Admitting A Minor To Drug Rehabilitation

In the United States, children under the age of 18 are considered minors. According to a recent survey performed by the National Survey on Drug Use & Health, a total of 11.6% of adolescents 12-17 are admitted drug users. In some instances this drug use can be attributed to underlying mental disorders. In other cases, use is based on simple experimentation or a lack of supervision on the part of the parents. In this entry, we will discuss some tips and tricks to help get your teen the help they deserve.

1 – Communicate your concerns. In many cases, opening the dialogue between parent and teen can offer results not seen with more immediate and drastic measures. Not only will your teen appreciate the effort; they will be more likely to discuss their own thoughts and concerns regarding the topic. In an effort to avoid consequences, teens will often hide feelings from their parents. By eliminating the parental barrier of authority, your teen may feel more inclined to work with you, rather than against you.

2 – Do your research. Before diving into professional help, it’s important to educate yourself regarding the type and degree of drug use you are dealing with. The more knowledgeable you are on the topic, the better equipped you will be to address it. Once you’ve properly assessed the situation, you will be better able to determine whether professional treatment is the right road to take.

3 – Ask your teen to attend treatment. Some teens may agree without much persistence. Others may choose to attend following an intervention. Be sure to communicate that your teen’s “loose ends” (work, school, pets, etc.) will be attended to so they feel comfortable choosing treatment without fear of consequence.

4 – If your teen is unwilling to accept help for their addiction, they can be committed by parental consent, or a court order. Parents and guardians have the option to enroll minors into rehabilitation without patient consent. Teens who have found themselves in legal trouble may find themselves with a court ordered ticket to treatment as part of the sentencing.

5 – Support your teen throughout the recovery process. Rehabilitation is a difficult period for people of all ages. By supporting and involving yourself in your teen’s recovery, you will be creating a solid base from which to help them succeed both within and outside the rehabilitation environment.

Need Help?

If you have a teen struggling with drug use, our Above It All addiction specialists are on-hand to help! Give us a call today and let our certified rehabilitation team help your teen back on the path to the happy, productive, fulfilling, and sober lifestyle they deserve.

A Life of Sobriety, Acceptance, and Peace

“One way to get at the meaning of the principle of acceptance is to meditate upon it in the context of AA’s much used prayer ‘God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.’ Essentially this is to ask for the resources of grace by which we may make spiritual progress under all conditions. Greatly emphasized in this wonderful prayer is a need for the kind of wisdom that discriminates between the possible and the impossible. We shall also see that life’s formidable array of pains and problems will require many different degrees of acceptance as we try to apply this valued principle.-pg. 269 from The Language Of The Heart

Acceptance is defined as the act of taking or receiving something offered, as well as the act of believing. It sounds good in theory but it is one of those things that are easier said than done. On one hand we might feel as alcoholics that acceptance is something we aren’t very good at but if we look back at the time when we had asked for alcohol addiction help were we not somewhat living in acceptance? Did we not accept that we had a problem and that we needed help? Were we not beaten down enough to accept that we might need to go to a 30 day rehab program, AA, or a drug addiction detox? If you are sober the answer to these questions are most likely yes. On the other hand there have most likely been times when we have found some person place or thing completely unacceptable to us. In those situations we ask for our higher powers guidance on what his/her will for us is and the power to carry that out. Through this kind of prayer and meditation not only are we relying on our higher power to carry us through but we are getting closer to living a life full of acceptance and peace.