Substance Abuse and Treatment for Adolescents
Table of Contents
Introduction …...……………………………………………………………………… 2
Statistics ……………………………………………..……………………………...… 2-3
Causes ……………………………………………………………..………………..… 3-4
Outcomes ……………………………………………………………………………..… 4
Treatment ……………………………………………………………………………. 4-7
Conclusion ……………………………………………..……………………………….. 7
References ……………………………………………………………………...….. 8-10
Substance Abuse and Treatment for Adolescents
Introduction
Substance abuse among adolescents is becoming an increasing concern. There are the obvious health issues associated with substance abuse, but many people do not consider the long term affects of drug and alcohol use. In this paper I will discuss substance abuse among teens, causes, statistics, effects of substance abuse, current treatments, and the importance of developing appropriate treatment options for youth.
Statistics
Psychologist Gunter Swobota works with adolescent patients with drug and alcohol addictions. While they are able to obtain drugs, such as cocaine, with ease, Swobota feels the biggest problem among teenagers currently is alcohol abuse, which he says is reaching crisis proportions. Swobota, whose research statistics are primarily out of Australia, says that up to 30% of the adolescent population binge drinks at some point, and nearly 75% of those cases have been potentially harmful. He also says this closely compares to adolescents in southern California (Jones, 2009).
Interestingly, Swobota says most parents he interacts with are reluctant to admit their children have substance abuse problems. Instead, most refer to their childrens issues as behavioral problem. Most often, the first sign of problems arising are deteriorating grades in school, which prompt parents to seek help (Jones, 2009).
Jean Paul Wils, who works for a program for troubled teens in the Netherlands, says that most of the students he works with come from broken homes, and have lived in poverty for most of their lives. The program Wils works for deals
Introduction …...……………………………………………………………………… 2
Statistics ……………………………………………..……………………………...… 2-3
Causes ……………………………………………………………..………………..… 3-4
Outcomes ……………………………………………………………………………..… 4
Treatment ……………………………………………………………………………. 4-7
Conclusion ……………………………………………..……………………………….. 7
References ……………………………………………………………………...….. 8-10
Substance Abuse and Treatment for Adolescents
Introduction
Substance abuse among adolescents is becoming an increasing concern. There are the obvious health issues associated with substance abuse, but many people do not consider the long term affects of drug and alcohol use. In this paper I will discuss substance abuse among teens, causes, statistics, effects of substance abuse, current treatments, and the importance of developing appropriate treatment options for youth.
Statistics
Psychologist Gunter Swobota works with adolescent patients with drug and alcohol addictions. While they are able to obtain drugs, such as cocaine, with ease, Swobota feels the biggest problem among teenagers currently is alcohol abuse, which he says is reaching crisis proportions. Swobota, whose research statistics are primarily out of Australia, says that up to 30% of the adolescent population binge drinks at some point, and nearly 75% of those cases have been potentially harmful. He also says this closely compares to adolescents in southern California (Jones, 2009).
Interestingly, Swobota says most parents he interacts with are reluctant to admit their children have substance abuse problems. Instead, most refer to their childrens issues as behavioral problem. Most often, the first sign of problems arising are deteriorating grades in school, which prompt parents to seek help (Jones, 2009).
Jean Paul Wils, who works for a program for troubled teens in the Netherlands, says that most of the students he works with come from broken homes, and have lived in poverty for most of their lives. The program Wils works for deals
References: Adorno, Sandra, et al. "Bringing adolescents into substance abuse treatment through community outreach and engagement: the Hartford Youth Project." Journal of Psychoactive Drugs 40.1 (2008): 41+. Academic OneFile. Web. 4 Dec. 2011. An, Hyonggin, et al. "Clinical outcomes of traumatized youth in adolescent substance abuse treatment: a longitudinal multisite study." Journal of Psychoactive Drugs 40.1 (2008): 77+. Academic OneFile. Web. 4 Dec. 2011. Breda, Carolyn, and Craig Anne Heflinger. "Predicting incentives to change among adolescents with substance abuse disorder." American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse 30.2 (2004): 251+. Academic OneFile. Web. 4 Dec. 2011. Cho, Dong, Heather J. Gotham, and Brian E. Perron. "Victimization among African-American adolescents in substance abuse treatment." Journal of Psychoactive Drugs 40.1 (2008): 67+. Academic OneFile. Web. 2 Dec. 2011. Hall, James A.; Smith, Douglas C. "Strengths-oriented family therapy for adolescents with substance abuse problems." Social Work 53.2 (2008): 185+. Academic OneFile. Web. 1 Dec. 2011. Jones, Jennifer C. "Teens and alcohol: an international snapshot: other nations step up the search to add treatment options." Addiction Professional July-Aug. 2009: 35+. Academic OneFile. Web. 2 Dec. 2011. London, Susan. "Teen Native American girls are more likely to finish dependency treatment." Clinical Psychiatry News Aug. 2009: 15. Academic OneFile. Web. 1 Dec. 2011. "Teen substance abuse help." Internal Medicine News 1 Oct. 2003: 51. Academic OneFile. Web. 3 Dec. 2011.