Young adults need drug rehab too. Problems with drugs and alcohol start young. It may mean that the problems start in high school, but they may not start until college. Drugs and alcohol are used for a variety of reasons by young adults, popularity, escapism, the experience, but sometimes these become habitual. The physical affects are weighed just as equally as the long term psychological issues that this kind of behavior can expose people to.
Addictions are what happens when people need the substance to get through the day; it may be a hidden behavior, it may be out in the open, it may be specific to time or place. What’s important to note is that it is harmful to the person, and to those around them. In the college setting it may be hard to acknowledge things like addiction, especially when others in the same subset are engaging in the same behaviors: binge drinking, sharing marijuana, partying ever weekend, ingesting illicit drugs, etc. “How can it be wrong if everyone is doing it?” “I don’t want to be the one person who doesn’t do it” “Isn’t this what college is supposed to be like?” thoughts like these plague many in the college system. When people in these groups check themselves into rehab centers there is often a stigma that follows them, and many lose friends by this action. Family support is important during this process, without support on some front there is an increased risk of relapse of the drug usage. Loss of friends and the social support this provides can have several adverse affects upon the psyche of the patient: lower self esteem, guilt, susceptibility to colds, fear, depression, and anxiety disorders amongst other things.
One of the most important aspects to an effective detox and rehabilitation in a young adult is to remove them from the environment that encourages such behaviors. There are a number of rehab centers in California that are in out of the way areas that allow the patients and their families to recover as a unit and figure out where to go from here. Sometimes the best course of action is a transfer of schools for a fresh start after rehab. Most centers with have discharge planning, many will help patients start the process of a transfer it is deemed necessary. It is important not to victimize or blame the patient, but at the same time make them aware of their actions and how it affects those who truly care about them. Good rehab centers will help3 the family get this message across in a safe space for both the patient and the family to address the issues in their lives.