the work- and an entirely different thing to actually have it happen. In my brain, I am very pleased to have some success in this very difficult area of my life. In my eating disorder’s brain, I am losing my mind. It’s horrifying. I feel like I shouldn’t be so upset, but of course I am. This old way of thinking has dominated my life for years and years. Of course I will grieve.
My sponsor and my best friend both suggested that I get rid of my old clothes. They will never fit me again as long as I am healthy. I took their advice and began to bag up my eating disorder clothes and cried the whole time. It was intensely symbolic for me to say goodbye to them, and to my eating disorder-- to acknowledge that I’m not going to be that underweight again. That I’m going to stay healthy. I felt like I could almost hear my eating disorder yelling “Noooooo!” as if it was a villain being shoved off of a cliff in a movie. Sometimes those ceremonial gestures are important, like I’m showing myself what is really happening.
This week has been kind of heavy for me, but now that it’s over I feel a certain levity. I know that there is still a lot of work to do so that I don’t lapse in behavior. I have to power through this challenging time. It was hard to say goodbye, and I know that this is part of my grieving process. It may sound weird to grieve something that hurt me so much, but it was my greatest comfort for many years, and it’s scary to let go of it. I know that I have a lot of love and support around me, and that I don’t have to go through this alone. And hey, I get to go shopping.

Adolescent Eating Disorder Treatment In Malibu

Teenage Drug Treatment

Of the one-in-five young adults and teenagers who were classified as needing substance abuse treatment, 94% do not think they need help, and of the seven million young people who need help, only one in ten adolescents will actually get help. I feel fortunate to be one of few who got the opportunity to take a shot at recovery at a young age. I definitely didn't think I needed help- I thought I was a lost cause. I couldn't imagine a life without using drugs and alcohol.
In my experience, many teens meet teenage recovery and adolescent drug rehab with resistance. It sounds like a death sentence to many: go away from your family and friends to a strange place with strange people- and no drugs or alcohol! When I went to treatment, I felt like during the sixty days I was to be there, the world would move on without me. What I realized is that the world was passing me by as I was using, and that when I got clean, I could take the reins again and actually be a part of life. I realized that a lot of my using friends weren’t actually friends. We used each other. In treatment, I got to know other kids who struggled like me, and who wanted to change like me. There was a saying I heard a lot there, “Stick with the winners!”
Now that I’m back in the “real world,” I know that most of my peer group does not embrace the idea of adolescent recovery. Kids at school or at work wonder why I don’t want to smoke pot with them or drink with them. I spend my free time with the “winners”- my peers in recovery. I didn’t want recovery when I was using drugs in Portland because I had no idea that life without drugs and alcohol could actually feel better. I thought I was destined to be miserable. I hope that by staying clean and continuing on this path of recovery, I can be an example to other young people who might think they have a drug or alcohol problem, and that I can show them that
getting help actually helps!

Setting Healthy Boundaries

A big part of the adolescent recovery process is setting healthy boundaries. It’s hard for a teen who is trying to be accepted by their peers to say no to temptations. Before getting clean and sober, young addicts have very few, if any, healthy boundaries. Their lives are chaotic, and they are most likely engaging in risky behaviors, abusive, co-dependent relationships, manipulating, lying, stealing, and are devoid of any real self-respect. It takes a certain amount of courage as a teenager to tell someone that they are crossing your boundary. You have to know yourself well enough to have clear boundaries and you have to know that you have a right to protect and defend yourself. What are boundaries? Boundaries are limitations we set for our selves. In recovery, we learn to break down the walls and establish boundaries that protect us from others and from ourselves.

The first kind of boundary to consider is physical. This means, how close can you get to me before I feel uncomfortable? For different people, this boundary varies depending on how well you know some and what kind of personal space feels right. For both men and women this is important when dating. As adolescents, it’s very important to maintain healthy sexual boundaries. “No means NO!”

Other boundaries include emotional and spiritual boundaries. What makes you uncomfortable to discuss with others that could trigger unpleasant memories or relapse, for example. You may not want to talk politics or religion with your family at the table on Thanksgiving when you recall the heated arguments from years past. You shouldn’t tell “war stories” that glorify meth. binges to someone trying to kick a nasty speed habit.

Many teens break boundaries when they form new relationships. They think that they are in love, but they really have little or no boundaries. They lose themselves in their boyfriend or girlfriend. These kinds of relationships are often co-dependent and tend to become abusive because there is a constant fear of separation.

The sooner teens start learning about boundaries the better. As they grow and mature, they will be happier people because they will have healthier relationships. The key to having good boundaries is to be consistent and clear when setting them. Using “I feel” statements may sound corny, but they really work. Don’t be afraid to ask someone before you act if you are breaking their boundary. You take the guesswork out of it and if are offended that you asked, they probably don’t have good boundaries.

Please click here if you would like more info on adolescent drug treatment in Malibu.

Teen Sobriety Test

Sobriety Test

Click here if you or someone you love didn't pass this test.

House Bunny Vs. "The frightening new normalcy of hating your body"

I don’t really want to admit this, but I just watched The House Bunny. Shhhh! My eyes just kind of glazed over and suddenly I was sucked into it. I am surprised I can type at this point. Okay, so the lowdown- Shelley, a Playboy Playmate is kicked out of the Playboy mansion and somehow becomes the house mother of a failing sorority house. The nerdy, unattractive girls must get 30 new pledges or they lose their charter. Oh no! What are these nerd girls going to do? Get hot! Shelley gives them all Playboy style makeovers and suddenly they are super hot and popular. The house will be saved! Yay for miniskirts! Shelley is trying to win the affection of a nerd guy and begins to see that her hotness may not be enough- she’s going to have to get smart. The former nerd girls of her house help her read some books and suddenly she can talk about NATO! OMG!!! Spoiler alert: Shelley and the girls begin to loose themselves in their new images and learn that maybe balance is what they need. They should be smart AND hot. Oh. Of course. They should be everything.
Oddly enough, this mind-melting (in a bad way) movie made me think about Courtney Martin’s awesome book, Perfect Girls, Starving Daughters. In the book, Martin examines the new cultural norm of girls not just being good, but being perfect and, "the frightening new normalcy of hating your body". Martin illustrates that the idea that girls need to be everything- smart, pretty, athletic, etc., has everything to do with disordered eating and unhealthy body images. Self-hatred has become the norm and Martin calls on women of all ages to change these destructive ways of thinking. The most memorable line from the book was the idea that after all of the progress in women’s lib, instead of hearing, “You can be anything,” girls today are hearing, “You have to be everything.”
I have read a lot of books on eating disorders, but this one really helped me to examine my role as a young woman and how my self-criticism is part of a larger social problem. Martin doesn’t really blame anyone, but instead focuses on how messages have gotten muddled throughout generations. I placed very high expectations on myself because I perceived that that was what was expected of me. No one ever told me to make myself sick trying to be perfect, but somehow I heard that. Figuring out all of the misinformation I have in my head has been an important part of my recovery process. I don’t necessarily think movies like The House Bunny are the reason I have had a adolescent eating disorder, but I do believe that I can take responsibility for how I perceive them. I know that I don’t have to give myself a Playboy makeover to have self worth, and if I hear that message, I can stop myself and look at the truth. So, while The House Bunny may be perpetuating the idea that women need to be everything to be worthy of affection and attention, I don’t have to take it to heart. I mean, it was kind of funny. Kind of.

Please click here if you or a loved one is suffering from a teen eating disorder.