Adolescent Substance Abuse and Psychiatric Comorbidities

Substance use disorders have a serious impact on adolescents because these disorders have high prevalence rates and frequent associations with psychiatric disorders. Surveys of adolescent behaviors and substance use show that alcohol is the most common substance abused by adolescents. Despite the high rates of current alcohol use and binge drinking among adolescents, current diagnostic criteria are problematic. Adolescents may have a developing problem with substance dependence but not meet criteria for either substance abuse or dependence. At-risk adolescents, called "diagnostic orphans," may meet only 1 or 2 criteria for alcohol dependence and no abuse criteria and therefore do not receive an alcohol use disorder diagnosis from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision. Adolescents with substance use disorders tend to have higher rates of comorbid psychiatric disorders and are more likely to report a history of trauma and physical and/or sexual abuse than adolescents without a substance use disorder. In addition, psychiatric disorders in adolescents often predate the substance use disorder. Once the substance use disorder develops, the psychiatric disorder may be further exacerbated.

Information above has been compiled from: US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health

Needless Death - 14 year old teen dies after binge-drinking at slumber party

A 14 year girl lost her life after she and a few friends consumed numerous drinks which contained soda and vodka. Takeimi Rao of Santa Rosa, California was hosting a sleepover where she and her friends mixed vodka with soda and binge drank to the point of vomiting, all while an adult was present in the house.

Lieutenant Dennis O'Leary of Sonoma County believed Rao had taken a bottle of vodka from the kitchen cabinet and likely poured it into an empty plastic water bottle.

The unsuspecting mother of the victim, who was awakened several times during the night due to the sound of vomiting, was told by the girls that their illness was due to food poisoning. She was seemingly unaware of the presence of alcohol until she was unable to wake up her own daughter the next day.

The message is clear: Do not underestimate your children.

Incidents like this can be entirely avoided if parents monitor their teens. Parents should encourage open communication with their children in order to keep track of their child’s friends, habits and predispositions.

Is your teen abusing alcohol?

We at Inspirations Teen Rehab understand the unique challenges of being a parent. If you have any questions, please know that we are here to provide you with support and guidance, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We welcome the opportunity to answer your questions free of charge about teen drug rehab, teen substance abuse, adolescent addiction, teen intervention, teen behavior, teen depression or other related matters.

Reach out to us. Teen Recovery is just a phone call away. If the information you are looking for is not found here and you need immediate attention contact us:

Addiction and Behavior Treatment for Teens: 1-888-757-6237

http://www.inspirationsyouth.com

http://www.inspirationsteenrehab.com

Addiction Treatment for adults and young adults: 1-888-387-6237

http://www.covecenterforrecovery.com

Binge-drinking and underage drinking in America

According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, North Dakota was pronounced the state with the highest percentage of binge drinking nationwide.

The study also included that binge drinking or consuming five or more drinks on one occasion, was prevalent amongst 29.8% of North Dakotan residents.

The same study found that amongst all Americans between the ages of 12 to17 nationwide, the binge-drinking rate was about 8.8%.

Furthermore, Vermont seemed to have had the highest reported underage drinking within the past month with about 36.6% of its residents ranging from 12-20 years of age consuming alcohol.

Utah seemed to set an example for the rest of the nation by locking in the lowest rates of binge-drinking and underage drinking, which were 14.1% and 14.2%, respectively.

To find out more on teen alcoholism and treatment programs, visit: http://www.inspirationsyouth.com/TeenAlcoholismTreatment.asp

Addiction Treatment for Teens: 1-888-757-6237

http://www.inspirationsyouth.com

http://www.inspirationsteenrehab.com

Addiction Treatment for adults and young adults: 1-888-387-6237

http://www.covecenterforrecovery.com

What Are the Differences Between Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse?

Alcohol abuse is a pattern of drinking that result in harm to one’s health, interpersonal relationships, or ability to work.

Manifestations of alcohol abuse include the following:
According to National Surveys
- Failure to fulfill major responsibilities at work, school, or home
- Legal problems related to alcohol, such as being arrested for drinking while driving or for physically hurting someone while drunk
- Drinking in dangerous situations, such as drinking while driving or operating machinery
- Long-term alcohol abuse can turn into alcohol dependence
- Continued drinking despite ongoing relationship problems that are caused or worsened by drinking

Dependency on alcohol, also known as alcohol addiction and alcoholism, is a chronic disease. The signs and symptoms of alcohol dependence include:
-A strong craving for alcohol
- Continued use despite repeated physical, psychological, or interpersonal problems
- The inability to limit drinking

At Inspirations Teen Rehab, we approach alcoholism or alcohol dependency as a medical condition and our addiction treatment programs focuses on remission through abstinence. The extended care addiction treatment program at Inspirations Teen Rehab is intended as an extension of a primary treatment program or detoxification process.

We will assist the client in identifying and addressing the underlying neurological, psychological and spiritual factors that cause and maintain alcoholism. Our overarching objective at Inspirations Teen Rehab, is to enable our clients to embark on a journey of self-sustainable recovery in order to minimize or prevent the occurrence of relapse.

Reach out to us. Recovery from addiction is just a click or a phone call away. If the information you are looking for is not found here and you need immediate attention you may contact us:

Addiction Treatment for Teens: 1-888-757-6237
http://www.inspirationsyouth.com/
http://www.inspirationsteenrehab.com/

Addiction Treatment for adults and young adults: 1-888-387-6237 http://www.covecenterforrecovery.com/

Binge Drinking is Killing our Youth. Every Two Hours a Teenager Dies from an Alcohol Related Accident

Since 2002 when a study by task force on drinking showed that "abusive drinking by college students is widespread, dangerous and disruptive", binge drinking has been on the rise in the US. By definition binge drinking is described as 5 or more drinks in a row for men and 4 or more drinks in a row for women. Binge drinking is best described as drinking enough to bring the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) to .08 or more. This blood alcohol concentration generally occurs in excessive drinking within a two-hour time.

There are over 5000 underage teens who die from excessive drinking each year, and more than 1,700 college students, between the ages of 18 to 24, get injured due to direct result of alcohol abuse every year. Additionally, every two hours a teenager dies from an alcohol related accident.

All these statistics point to one fact. Our kids whether teenagers or young adults are dying from alcohol abuse in an alarming rate, and something needs to be done.

The first recommendation has always been education, and specifically educating our kids at an early age. Parents must talk to their kids about the dangers of alcohol abuse which can cause immediate medical concerns like vomiting, cold and clammy skin or medical emergencies like shallow breathing and unresponsiveness that could result in coma and death.

Our kids should know about the consequential effects of alcohol abuse that centers around sex and violence in colleges, and not mentioning a major cause of poor academic performance by college students.

Teens and young adults should know that alcohol is a legal psychoactive drug that can and will cause overdose and death. MRI studies of kids and young adults between the ages of 14 to 21 has shown permanent changes to both pre-frontal cortex (the decision making part of the brain) and the limbic system of the brain. Now, scientists are trying to find out if the changes are reversible.

At the end, the only hope that we have as a society, is to transfer the knowledge we have gained through the many deaths and injuries of our kids to the next generation of youth and hope they use that knowledge to save their life.

If you or someone you know is struggling with alcohol abuse or alcohol addiction and is in need of help, Inspirations Teen Rehab offers a flexible and affordable teen addiction treatment program. Our aim is to treat the whole person, and not just an isolated symptom. During the addiction treatment process we will work with the teen to identify the factors that may have contributed to the alcohol abuse and addiction – home, friends and medical history. We also believe that families have a vital role to play in the recovery process, and each addiction treatment program has a place for family participation, to educate them in the treatment process and to equip them for their role as supporters.

Reach out to us. Recovery from alcoholism is just a click or a phone call away. If the information you are looking for is not found here and you need immediate attention you may contact us:

Teen Addiction Help: 1-888-757-6237
http://www.inspirationsyouth.com/
http://www.inspirationsteenrehab.com/

Addiction Treatment for Young Adults and Adults : 1-888-387-6237 http://www.covecenterforrecovery.com/