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Thursday, July 25, 2019

Sending a Young Person to a Rehab Center

As a parent, you want your child to have all the best opportunities in life. It can be heartbreaking to discover your son or daughter is using drugs or alcohol, but you have options to get them into treatment and encourage them to make a full recovery.

Young adults often lack impulse control and good decision-making skills because their brains are not fully developed until the age of about 25. As a parent, the responsibility to make decisions on your child’s behalf rests with you. If your child is 17 or younger, you can legally have them enter a residential treatment facility without their consent. It may be one of the most difficult decisions you ever have to make, but if substance abuse is endangering your teen’s life, getting them into treatment is the right thing to do.

Is Your Child Addicted?

The first step to helping your child is making sure their problem is indeed addiction. Sending a young person to a rehab facility if they do not have a genuine drug or alcohol misuse disorder can put severe strain on the foundational trust of your relationship with your teenager.

If you suspect your child is abusing drugs or alcohol, make note of warning signs such as:
  • Sudden disinterest in school, sports and other previously enjoyable activities
  • Acting withdrawn and secretive
  • Having a new group of friends
  • Ignoring good grooming and hygiene habits
  • Staying out late
  • Sleeping too much or not at all
Some of these issues can be manifestations of mental illnesses such as depression or anxiety, while others are a normal part of going through adolescence for some teenagers. However, if you see several of these symptoms at the same time, your child may have a drug abuse problem. It can help to familiarize yourself with the abuse symptoms associated with different types of drugs.

When to Consider an Intervention

Though you can put an underage teen into rehab without their approval, it’s a much healthier approach to convince them to make that choice on their own. A family intervention can be a successful way to get loved ones into treatment if they show no inclination of pursuing the option themselves. If you’re worried an intervention may become too emotional, or that your teen will react with hostility, consider hiring a professional interventionist to help you manage the meeting and keep it on track.

Before staging an intervention, it’s essential to find an accredited facility first. You will need to notify the center ahead of time so the staff can be ready to admit your child immediately after they agree to treatment. That way, you minimize the chances that your teen will have a change of heart and refuse to get help. Taking the addicted person to rehab as soon as possible after the intervention is much more effective than waiting to find a treatment center afterward.

Your Family’s Healing Journey Starts Here

At Hope Academy, we provide a residential recovery program designed specifically for young adults who are struggling with drug and alcohol abuse. If you are looking for a qualified treatment center for your son or daughter, we are here to help. We have all the resources available to help people with substance misuse issues manage withdrawal symptoms safely and comfortably before transitioning into the next phases of drug and alcohol treatment. Contact us today to learn more about our California young adult rehab facility and learn if treatment is the right fit for your family.

Thursday, July 11, 2019

The Value of Accountability in Recovery

Addiction is an insidious illness for many reasons – not least of which is that it can change brain chemistry. For younger people whose brains are still developing, these effects can be especially dramatic, and can impact their personality and decision-making abilities. Addicted young adults may say or do hurtful things when they are drunk or high that they will not apologize for when they are sober, claiming they don’t remember or that it was no big deal.

Once young adults enter addiction recovery, they may find they can only begin to make significant progress once they are willing to face up to the pain and suffering they caused friends, family and other loved ones while they were drinking or using drugs.

Accepting Accountability in Drug and Alcohol Treatment

Often, people in active addiction make every effort to shift the blame for their destructive behavior away from themselves. This deflection is part of the shame and denial that characterize substance misuse disorders. A fundamental part of the recovery process, therefore, involves learning how to accept accountability for your actions and admit when you have hurt others or acted irresponsibly.

The ability to take responsibility for yourself is also one of the essential rungs on the ladder to adulthood. Substance misuse may have led you astray from this upward trajectory, and you will need to work to regain these skills through your young adult addiction treatment program. Without accountability, you will find it more challenging to maintain jobs and relationships, which are two of the most vital elements to maintain your sense of self-worth.

Ways to Exercise Your Accountability

There are several essential ways you can learn to take ownership of your actions.
  • Admit the mistakes you made in your addiction and the ways in which you hurt the people who care about you
  • Attend therapy or support group meetings on schedule
  • Sincerely apologize when you say or do something harmful
  • Recognize when you are going through a difficult time, and ask for help when you need it
  • Realize when something you learned in treatment isn’t working for you and it’s time to try a different approach
  • Use healthy coping mechanisms and life skills acquired in treatment
  • Follow through on promises you made to others
  • Acknowledge your potential to change your life for the better

Positive Progress Starts Here

Undergoing addiction treatment as a young adult is equal parts challenge and opportunity. Though you have struggled with substance misuse, behavioral disorders and mental health issues early in your life, the rest of your addiction-free adulthood awaits you.

One of the most promising aspects of recovery is that it gives you the power to reinvent yourself. Once you have forgiven yourself for the things you said and did in the past, you can move toward becoming accountable for the future. At Hope Academy, we want to provide you with the complete toolset to accomplish all these goals and more. Contact our California addiction facility to speak to one of our admissions advisors today.

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