The effective treatment of adolescents with substance abuse and behavioral disorders requires an approach that includes attention to every aspect of a young person’s life. We see every individual as a whole being. In addition to fully understanding the emotional, developmental, physical, psychological, familial, social and cultural factors, there must be appropriate resources in place to address these issues. Need help? Contact Us Today! (866) 889-3665
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.
Several recent studies have suggested that it is beneficial for parents to talk to their teens about their own teen drug use in the past. Studies by Hazelden which has a sober college, Brigham Young University that has a sober dorm, and the Partnership for a Drug Free America that supports sober university, all suggest that an open dialogue about drug and alcohol use is beneficial to teens- because if anything, the doors of communication are left open.
For me, a lot of my drug use was motivated by the thrill of secrecy, and the feeling that I was not under my parents’ control. especially while I was away at school. However, my parents had always been fairly open with me about drugs and alcohol. Alcoholism runs in my family, so knowing a parent’s particular struggles actually made it easier for me to go to them when things got really bad. I knew that they might be disappointed that I had chosen to use drugs, but I also knew that they would be understanding of my inability to stop. I feel really grateful for that. I was still in big trouble- don’t get me wrong- but I was offered a chance to get help as well. I feel that honesty amongst parents and teens benefits all parties. It seems like disclosing some “secret” information about past drug use is a good bartering tool for parents: they give a little and hopefully the teen will feel safe giving a little as well. Communication between parents and teens has been historically difficult, but today we all have a chance to break those patterns by opening up the lines of communication. While I'm not attending a sober college I am living in a sober dorm. Please contact us if your teen is struggling with alcohol or drug dependence and needs treatment in the Los Angeles area.
When a group of California pre-school teachers came down with nausea and tingly limbs after consuming some street bought brownies, Los Angeles health officials launched a full investigation. The cause? The brownies were laced with weed, leading the CDC to caution the nation that weed must now be considered “a potential contaminant during foodborne illness investigations.”
Yep, CDC, people put marijuana in food. It’s one of those ways people get high without a whole lot of evidence. There are entire cookbooks devoted to the cause of how to make marijuana brownies. I especially think teenagers are enticed by this novelty. With all of the talks about the legalization of marijuana, it’s important to remember that weed isn’t necessarily harmless. Like alcohol, marijuana can still be a devastating force in certain people’s lives- especially teenagers’. Getting clean at a young age sometimes made me question my drug use. Was it bad enough? I often thought that because I “just smoked weed,” that I wasn’t a real addict. The reality was that marijuana made my life truly unmanageable, and I couldn’t stop even when I wanted to. I truly felt like I would rather die than have to keep being a slave to using drugs. In teen drug treatment, I began to see that my addiction wasn’t about the substance, it was about the feelings behind my drug use. Today, I am free from using. I don’t have to use drugs and I certainly don’t have to worry about my brownies poisoning anyone. If you think your teen may be struggling with marijuana abuse, contact us today.
Opiate rehab is a solution for teens struggling with opiate dependence. Some commonly abused opiates include the street drugs heroin and opium, and prescription medications such as Oxycontin, Vicodin, Morphine, Percoset, Fentanyl, or Darvocet. Some opiate abusers also abuse synthetic opiates like Methadone and Buprenorphine. Opiates and their derivatives are highly addictive both physically and psychologically, often causing major physical and social problems for the user. They are extremely dangerous when abused and their use can easily result in accidental overdose.
Because of the highly addictive nature of opioids, opiate users often encounter great difficulty in successful withdrawal on their own. Adolescent opiate rehab addresses not only the teen’s physical detox from the drug, but works to address the underlying psychological and emotional issues that may have contributed to the teen’s drug abuse in the first place. Our therapeutic environment provides your teen with a safe place to detox, without the temptations they might encounter at home. After successfully detoxing from opiates, your Adolescent will work with our treatment staff both one-on-one and in group settings to address their addiction, and also any underlying emotional, psychological, or behavioral problems. Our scholastic academy in Los Angeles allows your teen to enter treatment without disrupting their education, and provides a safe learning environment. Aftercare programs like our outpatient program facility in Los Angeles provide a safe re-entry into the world following rehab. Our goal is to provide your teen with the tools necessary to not only successfully detox, but to achieve long-term sobriety.
If you think your adolescent is abusing opiates, or any other substance, please don’t hesitate to contact us today for adolescent opiate rehab in Los Angeles
I was just on an eating disorder support site and came across their online memorial page. There are over six-hundred entries for people who have died from anorexia-nervosa and bulimia. Many of them were adolescents. One Los Angeles girl died on her way to treatment. Seeing all of these names of people who have actually died from complications from their eating disorders really struck me. Sometimes it is easy to dismiss eating disorders as not being that serious. I never think that restricting my food intake or binging and purging could lead to my death. Seeing the names of people who have died from their eating disorder really makes me want to take my eating disorder recovery seriously.
It was hard for me to address my eating disorder when I was in adolescent eating disorder treatment, since I felt like there were so many things already wrong with me, like my challenges with substance abuse. I am so glad that I was forced to look at my eating disordered behaviors honestly, and that I was offered such quality treatment in such a supportive environment. Left to my own devices, I would have continued to act in my eating disordered behaviors, which would have most likely resulted in me compromising my sobriety. My drug use and eating disorder were strongly linked, as body image and self esteem issues were a large contributor to my using drugs. Being forced to address my eating disorder in treatment is probably one of the main reasons I have stayed clean. The issues that drove me to starve myself or binge and purge are the same issues that led myself and others to use drugs. I learned that the most common element surrounding ALL eating disorders is the inherent presence of low self esteem.
Visions recognized these links and provided me with not only substance abuse treatment, but specialized care for my eating disorder. I was challenged to learn how to make healthy food choices, and was able to work through difficult food issues in a safe environment. Having my meals and behaviors monitored was not at all something I wanted to happen, but working through all of the discomfort of recovery turned out to be very beneficial. I began to learn tools to help me build my self-esteem and less destructive ways of dealing with my feelings. I am so grateful that I was able to address my eating disorder and to find a path to recovery in eating disorder treatment. As I look at all of the names of those who fell victim to their eating disorders, I know that no one else has to die from this. Recovery is a reality and eating disorder treatment can be the first step to freedom.
If you think your teen is suffering from disordered eating, body image issues, or any other form of self harm or abuse, please don’t hesitate to contact us today for adolescent eating disorder treatment in Los Angeles
Health Day News reported on April 21, 2009 that teen binge drinking damages white matter in the brain, which helps to relay information. The MRI study showed that the effects of binge drinking impair memory and the negatively affect performance in school. With the current rate of adolescent binge drinking in the US, at least one in four teens are at risk for this type of damage. I know that my alcohol abuse negatively affected my performance in school, and the effects reached far beyond my memory and ability to concentrate. The disease of addiction consumed all areas of my life. The constant obsession of when I was going to get my next pill, fix, or drink kept me completely preoccupied. My obsession with getting drunk and high made me put aside the things I really cared about, like my family. I damaged a lot more than my white brain matter. I didn’t think I could ever repair the damage I had done to my family, and didn’t think I would ever get their trust back. I pretty much resigned myself to living with my parents in Los Angeles and just squeaking by. Fortunately, my parents weren’t in on this plan.
As my life at school and at home deteriorated, I was forced to make some tough decisions: flunk out of school and hit the mean streets of the LA, or take the help that was offered to me and try to find another way to live. I decided to go with the latter and give recovery a shot. I didn’t have much to lose. At Visions, I had an opportunity to participate in family sessions. In multi-family groups, all of the families got a chance to share in each other’s challenges and celebrations. I got to hear not only from my own family, but from other families, to see how much our addictions hurt and scared them, and how much our little successes made them happy. In individual family sessions at the treatment center, my family and I began the process of healing some of the damage done. I started to see how much my actions affected my family, and they got to see me growing and changing. Visions also offered guidance to my family on how to best help me and deal with me. I am so grateful for the help that Visions gave my family and me. We have our challenges, as every family does, but now we all have new tools to help love and understand each other.
VISIONS ADOLESCENT TREATMENT CENTERS Personalized programs dedicated to helping youth and their families recover from the destructive effects of substance and other behavior related problems. (866) 889-3665
