In some cases, the symptoms persist despite significant dosages of sedation and the young person must be kept overnight on the psychiatric floor. Doctors who see all sorts of drug-related cases warn that "bath salts" are particularly dangerous and its effects appear to be long-lasting.

That "bath salts" are becoming more popular with young people is evident. In 2010, Poison Control received 303 calls relating to "bath salts", while in the six months between January to June of 2011, the center fielded 3,470 such calls. One physician associated with the Poison Control center was reported as saying that "bath salts" deserve top billing on the laundry list of drugs you don’t want even to touch because of the way it messes a person up and does so for a long time.

So far 28 states have individually banned the drug. The Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) is taking "bath salts" seriously enough that it invoked emergency powers to temporarily ban five of the chemicals which are used to make synthetic marijuana but which are also found in "bath salts".

Molly, another popular designer drug, is the pseudonym for the most pure form of the amphetamine MDMA also known as Ecstasy. Ecstasy first became widely known in the 90s but seems to be experiencing resurgence in popularity as the party drug de jour. No studies have been made documenting its long range effects. As a result, young people are assuming that it is a safe drug.

Not only is MDMA not safe, but kids who think they are taking it may be getting other dangerous drugs as well. The ingredients which go into MDMA are frequently mixed together in toilet bowls and bathtubs where other substances such as ketamine, heroin and methamphetamine are added. Cases have been reported of young people who believed they were taking Molly testing positive for PCP.

Young people are seeking out drugs to provide feelings of invincibility, euphoria and empathy toward others. Often the quest for those feelings results in dependency. Popular drugs like Molly and "bath salts" lack sufficient long-term research, so that there is no way of knowing what today’s high will cost in terms of health and well-being tomorrow. However, it is a safe bet that given what physicians are seeing already, the prognosis is not good.

New Designer Drugs – A High-Risk High is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment

According to an article in Medical News Today, the abuse of prescription stimulants has shown an astonishing increase from 5% to 35%. The most popular drugs putting these bright minds at risk are atomoxetine and methylphenidate. Coauthors of the Canadian Medical Journal say students think simply popping a pill will help raise their grades or possibly give them better academic abilities, but the majority of evidence doesn’t show improvements to their cognitive abilities.

Many college students are completely clueless about the side effects and potential harms associated with stimulant abuse. When these stimulants are taken incorrectly by injection or snorting, they can have dangerous effects such as addiction, depression and an irregular heartbeat.

Colleges and universities are common sites for the abuse of stimulants due to the mistaken perception that they can improve grades. Students need to be more aware of the seriousness of these issues and campuses need to educate students by having more campaign drives that uncover the myths and bring awareness to these risks. Universities also need to address the cause of stimulant abuse so they can expose them and save students from further harm.

Dangers of Illicit Stimulant Use a Concern for Educators at Universities is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment

The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University released a new report this month, exposing the surge in gang- and drug-infected schools based on students’ responses to a national survey. An estimated 5.7 million public school students are believed to be exposed to school environments that are both gang- and drug-infected.

Public school students are at a much higher risk of gang violence and drug use—including drug abuse, sales, or storage. Based on CASA’s survey, 27% of public school students aged 12 to 17 report that their school contains both gangs and drug use. Compared to students at drug-free schools, students from gang- and drug-infected schools are:

• three times more likely to drink alcohol,
• three times more likely to obtain marijuana within an hour or less,
• five times likelier to obtain marijuana within a day or less,
• five times more likely to use marijuana,
• five times more likely to have a friend who uses illicit drugs—including acid, cocaine, ecstasy, heroin, or methamphetamine
• twelve times more likely to smoke cigarettes

In the survey, only 2% of teenagers from private or religious schools reported having gang activity at their school, yet 46% of public school students reported the existence of gangs at their schools. Furthermore, the rate of drug activity within public schools has proven to be the worst in the past decade. CASA’s 2010 survey has shown a steep incline in drug use among public schools. In 2001, CASA’s survey found that 62% of public school students considered their school to be drug-free; yet by 2010, this percentage dropped to 43%. Private and religious school students’ responses remained relatively the same during this time period (79% reported attending a drug-free school in 2001, compared to 78% in 2010). Now, the disparity between drug-free public and private schools has grown twofold, making public schools an increasingly more dangerous environment for teenagers.

Even though parents may switch jobs or neighborhoods due to hostile environments, they may not always consider such options as changing schools for their child. As a result, many public school students are repeatedly faced with a threatening environment in their everyday lives. Without taking appropriate action to rid schools of gang violence and substance use, parents, educators, and local and state officials are in a sense contributing to the hostility and dangers that teens are being forced to confront.

CASA’s study also discovered that the highest increase in drug use was among middle schools. In just the past year alone, middle school students reported a 39% increase in drug use at their schools (23% reported drug use in 2009, compared to 32% in 2010). Students attending drug-infected middle schools were found to be:

• three times more likely to try drinking alcohol,
• five times more likely to have a prescription drug-abusing friend,
• seven times more likely to have a friend who abuses illicit drugs such as acid, cocaine, ecstasy, heroin, or meth
• thirty-three times more likely to have tried tobacco

Also, 24% of students from these schools reported being able to obtain marijuana in a day or less, and 39% reported obtaining alcohol within the same time span. Ten percent of students from drug-infected middle schools have tried marijuana, but no students from drug-free middle schools reported any marijuana use.

Similarly, high school students have been experiencing a rise in drug use as well. In 2006, CASA found 51% of high school students reported that they attended a drug-infected school, but by 2010, this percentage jumped to 66%. Although a drug-infected school poses a large threat to students’ wellbeing and safety, CASA also found that substance abuse in the home greatly impacts students’ choices regarding their own substance use. Compared to teenagers from households with strong family ties, teenagers from households with weak family relationships were twice as likely to have a friend who abuses illicit substances such as acid, cocaine, ecstasy, heroin, methamphetamine, or prescription drugs; three times more likely to drink alcohol; four times more likely to use marijuana; and four times more likely to use tobacco. The strongest weapon for combating teen substance abuse essentially is the parent. Regardless of whether parents have control or not over the child’s school environment, communication remains the most effective method for both prevention and intervention.

CASA’s “National Survey of American Attitudes towards Substance Abuse XV: Teens and Parents” is the organization’ 15th annual back-to-school survey on substance abuse among teenagers and is available at www.casacolumbia.org.

Source:The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, National Survey of American Attitudes on Substance Abuse XV: Teens and Parents, August 19, 2010

National Study Finds Jump in Drug Use in Public Middle and High Schools is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment

Addiction Starts Early

Research shows that the earlier a person is introduced to harmful substances such as alcohol and drugs, the greater the likelihood that they will experience problems such as dependence and addiction later in life. Armed with statistical data from numerous governmental sources, the very real concern is that young people are starting to accelerate drinking and drug use earlier than they have in the past.

While psychologists, researchers, and treatment professionals debate the many and varied causes of addiction (genetics, family history, environment, peer pressure, curiosity, and so on), the fact is that availability of alcohol and drugs in society today makes it too easy for young people to get their hands on harmful substances. Kids being kids, they’re incredibly tempted to try something new – even if that something is bad for them.

It starts early, and usually with inhalants. Studies show that inhalants are often the first drugs that children experiment with. Inhalant abuse, called huffing, involves behavior where the child inhales deeply, gets high, and continues the habit. Doing crafts, painting, getting involved in various school projects, the child comes into contact with glues, spray paints, aerosols, markers, whiteout, polish and polish removers, keyboard cleaners, and other products. They may like the smell and initiate use on their own, or they and may imitate their friends who engage in huffing.

Inhalant use usually starts by age 13 and peaks by the 8th grade (age 17). The National Institute on Drug Abuse published data from a study which found that 17.3 percent of 8th graders have abused inhalants before. Inhalants are also now considered a gateway drug to other types of drug use.

In contrast, use of alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, ecstasy, and other drugs usually peaks by the 12th grade.

For many young people, however, the drugs of choice fall in the following order:

• Alcohol – Most young people who do use substances use alcohol.
• Marijuana – Running a close second to alcohol, marijuana use is high among young people.
• Prescription drugs used nonmedically – This is the most rapidly-growing segment of new use with high and increasing numbers of new users coming into the treatment system that used prescription drugs they obtained from relatives or friends.

Factors That Put Youth at Risk

Various factors put our nation’s youth at risk for using substances. These include:

• Underlying mental health issues
• Environmental factors, especially in a community where drug use is highly supported
• Drug use in the home by other family members

Why Young People Use Drugs

A typical scenario of a young person’s introduction to drug use may go something like this. Being around friends and/or family members who consume alcohol and finding it readily available, the adolescent – around age 13 or 14 – starts to drink. He or she thinks it makes him or her feel accepted, a part of a peer group, or believes that it helps alleviate anxiety, fear, and to deal with issues of fitting in. Next, the young person gravitates toward marijuana, which is typically easier to obtain than alcohol when a person starts developing a habit. Many young people find marijuana stashes in their parents’ cabinets and drawers at home, and it’s inexpensive enough to get among their friends who may have a dealer. Pretty soon, drinking and drugging becomes a normal way of life for the young person, who may develop an addiction to one or more of these substances.

Delving into heavier pharmaceutical drugs – prescription drugs and opiates (painkillers) used nonmedically – will ultimately result in negative consequences. The young person may become involved in accidents, fights, get arrested for driving under the influence (DUI), start failing in school or have other school-related problems. Medical health issues may start to surface or get worse, exacerbated by drug and alcohol use.

Often, parents don’t have a clue that their son or daughter is using and abusing drugs and alcohol – until it’s nearly too late.

What Parents Should Look For

Parents need to pay attention to what’s going on in the lives of their children. First of all, parents are the primary influence on the attitudes and behaviors of their children. If parents drink and do drugs – or express tacit or unspoken approval of such behavior in others – they can expect that their children will adopt the same types of attitudes and beliefs.

If their son or daughter starts hanging around with a different group of friends at age 15 or 16 than the ones they’ve had since they were pre-teen (around age 10 or so), this should be a clear sign that something is going on that may be a concern.
Addiction counselors who treat young people also recommend that parents go into their children’s bedrooms and take stock of what’s there. Look for drug paraphernalia, check to see what’s changed in the rooms. What kind of change should parents look for? If your child was formerly conscientious about picking up and making the bed, for example, and now the bedroom is a veritable pig-sty filled with food debris and other detritus, this is one sign that something may be awry. What would cause a child who prizes neatness and cleanliness to suddenly become careless about his or her surroundings?

Without being overtly nosy or acting suspiciously, parents should listen to what their children are saying to their friends, on the phone and in the house or elsewhere. Is their son or daughter becoming paranoid or secretive about their computer use? One solution is to remove computers from the child’s bedroom and keep it in a room where the family congregates. There’s less likely to be inappropriate computer activity in an area with mom and dad and other siblings nearby.

Protective Factors to Help Keep Children from Using Drugs

When children are very young and begin school, parents are often involved in their activities at school and outside the home. They may attend parent-teacher meetings, or go to their child’s dance recitals, science fairs, and school concerts through elementary school. By the time the child reaches junior or senior high, however, many parents feel the teachers are better equipped to handle whatever needs their child has, or the parents’ lives are too busy to continue active participation, or they think their child no longer needs such support. Look around at high school sports events and concerts and very few parents are in attendance.

In the community, parents should watch out for their own children as well as the children of others. Never let your child come home alone from school, day after day. If parents can’t physically pick up or meet their child getting out of school, arrange for someone else to do so – someone trusted. There are also after-school programs and programs at community centers between the hours of 3:00 and 7:00 p.m. that can provide healthy activities for children. It’s during these hours that children who are left to their own devices frequently get into trouble.

What Parents Can Do When They Discover their Child is Using Drugs

First of all, parents shouldn’t engage in denial over their child’s drug use. Avoid thinking that drug and alcohol use can’t be going on in your own home, right under your eyes, or thinking that it couldn’t possibly happen to your son or daughter. It does happen, and all the time. Statistically speaking, adolescents experience drugs and alcohol in one form or another, having been exposed to it at school, through friends, family members, or others.

When parents find out their child is using drugs or alcohol, there are two typical scenarios. One scenario is that there’s an open line of communication in the family and parents immediately try to address the issue with their children. Another is that parents dish out punishment and feel they’re done with the problem. Obviously, the punish-and-forget-it tactic is less effective. This is not to say that there shouldn’t be consequences for drug and alcohol use. There definitely should be appropriate discipline for repeated infractions. But punishment alone will not solve the problem. It may even make it worse.

Even with open lines of communication – such as the safety call home if a child calls the parents from a party and requests to be picked up – children may not want to tell their parents about their drug or alcohol use. They may fear getting grounded or loss of privileges (the appropriate disciplinary tactics), or they may not want to disappoint their parents. Still, parents need to encourage their children to talk with them openly about their feelings, what’s going on that trouble them, and parents also need to listen without being judgmental and critical when their children do confide in them. While this won’t solve problems, it does pave the way for the family together to work on solutions to the problems.

Treatment Programs and Services for Addicted Youth

Treatment facilities that specialize in providing programs and services for addicted youth are the best bet for getting help for young people with problems of drug and alcohol use. Parents and concerned others should look for facilities that treat adolescents and young adults, and that offer a full range of services. These services should include some or all of the following:

• Comprehensive assessment
• Personalized treatment program
• Gender-specific treatment available
• Evidence-based treatment (such as cognitive-behavioral therapy, or CBT)
• Substance abuse counseling
• Mental health therapy
• Psychiatric treatment
• Educational programming
• Medical treatment with appropriate professionals (pediatricians, etc.)
• Family therapy
• Working with young people on an in-patient and outpatient level
• Use of different approaches tailored to young people’s needs

Ideally, during the active treatment phase, the young person in treatment can learn to look at things in his or her behavior that needs changing and begin to work on those issues. Key components of treatment include identifying triggers to using, developing healthy coping mechanisms to use when feelings of anger, fear, sadness, and stress occur, and talking with others in a supportive environment conducive to healing.

A huge part of recovery for addicted young people comes about as a result of their interaction with other addicted youth in treatment. A young person may become so practiced at denial and self-justification that he or she can say anything to parrot what they think a therapist or counselor wants to hear. But when young people talk about their problems and issues in group therapy, it’s hard to pull the wool over the eyes of their peers. These young people have built-in radar that instantly identifies truth from falsehood. They call each other on their self-denial.

Recovery Schools are Another Option

The option of a recovery school may be the most appropriate form of treatment for addicted young people. These are schools that offer academic and recovery support for addicted young people and they are becoming more widely available. Currently there are recovery schools in 8 states and collegiate recovery schools in 9 states.

Recovery schools can provide the academic support for young people in early recovery, and help them to make the transition into long-term and sustainable recovery. Embedded support, such as coaching for subjects the student may have been failing in, mental health support, support for addiction recovery, relapse prevention support – all these are essential to help the young person reduce the number of days using and increase long-term abstinence from alcohol and/or drugs.

Recovery Requires Family Support

Successful recovery for an addicted young person is heavily dependent on family participation throughout the process, whether the child attends a treatment facility only or a concurrent or subsequent recovery school. Research shows that young people who have strong family involvement and support have higher rates of recovery those whose families do not participate.
What many parents fail to understand or acknowledge is that there is a great deal of shame and guilt over the fact that their child uses alcohol or drugs. They can try to deny it or sweep it away, but the feelings are still there. And they fester if they’re not dealt with. Treatment professionals say that addiction is a family disease. What this means is that it isn’t just the addict that suffers. Everyone in the family suffers as a result of addiction by one or more family members.

In the family component of treatment, family members learn about addiction. They learn that they are not the cause of their child’s addiction and there is no fault or blame that should be passed around. During family treatment, parents and other siblings learn how their behaviors and attitudes can be changed to be more conducive to their child in recovery. Healing the entire family is the objective of family therapy – but principally to allow them to be effective in providing support and encouragement to their child in recovery.

Community Coalitions Offer Important Support

Another area where parents can find support is through community coalitions. There are over 1,000 such community coalitions in the U.S. today, about a handful in each state. These coalitions consist of people in a community coming together for a common goal. The purpose of these community coalitions is to help connect people to services, to help restrict the availability of drugs and alcohol in the community, to strengthen laws and policies and to ensure enforcement.

How do you find community coalitions? Go to your state’s office of behavioral health, alcohol and drugs, or mental health and obtain a listing of community coalitions.

The Road to Recovery Begins with the First Step

Recovery is possible for young people who are addicted. It is often a difficult and painful decision for parents to make to get their child into treatment and to follow through by becoming educated themselves so they can be fully participating in their child’s recovery efforts, but the results are well worth it. Instead of ruined lives, young people who are addicted who get treatment and have the benefit of family support can go on to realize a life filled with hope and promise.

While they may go into treatment because their parents demanded it, if they fully commit to the program and see it through, they have every chance of experiencing a successful recovery.

No, recovery won’t happen overnight. It will take time, dedication, and a lot of hard work. But recovery is possible. The sooner treatment begins, the sooner recovery can get underway.

Recovery Is Possible For Young People Who Are Addicted is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment

What Is Wilderness Experiential Therapy

In a sense, wilderness experiential therapy is a combination of the best camp experience with inpatient traditional addiction treatment. The goal is to introduce young adults and older teens to a drug- and alcohol-free way of living. Wilderness treatment centers (WTCs) have activities that increase clients’ self-confidence and feeling of empowerment. They’re no cakewalk, however. The activities are both rugged and challenging and may include rappelling, ranch work, wilderness expeditions, backpacking, cross country skiing and others.

Length of Stay

Depending on the wilderness experiential therapy program, the length of stay is the traditional 30-day inpatient chemical dependency addiction treatment program that has the added benefits of wilderness adventure expeditions that range from 16 to 40 days in duration. If the young person is addicted to drugs or alcohol he or she may need to go through medically monitored detox first, and some attend a 30-day traditional alcohol or drug rehab first to stabilize them and ensure they are healthy for the experience.

Staffing

Look for licensed addiction counselors that are with the clients the entire length of their stay. This isn’t a case of sending young adults off on some bonding trip where they do survival training. Experienced counselors trained in all the activities are with clients at all times.

Unconventional Settings for Treatment

Like the name implies, wilderness experiential therapy takes place in settings that offer incredible beauty and majesty of nature – and are nothing like the sterile or hospital-like environment of some traditional treatment facilities. Rocky Mountain and Blue Ridge Mountain locations, ranches or settings in Montana, Arizona, Utah, North Carolina, Oregon, or other breathtaking sites just add to the overall excitement of being away from it all. Many times the opportunity to be several states or hundreds of miles from home, and faced with taking a sense of personal responsibility and accountability with the assistance of licensed addiction treatment counselors is enough to make a dramatic change in the client.

Treatment Philosophy

Type of treatment used is generally multi-disciplinary, depending on the facility. Some are male only or female only WTCs. Since chemically-dependent or polysubstance-addicted individuals often have behavioral and emotional issues and psychological problems such as ADD, ADHD, oppositional-defiant, depressed, conduct-disordered or bi-polar, treatment counselors use appropriate methods designed for maximum impact. The 12-step Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous programs are utilized.

Daily Schedules

Daily life at the WTCs begins early – usually about 7:00 a.m. – and it’s lights out by 10:30 p.m. In between, there are lectures, chores, individual counseling, group therapy, step group and peer evaluation, free time, AA or NA meetings, individual counseling assignments, recreation therapy, and work therapy. Again, the schedules vary depending on WTC.

Cost of Programs

These vary depending on location, type of treatment offered, length of stay and other factors. Costs per day are from $375 and includes room, board and all therapy, plus a clothing allowance of $500 (for wilderness expedition equipment, sleeping bags, etc.). Insurance may help cover a portion of the costs, and some WTCs have loans available to cover the stay.

How to Find Wilderness Experiential Therapy Centers

Referrals come from both inpatient and outpatient addiction treatment centers, probation officers, individual counselors, even family members.

Licensing and Accreditations

Make sure the WTC you’re considering has all the right licenses and accreditations. Look for licensing by the state’s Department of Health and Human Services, accreditation from organizations such as the Association for Experiential Education, The Association for Addiction Professionals (NAADAC), National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers (NAATP) and others.

Tips for Finding A Wilderness Experiential Therapy Program

It takes a lot of research, but the rewards will be well worth it. Here are some tips to help make your search more productive.

• Research Type of Treatment Option – Find the one that’s right for your loved one.

• Visit Websites – From the handful of potential programs you’ve identified, visit each WTC’s website. Thoroughly read through their treatment programs and philosophies to ensure it’s what you’re looking for.

• Make Contact – You’ll undoubtedly have more questions, so now’s the time to make a phone call to talk with their admissions counselor to get the answers.

• Check References – It’s important to check the reputation of the WTC from previous clients. These may be in the form of testimonials, articles in the media, or even talking to the parents of former clients.

• Get The Family Involved – The addiction of your loved one affects the entire family, so make this a family decision. There are also some WTCs that have a family component, so investigate that as well.

• Take a Tour – If possible, tour the facility before you enroll your loved one. If this is not possible due to distance or time constraints, see if the facility has virtual tours on its website or a DVD they can send.

• Know All The Costs – Don’t be blindsided by costs you hadn’t anticipated. Ask for a complete and itemized estimate of what’s involved for the treatment program. Financial aid, loans or scholarships may be available, and insurance may cover a small portion of the program.

• Stay Informed – Once you’ve selected the wilderness experiential therapy program for your loved one, stay informed through the WTC’s licensed professionals on progress and any information critical to aftercare.
 

Wilderness Experiential Therapy for Young Adults is a post from: Drug Addiction Treatment