Adolescent Methamphetamine Treatment

This is a video not for faint of heart about crystal meth and it's damaging affects. Speed is a very common drug of choice among teens entering teen drug rehab this year, Along with Marijuana, alcohol, extasy, prescription pills, etc. If you or a loved one needs help please contact us at adolescent drug treatment.

Josh Anderson's Teen Suicide

I can’t stop thinking about 17 year old Josh Anderson, the West Virginia high school student who killed himself a couple of weeks ago, on the eve of his high school discipline hearing after being caught with marijuana on campus. Whenever I hear about a death surrounding drug use, it hits me in my very core. In his suicide note, Josh wrote, “Why does it have to be like this?” I wish I could tell him that it doesn’t. I have met countless addicts, myself included, who at the bottom of their addiction have asked that same question. No one will ever know exactly why Josh did what he did, but I know that suicide had crossed my mind a million times when I was struggling in my addiction. I didn’t think I could be anything but an addict. I didn’t think I would feel anything but misery. I didn’t know that another way of life was even possible for me. I remember asking myself, “Why does it have to be like this?” every single day.
Obviously it’s not uncommon for a teenager to feel misunderstood, but there is a profound sense of isolation, depression and desperation that comes from being a teen struggling with addiction. When drugs were once the only solution, they too began to fail me and I felt absolute hopelessness. I felt like a loser so I did drugs, and then I felt like a loser because I couldn’t stop doing drugs. There were times that I thought that I would have to kill myself because I couldn’t stand what my life had become. People think that teenagers are overly dramatic, (and often we are) but teenage drug abuse is a serious issue, and teens feel hopelessness like everyone else. In treatment, I began to see that a new way of life was possible for me. I didn’t always have to believe it. All I had to believe was, “maybe I can.” With the power of, “maybe I can,” I was able to sit back and listen in treatment, and to start to talk about what was going on, and became willing to make some changes. I am so glad that I got this second chance. I wish I could answer Josh Anderson and tell him, “It doesn’t have to be like this,” but I can’t. The thing I can do though, is tell my story to other teens, so that there will be more of us who made it through the dark times than those who didn’t.

Click here if you are a teen struggling with addiction or depression, or a parent of a struggling teen- It doesn’t have to be like this; help exists

Marijuana Increases Risk of Depression for Teens

Parents must be alerted to the dangers of teen marijuana use. Identified as a "gateway drug" marijuana is also cited as a contributor to depression and other mental illnesses. The teen years are often characterized by moodiness and experimentation. Parents should not shrug the dangers of experimentation and be vigilant in their observations of their teen.

Warning signs include:

• excessive moodiness
• carelessness in grooming habits
• change in friends
• withdrawl from family

"Mental Health Awareness Month, shows a staggering two million teens felt depressed at some point during the past year, and depressed teens are more than twice as likely as non-depressed teens to have used marijuana during that same period."

Many teens turn to marijuana to self-medicate for feelings of depression. While the use of marijuana by teens has decreased marijuana remains the illegal drug of choice for many teens.

Although marijuana use among teens has dropped by 25 percent since 2001, more teens use marijuana than all other illicit drugs combined. The new report, "Teen Marijuana Use Worsens Depression: An Analysis of Recent Data Shows 'Self-Medicating' Could Actually Make Things Worse," shows the following:

• Teens who smoke marijuana at least once a month are three times more likely to have suicidal thoughts than non-users;
• Using marijuana can cause depression and other mental illnesses;
• The percentage of depressed teens is equal to the percentage of depressed adults, but depressed teens are more likely than depressed adults to use marijuana and other illicit drugs;
• Teen girls who use marijuana daily are more likely to develop depression than girls who do not use marijuana;
• Depressed teens are also more likely than non-depressed teens to engage in other risky behaviors such as daily cigarette use and heavy alcohol use.

Household Inhalants

Teresa Roy
1/17/08
Blog

Household Inhalants

Abuse of common household products, often called “huffing” or inhalant abuse, is common among teens (healthatoz.com). The abuse of household inhalants is as common as marijuana with young people.

Paint thinner, liquid paper, spray paint, house cleaners, glue and solvents are more accessible and less expensive. There are more than 1,000 products that are dangerous when inhaled. Some suggestions from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, University of Michigan Health System and the AAP on what to look for if you suspect your child of “huffing” are: odors of the inhalant on clothing or breath, spots or sores around their mouth, loss of appetite and weight loss, poor performance in school, changes in behavior, unusual number of bottles or cans in his/her bedroom, or in unusual places.

Think Marijuana Isn't dangerous

Many people think that marijuana is a harmless drug, however an accident last week proved that idea to be wrong.

Last week, an officer pulled a car over for a regular old traffic stop. The officer got off of his motorcycle and was at the side of the car he’d pulled over. Then, a pickup truck driven by a 20 year old male just out of his teens swerved and hit both the officer and the car he’d pulled over. The driver of the car was killed and the officer is now in critical condition.

What caused the pickup truck to swerve? Well, that hasn’t been figured out yet. However, the driver was found to be under the influence of marijuana and a pound of marijuana was found in his truck. So, not only is this guy being charged with a DUI and drug trafficking, but now he is also facing the charge of vehicular manslaughter!

So, next time you think “It’s just weed!” think again. This drug can be just as deadly and dangerous as any other mind-altering substance.