Visions Adolescent Treatment Centers (866) 889-3665

Dual Diagnosis Inpatient Treatment

2010-03-17T06:16:00.000-07:00

Many teens begin using drugs because of undiagnosed mental disorders, such as depression, anxiety, and ADHD. Adolescent drug use is often an attempt to self medicate the symptoms and can actually be an indicator of bigger underlying issues. Understanding the entire spectrum of a teen's issues is key in assisting them with teen recovery.
Dual diagnosis rehab is a great start to help teens both diagnose, treat, and understand the issues behind teen drug abuse. In addition to confronting addiction to drugs and alcohol, dual diagnosis treatment explores a teen's entire well-being: physically, mentally, and emotionally. Teens are given new, positive coping mechanisms such as individual therapy, counseling, group therapy, journaling, and equine therapy, and are encouraged to explore life without the use of drugs. Counselors help get teens focused on the right path by creating custom treatment plans to fit each teen's individual needs.

Teen Girls Getting Drunk With Booze Soaked Tampons

2010-03-14T09:25:00.000-07:00

That's right, "straight A" college bound girls admitting to Visions Adolescent Treatment Center getting drunk and fast by inserting an alcohol-drenched tampon and waiting for the buzz.

We apologize for having to report this but what will they think of next?

The idea is you can get drunk much faster and with less evidence because the alcohol goes directly into the bloodstream. This means there is no scent of liquor on their breath.

This is very dangerous! It is an overdose waiting to happen!

"I do this because when my parents ask me 'HAVE YOU BEEN DRINKING!!!?' I can honestly say, "No!"

Please contact us to find out is my teen doing drugs?

Specialized Drug Treatment For Teens

2010-03-13T06:06:00.000-08:00

Only 10% of teens who need help for alcohol and drug problems actually enter adolescent treatment programs due in part to a lack of adolescent-only services and the poor quality of the teen treatment services that are available. Less that one-third of substance abuse programs in the U.S. offer specialized programs for teens.

A new study shows that 1.4 million teens need help for addictions each year, but only about one-tenth receive it.

Because of the lack of adolescent programs, the opportunity to intervene early in teen substance abuse is lost, the authors said. Many families seeking help for their children are unable to find treatment in their communities.

The study also found most of the available programs treat teens only on an outpatient basis and that facilities that offer teens residential or inpatient treatment rank higher in quality.

The study was funded by the Substance Abuse Policy Research Program (SAPRP) of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and appears in the March 2009 issue of the Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment.

Please call us for teen residential drug treatment.

80's Teen Icon Died From An Apparent Overdose Wednesday

2010-03-10T14:27:00.000-08:00

Corey Haim, 80's teen icon best known for starring in the movie Lost Boys and his highly publicized struggle with drugs, died from an apparent overdose Wednesday. Haim's bad boy image kept him in the tabloids and eventually out of Hollywood, and as many teen stars do, he eventually succumbed to the high pressures of stardom and his own demons.
I wonder if Haim had been exposed to the stellar adolescent addiction treatment centers we have today if he would have come to this tragic end. Teen drug treatment today is highly specialized in dealing with the unique nature of teen drug addiction, and teens and their families today are fortunate to have access to such remarkable support. It makes me really sad to see someone who, regardless of their celebrity status, suffered from addiction like I suffered, but didn't make it to the other side. Rest in peace, Corey.

Corey Haim Prescription Drug Overdose

2010-03-10T08:45:00.000-08:00

Details are already emerging about Corey Haim's tragic death this morning, and it appears the actor may have died of a prescription drug overdose.

Law enforcement is reporting that Haim collapsed in the bedroom of his mother's apartment in Los Angeles around 1:30am this morning, and authorities recovered four prescription bottles at the scene.

Haim had recently been battling flu-like symptoms, but the above-mentioned meds were unrelated to that.

Haim's mother also confirmed her son had been battling an addiction to prescription drugs for years .

Our deepest condolences go out to his family.

How Drugs Affect Brain Development

2010-03-04T06:03:00.000-08:00

Many parents look at their teens and wonder, “What in the world we’re they thinking?” Neurologist Frances Jensen, mother of two teenage boys, asked herself this and decided to get answers. Her conclusion? They often aren’t thinking, and the developmental process of the human brain might be to blame. The frontal lobes, where the brain decides, “Is this a good idea and what are the consequences?” aren’t fully connected to the rest of the brain in the teenage years. It’s not that teens are incapable of thinking through situations, but that the process is much slower than in adults. This may also contribute to teens’ sometimes amazing lack of consideration, poor impulse control, and susceptibility to addiction.
Young brains are much more reactive in order to learn, says Jensen, and therefore the teenage brain develops habits more quickly than adults, including drug and alcohol habits. She describes addiction in the brain as a type of learning. Smoking pot will create a much longer lasting cognitive decline in the teenage brain than in adults. Teen drug and alcohol treatment deals with every aspect of being a teenager, from problems in school to social anxiety, to peer pressure. In essence, teens are given the opportunity to “relearn” healthy behaviors. Fortunately, with such physically teachable minds, this may be an advantage to teens getting clean that adult addicts don’t have.

Please call us for teen or Young adult drug treatment

Prescription Drug Abuse Among Adolescents on the Rise

2010-02-24T10:46:00.000-08:00

Prescription medication abuse amongst adolescents is on the rise. 20 percent of 12- to 17-year-old teenagers in the U.S. have reported giving their prescription drugs like Oxycontin and Adderall to friends or obtained drugs the same way, Reuters reported Aug. 18.

Allergy drugs, narcotic pain relievers, antibiotics, acne medications, antidepressants, and anti-anxiety medications were the most commonly shared. Three-quarters of those who borrowed drugs from friends said they did so instead of visiting a doctor.

About one-third of those who borrowed medications said they had experienced an adverse reaction as a result.

Past research has shown that 40 percent of adults also share their medications. "However, prior to our study, no one had asked adolescents how often they shared prescription medications, which meds they shared and what some of the outcomes were," said lead researcher Richard Goldsworthy of Academic Edge, Inc.

Visions helps with adolescents struggling with prescription medications.

Teens Allowed to Drink Alcohol at Home

2010-02-17T05:37:00.000-08:00

A Dutch study in which teens were allowed to drink alcohol at home found that they were more likely to drink outside of the home as well, and to drink more often. Parents who had hoped that by setting an example of moderate, safe drinking within the home would prevent alcohol abuse in their teens most often found that their teen was more likely to drink on their own. The study concluded that to avoid teen alcohol abuse, the onset of teen drinking should be delayed for as long as possible.
For teens that are struggling with alcohol and drug abuse, residential adolescent treatment can help. Establishing structure and learning new coping tools within a safe and nurturing environment allows teens the chance to get on the road to recovery. Teens who struggle with drug and alcohol abuse require treatment that addresses all aspects of a teen’s life- from academic and behavioral challenges, to dual-diagnosis and eating disorder issues, teens are given the opportunity to find wholeness and happiness within a loving support system. In addition to a wide range of daily activities, group, family, individual, equine, and art therapy all contribute to your teen’s well-being. There is no single solution to teen drug and alcohol abuse and addiction, but rather, there are multiple facets to achieving recovery. Visions explores every possible solution to craft an individual treatment plan for every individual teen.

Childhood Sweet Tooth Linked to Depression and Alcoholism

2010-02-16T05:49:00.000-08:00

A new study conducted in Philadelphia finds that children are more likely to have a sweet tooth if they have a family history of alcoholism, or if they've suffered from depression. Sugary foods and alcohol trigger many of the same reward circuits in the brain, so scientists in this case decided to test the sweet tooth of children with a family history of alcoholism. They also hypothesized that children who suffer from childhood depression might be more likely to crave sweets to make themselves feel better.

The study involved 300 children between the ages of 5 and 12. About half of them had a family history of alcoholism. About 25% of the children showed signs of depression.
Researchers gave the children five different sweetened water samples containing different levels of sugar and asked them which one they liked best. The children who preferred the sweetest sample were the ones who had both a family history of alcoholism, as well as symptoms of depression.

The findings suggest that a preference for sweets might not be solely about taste buds, but instead could have to do with the child's chemical makeup and family history. The study is careful to point out that children with a sweet tooth won't necessarily grow up to become alcoholics or suffer from depression.

Please contact us if you or a loved one needs help for alcohol dependence or symptoms of depression.

Art Therapy For Teenagers

2010-02-15T06:33:00.000-08:00

While in recovery, I've learned how to talk about how I am feeling. I've learned all the tools, how to talk, and what to do. Sometimes even when I talk about how I feel, there is still something in me that needs to physically get out. When I was using I wouldn’t talk about anything. I would stuff down all my emotion with negative coping mechanisms. I would either use, cause chaos, or literally run away from problems. I didn’t know how to let go of the physical strain I was going through. Recovery has taught me healthy ways to physically let go of emotion. One of these ways is art therapy.
When I am in a depressing mood I will play my guitar and write a song. When I’m angry I’ll draw. When I’m bored or feeling sorry for myself I’ll make a collage or a card for someone. Art is the most expressive thing I know. It feels so good to be able to let everything just slide off me and into this creative emotion filled entity. I can just sit in my room for hours, expressing myself with art, getting lost in it all. By the time I finish, I realize that I hadn’t once thought about using drugs or alcohol. It gives me a sense of fulfillment. I had been able to work through the issue without feeling the need to resort to havoc.
Sometimes my best friend will come to my house and we will express ourselves with art together. It creates and environment where we can focus and talk about what is on our minds. It has helped me in recovery when just talking about what’s on my mind wouldn’t completely help. Today I make it a habit to do art. Everyday I make sure I am physically expressing myself with creativity. Whether it be poetry, music, sculpture, etc. I do it. Art has been a huge outlet for me and for others to help keep clean and sober.

Sober Student Goes To College

2010-02-11T08:40:00.000-08:00

I got my first acceptance letter to a college today and I’m pretty excited. I’ve come a long way since going to rehab. As a teen , I never thought that I would ever get it together enough to go to college. I really didn’t think I had it in me. After finishing adolescent drug treatment , I continued in the outpatient program and attended sober high school. I maintained my support system which helped me finish high school, even though my ADHD made it really difficult. In treatment, I learned how to keep going even when things were difficult, frustrating, or seemingly endless. These tools have now enabled me to keep going towards a great, rewarding life. If you had told me a few years ago that I would go to rehab, get clean, stay clean, and get into college, I would have never believed you. I’m so glad that other people believed in me and helped me get back on track. If I can do it, anyone can.

Find out How to get off drugs.

DSM V Changes

2010-02-11T05:24:00.000-08:00

The American Psychiatric Association has revealed new guidelines under consideration for the 5th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, including changes to the categories of adolescent substance abuse, learning disabilities, and many other issues that can effect teens, such as examining new diagnoses for adolescents. Many anticipate that more varied diagnoses will help clinicians focus more on treating individual symptoms rather than over-medicating the population.
Many teens use drugs and alcohol as an attempt to self-medicate. Dual Diagnosis teen drug and alcohol rehab is an effective way for teens to deal with potentially crippling substance abuse issues and accompanying factors, such as bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, ADHD, eating disorders, and depression. In a safe environment, teens learn valuable tools while dealing with drug and alcohol dependence and other challenges. Staff clinicians help to create personalized treatment programs to fit each teen’s needs, working to establish self-value and self-care to ensure lifelong success.

Adolescent Intervention

2010-02-07T21:08:00.000-08:00

Adolescent intervention can be difficult because of the unpredictable nature of teenagers and their extreme investment in trying not to get caught. Kids minimize their drug use because they are constantly trying to fly below the radar of parents, teachers and other authority figures. Adolescent drug and alcohol experimentation can be common, but misuse, abuse and even addiction are not normal and need to be curbed before the problem becomes life-threatening. Drug or alcohol users that are teenagers often have a difficult time admitting to the fact that they have a problem and their denial can result in anger, rage, and a desire to do exactly the opposite of what their parents would want. Interventions are used as a last resort, this means often times there is no second chance. So when using an interventionist with an adolescent it is important to have a back up plan such as a transport service that consists of licensed and bonded individuals that can physically transport the teen to treatment safely if things get out of control.

Please contact us for help finding an interventionist or adolescent transport service.

Adolescent Addiction Treatment

2010-02-06T14:21:00.000-08:00

Adolescent drug treatment occurs in four stages. The first stage is Treatment Initiation, where the teen first enters treatment. This can be a difficult process for the whole family, and it is not uncommon for teens to be angry, scared, and severely resistant to going to rehab. Early Abstinence is the second phase of recovery. During the first few days of treatment, teens must adjust to their new environment and the daunting prospect of living life without drugs, alcohol, and cigarettes. This is the phase when teens are introduced to the recovery tools they can carry into the next phases.
After 90 days, teens move into the Maintaining Abstinence phase of recovery. This often involves a transition from inpatient treatment to outpatient treatment, sober high school, and sober living facilities. Gradually, the levels of supervision recede as teens accept more responsibility and demonstrate a commitment to recovery. With maintenance, recovering teens grow into recovering adults, which is the final stage- Advanced Recovery. Long-term sobriety provides a life of freedom and choices. Teens who get the opportunity to arrest their addiction and alcoholism early in life have their whole lives ahead of them, and what seems like a gaping canyon now can only be a minor bump in the road in retrospect.

Please contact us for help finding adolescent addiction treatment.

Adolescent Video Game Addiction

2010-02-05T07:11:00.000-08:00

Video game addiction, or more broadly video game overuse, is excessive and/or compulsive use of computer and video games that interferes with daily life. Reports have been made in which teens play compulsively, isolating themselves from, or from other forms of, social contact and focusing almost entirely on game achievements rather than broader life events. There is no diagnosis of video game addiction yet, although it has been proposed for inclusion in the next version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

Clinicians are presently using a 2-hour-per-day limit to define "gaming overuse", citing the American Academy of Pediatrics guideline of no more than 1 to 2 hours per day of "screen time". Because research is still in the preliminary stages for gaming treatment. The most effective treatment for adolescents seems to be, as with addictions or other dependencies, a combination of psychotherapy and twelve-step programs.

Please contact us for help with online addiction.

Dual Diagnosis and Eating Disorder Treatment

2010-02-05T04:59:00.000-08:00

It’s not uncommon for many of us coming into rehab to be dual diagnosed. For me, I was battling both addiction and alcoholism along with an eating disorder. Sometimes dealing with the secondary issues can be a lot trickier than dealing with addiction. For me, getting clean was a no-brainer. My life was insane and using drugs was not and is not an option. My recovery in regards to addiction has been very simple, very black and white. I just don’t use. Things with my eating disorder, however, have been a lot more challenging. It’s an issue I have had to deal with during and after adolescent treatment. I have often felt discouraged and frustrated when my E.D. issues resurface during challenging times in my adolescent recovery. I sometimes wonder if I will ever have a totally “normal” relationship to food. I haven’t actively binged and purged, and I haven’t actively restricted since I went to treatment, but I have certainly gotten “weird” with food from time to time. I think my friends and family have also been frustrated and made nervous by the fact that my progress has been much slower in this area of my life. There have been many more stops and starts but progress is being made, however slowly. In treatment, I learned the beginning tools to get on the road to recovery from my eating disorder, and I continue to use them years later. That strong foundation is what keeps me striving for freedom and happiness today. Every day isn’t perfect, but I am clean and sober and as long as I have that, I am free to keep growing.

Good News for Starbucks Addicts!

2010-02-04T06:19:00.000-08:00

Finally some good news for Seattle's Starbucks and all you coffee addicts out there!

No more store closings! Actually, the coffee giant's fiscal first-quarter profit soared and topped Wall Street's forecast Wednesday as the upscale coffee retailer boosted its outlook for 2010.

Visions Adolescent Treatment Centers

Progress Not Perfection

2010-02-04T05:53:00.000-08:00

The most important thing I have had to accept since being in Dual diagnosis treatment is that I have to have a lot more patience with myself than I am used to. I have had to learn to forgive myself for not being perfect. I think going into treatment, both the teen and the families can fall into thinking that the teen will emerge “cured”. In my first few months home in Orange County, California, any time I felt weird or had an emotional day, all of us would get worried that everything was unraveling. What I have learned, is that that just isn’t true. I can have bad days, and I can have good days. A bad day doesn't mean I'm not recovering.
I can feel discouraged from time to time but the most important thing is that I pick myself up and keep moving forward. This is recovery to me- to be able to keep making the effort regardless of how I feel. I have had to redefine my definition of success. In treatment, I learned how to believe in myself, even when the going gets rough, and to use the tools given to me. The tools aren’t there for perfect days- they’re there for challenges and for growth, and growth is sometimes awkward and uncomfortable. I made a commitment to myself to change my life, and thanks to that, regardless of how difficult the changes may be, I have maintained the willingness to keep growing. It's not something I can really explain to my family, and in the beginning, that was really frustrating. I realized that I just had to show people my commitment to change, by continuing with the process long after treatment ended. That's the neatest gift I've received: the ability to keep using these tools for years after I was introduced to them.if you have a loved one that needs to be introduced to these tools please contact us at adolescent dual diagnosis treatment.

Dual Diagnosis Residential Treatment

2010-02-02T06:18:00.000-08:00

Dual diagnosis residential treatment is often the last resort for parents of dual diagnosis teens, so it is important that you chose the right one. Residential treatment should be a safe place for teens to adjust to a new way of life without the use of drugs and alcohol, receive a proper diagnosis and medication management, continue with schoolwork to avoid falling behind, and explore group and individual therapy to treat all areas of a teen’s life.
Visions Adolescent Treatment Centers address all of these requirements and more, ensuring that teens experience exemplary care in a comfortable, homelike environment. At Visions, I went to group and individual therapy, and met with staff doctors, but I never felt like I was in a hospital. We had a good time, ate really good food, and went out and did exciting things like equine therapy and field trips to museums and recreational outings to the movies. As a dual diagnosis teen, it was helpful to address my borderline personality disorder and depression as well as my addiction and alcoholism issues. Being dual diagnosed can be challenging, but Visions helped me get some great tools to make my life fulfilling and awesome and my disorders manageable.

Privelege Doesn't Always Protect Us

2010-02-01T05:51:00.000-08:00

Michael Douglas' son, Cameron, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to dealing mass quantities of meth and cocaine last year while holed up at the posh Hotel Gansevoort.

Cameron told the judge that after a New York City contact asked him to supply the drugs in 2006, he began supplying on a regular basis. And when asked by a judge if he knew what he was doing was wrong, he said, "Yes, your honor."

He also pleaded guilty to heroin possession after his girlfriend tried to sneak the drug into an electric toothbrush while he was on house arrest.

Douglas signed a plea agreement, but the details are unknown. Although, he is facing minimum prison sentence of 10 years.

So privileged and he still couldn't pull it together.

help for your son

Teen Bipolar Disorder Treatment

2010-01-30T07:48:00.000-08:00

Being a teen with Bipolar Disorder can sometimes feel like you will never be normal. On the roller coaster of sadness and mania, it is hard to get anything else accomplished. Sometimes drugs seem like the best solution, but they usually end up exacerbating the problem. Drugs and alcohol already cause mood swings in teenagers, and these can often be an indicator of drug and alcohol abuse.
For some teens, the roller coaster doesn’t stop when drugs and alcohol are taken away, and for those, teen dual diagnosis treatment centers can be the most constructive solution. Dual diagnosis rehabs treat both teen drug and alcohol abuse and teen bipolar disorder. Sober teens can obtain a clear diagnosis and receive the best treatment while learning to deal with a dual diagnosis in a safe, nurturing environment.

J.D. Salinger's Holden Caulfield Was In Need of Teen Rehab!

2010-01-29T21:41:00.000-08:00

As a formerly challenging and challenged teen, it seems important for me to note the passing of J.D. Salinger this week. Best known for his novel, The Catcher in the Rye, Salinger chronicles the angst-ridden teen Holden Caulfield’s adventures in New York following his expulsion from private school. Caulfield basically wanders around in a semi-drunken stupor for a few days, visiting his sister and an old English teacher, and ruminating about all of the “phonies” and his dissociation with society and his family.
Sounds like someone needs to go to rehab. Getting kicked out of school? Check. Engaging in dangerous behaviors (ie: getting beat up by a prostitute’s pimp)? Check. Wandering around alone in a big city drunk for three days? Check. Drinking alone for three days? Check. Feeling alienated, disconnected, depressed, and hopeless? Check. I’m just saying.
It’s nice to find identification in literature. I know that without certain characters, my teen years would have felt a lot more empty and hopeless. I often envied the authors for their ability to put those strange hollow feelings into words. I wished I could describe that hole inside me, and J.D. Salinger had a way of honoring and explaining that feeling without making it cheesy or insignificant. I think that is part of the reason The Catcher in the Rye has resonated with so many readers for so long.

Teen Drug and Eating Disorder Rehab

2010-01-23T07:36:00.000-08:00

Heidi Montag of the Hills recently exposed her obsession with plastic surgery and looking as perfect as possible to People Magazine. Montag received ten different procedures in ten hours, including an eyebrow lift, botox, liposuction on her stomach, neck and thighs, another breast augmentation, nose job revision, ears pinned back, chin reduction, and a buttock augmentation. She is 23 and barely recognizable. She claims that in order to feel best about herself, and to feel beautiful as a woman, this is what she needs to do.
I could go on and on about the pressures (especially in Los Angeles) on women to feel bad about their bodies. Montag may very well be an example of this. In teen drug and eating disorder rehab, I was confronted with my own body image issues. By taking the drugs away, which I had used for years to mask my insecurities, I was forced to deal with my issues head-on. I understand Montag’s desire to feel perfect and desirable, but fortunately I have obtained some level of sanity in that department. It is easy to think that, “If only I had bigger breasts, a smaller stomach, or a smaller chin, I would feel better all of the time,” but rehab gave me a dose of reality. There is nothing on the outside that can change my insides. Recoverlove myself no matter what my outsides look like.

Teen Dual Diagnosis Treatment

2010-01-15T08:28:00.000-08:00

NPR reports that teens today suffer from more anxiety than they did during the Great Depression. Researchers cite inflated pressures, such as the need to have the right material objects and have the right appearances as the top contributors to teen anxiety. The pressure to have everything, be everything, and handle everything is certainly a huge stress in teen living.
Developing a strong sense of self can be difficult when ads pull you in every direction, college admission becomes insanely competitive, and body obsession consumes our culture. It’s no surprise that teens turn to drugs, alcohol, and prescription pills to take the edge off. It's also no surprise that teens develop body dismorphia and eating disorders. By addressing every aspect of a teen’s life, a dual diagnosis treatment center helps an adolescent drug and alcohol user find ways to cope in today’s busy world by addressing the underlying issues, and to develop the tools to keep them on the path to success.

Volunteer at the Midnight Mission

2010-01-13T05:42:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I took a trip with the rest of the Visions kids to a homeless shelter called the Midnight Mission. While I was there I had a life-changing experience. After I left I felt like I made a difference in the world. I was serving beans, and there were easily over 400 people. There were kids, adults, and families. While I was serving, the people were very kind and loving. They were thankful. I started to run out of beans and I realized that the first 100-150 people got beans, zucchini, and a hard sandwich. After I had served all the beans, over 250 more people didn’t get any beans. I sat and I observed the less fortunate, remembering that I was hungry and had a nice dinner waiting for me in the car. Not only did I have a nice dinner but we were going to take a trip to Starbucks afterward. So, as I remembered what I had, I started to cry. I had this feeling that I have never had before, and I cannot explain what it was. I stood looking at the people and saw that there was no more food for them, and I started to really feel the pain; I cried. Then I went and took a timeout. One of the kitchen staff at the Midnight Mission asked me if one of the homeless said something mean to me. I couldn’t help but feel even more upset and sad because the people were so nice and far from mean. I could not express the love and pain I felt for these people. I watched as they fought over more food. I heard their voices yell for more food and all I could feel was sorrow. I have never felt a want to help others, but today I wanted to give everything I had to them. I watched as we drove down Skid Row and saw them on the cold sidewalk, sleeping on rock, their stomachs growling. I had a warm hot coffee sitting in my hands, warm in clothes, wearing shoes, and being around the ones I loved. I hated how I took for granted the people at Visions, but when I got to see how these people have no one, I didn’t want to go home. All I wanted to do was stay close with all the people that I had met at Visions. Coming to the Midnight Mission was the best thing I could have ever asked for. I got a culture shock and the best feeling I could ever ask for. I guess you could say that the feeling I felt looking at them at first was helplessness, because after I ran out of beans I could do nothing more and I wish I could have. But that feeling changed as I realized that these are strong people. These people are struggling for their lives and are making it through. One of the residents here told me that he didn’t feel bad for these people, that they did it to themselves or get treatment for their mental health issues. They didn’t have a chance. Their addiction got so out of hand that they ended up like that. I can tell you that if the kids here didn’t have the chance to come to treatment and learn about the disease of addiction and co-occurring disorders, they would be in the same f@#king position. So, for someone to say that to me was heart breaking. I could not believe and even explain what was really happening to these people. This was also a good time for me to learn that not everyone believes what I believe. I believe that these homeless people didn’t have a chance to have a better life. But that resident doesn’t, so I cannot sit and waste the time I did have with the homeless telling him how he was wrong. That was a big for me to just let that go. I knew in my heart that I helped and I gave them a smile. I helped someone out for once. I truly helped someone out without any reward, and I wish I could go all over the world and make a difference in someone’s life. There was this one man that particularly touched me. He was in line, and I said to him, “Hi sir how was your Christmas?” His reply back to me was, “It was as good as it could ever be.” A homeless person who had no nice Christmas dinner, no presents, no home, no and family to spend it with could be grateful. I think that I got more than what was necessary on my Christmas, but I didn’t feel that on Christmas. I realized this about a week later. It was amazing to me that someone less fortunate can be humble and not complain. It bothers me that my conceited attitude is what I have always turned to, and because I always act like I am the shit, that’s how I am looked at as a person. But I am not that person. I am a loving and kind person. I just have a hard time showing it. And yes, it may take a couple more times of Midnight Mission and more volunteer work for me to really understand that I have it good. I have everything I could ever want. Not only that, but I should be grateful that I have a chance to be helped with my addiction as a teen. If the homeless, who suffer every day can get clean all on their own, I have great hope for myself and other kids at Visions. It takes a lot of courage and strength to get through treatment, even with loving and open people and all the luxuries. It’s amazing that these people got clean with nothing but themselves and meetings. That must have been so hard. So hard that I can only look up to them. I have everything I could ever need. I have a great family. I cannot explain the gratitude I felt yesterday. I can only continue to help and love these people as human beings and not something different. They are not different. They are struggling and so is everyone. I thank God and Visions so much! I could not have had nor needed anything better than what I had that day. I will never ever forget my day at the Midnight Mission.

Contact us and we'll give you information on how to Volunteer at the Midnight Mission