Teens and Marijuana: Why Parents Should not Ignore

Daily marijuana use among young adults is at its highest levels since 1991. A national survey released in October shows that 17 million Americans — mostly teens or young adults — used pot in 2010. About 40% of those used it on 20 or more days in the past month, up from 36.7% in 2009.

The director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, Nora Volkow, recently stated that “roughly one out of 10 people who try marijuana get addicted" and "young users were more vulnerable than older ones”. She also stated that because research hasn’t been able to identify the underlying reasons why some individuals become addicted and some don’t, it is safer to avoid the substance and its potential dangers. Furthermore, Volkow blames medicinal marijuana for undermining the serious side effects of marijuana by portraying it as beneficial to one’s health. Additionally, Volkow believes that “hearing about the medicinal benefits of marijuana makes people think it must not be harmful”.

Peter Delany of the Substance Abuse and Mental health Administration believes that marijuana has become the biggest drug problem in the United States considering how the number of its users has more than doubled in the past decade.

The media also plays an important role in decreasing the social stigma attached to marijuana by portraying it “cool” and “commonly used by every top athlete and celebrity”.

The widespread ignorance by teens (and some of  their parents) and  the media's general failure is to distinguish between adolescents and adults when they report on marijuana use and its dangers. When you're young and the body is still growing, marijuana actually has the potential of inflicting a long-lasting, negative impact on the developing brain. In addition, using marijuana at a young age can result in structural and functional deficits of the brain. This could develop weakened verbal and communication skills, lowered learning capabilities and a shortened attention span.

Parents concerned about their impressionable teenagers can get involved by monitoring their teen’s circle of friends and openly communicating about the dangerous side effects of marijuana that is rarely discussed in the media.

For more information on teen marijuana abuse and teen marijuana addiction treatment, visit Inspirations for Youth and Families.

Addiction and Behavior Treatment for Teens: 1-888-757-6237
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Addiction Treatment for adults and young adults: 1-888-387-6237
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Social Networking Websites Linked to Teenage Substance Abuse

Columbia University’s Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) recently published a study that showed a positive correlation between drug use and the heavy use of social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter.

In their study, 70% of children aged 12 to 17 who reported to have participated in some type of risky behavior such as using alcohol and/or drugs, also reported using social networking websites such as Facebook and MySpace on a regular basis. Furthermore, according to CASA, teens who reported using social media were five times likelier to use tobacco, three times likelier to drink alcohol and twice as likely to try marijuana.

While the use of networking websites doesn’t necessarily indicate a cause and effect relationship between the two, it is crucial that parents monitor their child’s computer activity and openly discuss the consequences of drugs, alcohol, tobacco and other substances or activities teens may feel tempted to engage in due to peer pressure and exposure.

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Multidimensional Family Therapy for Adolescent Drug Abuse

The pandemic of drug abuse amongst teens is ever growing. Families with drug abusing teens tend to seek therapy as effort to save their child, with little focus on the actual relationship. Multidimensional Family Therapy, or MDFT, is a therapy that engages substance abusing teens and their parents individually while building the relationship between them. According to two National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) randomized trials, this type of therapy has proven to have lasting benefits that extend beyond reduced drug use.

Teenage participants treated with MDFT were studied one year after treatment and were found to have fewer drug – related problems. Their behavior and mental health had also improved more compared to teens treated with CBT. Both teens and parents have separate sessions so the therapeutic process is effective for everyone. In sessions with students, the aim to establish meaningful therapeutic goals, foster motivation, and help the adolescents develop concrete strategies to solve problems and find alternatives to drug taking and delinquency. In their own sessions, parents learn about family management, parent – adolescent relationship, as well as parenting skills. "MDFT is a flexible and individualized treatment system rather than a one-size-fits-all approach," says Dr. Liddle. MDFT has been used for young (11 to 15 years old) and older adolescents and juvenile offenders. It has been applied in clients' homes, community-based clinics, residential treatment centers, and correctional facilities. In a statement to the National Institute of Drug Abuse, Dr. Howard Liddle of the University of Miami, who led the two studies said, “We connect with parents in a way that recognizes their stress and the anger, hopelessness, and even despair they may feel about their child. Then we help parents reconnect emotionally to their child. This renewed caring is instrumental in changing parenting practices.”

Advantages
MDFT and CBT are similar in results. They both aim to provide patients with skill not only to reduce the drug use. But unlike MDFT, CBT focuses on individuals rather than family development. Parents attend the first two sessions. The help their child assess the issues at hand and set goals for recovery. According to NIDA, the conclusion of these trials proved that CBT and MDFT have similar results. In the CBT group, youths dropped cannabis use to 7.5 days from 10 days and MDFT dropped to 7.5 days from 12 days. However in the months ahead, those in the MDFT group fared better. MDFT benefits younger teens as well. The results for MDFT in younger teens showed that participants were more likely to stay in treatment – 97 % in the NDFT group finished counseling as opposed to the 72 % of the CBT group. Dr. Lisa Onken, chief of the Behavioral and Integrative Branch of NIDA's Division of Neuroscience and Behavioral Research says, "This is a very complex treatment, and the more we can figure out the essential ingredients—what is critically important and what is of lesser importance—the better we will be able to implement it in the community."

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse or 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 prescription drug 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, Multidimensional Family Therapy, or MDFT to educate them in the treatment process and to equip them for their role as parents and supporters.

Reach out to us. For more information on our treatment programs contact us:

Teen Treatment Programs: 1-888-757-6237
http://www.inspirationsyouth.com
http://www.inspirationsteenrehab.com

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

Effects of Heavy Marijuana Use on Learning and Social Behavior

A study of college students has shown that critical skills related to attention, memory, and learning are impaired among people who use marijuana heavily, even after discontinuing its use for at least 24 hours. Researchers compared 65 "heavy users," who had smoked marijuana a median of 29 of the past 30 days, and 64 "light users," who had smoked a median of 1 of the past 30 days. After a closely monitored 19- to 24-hour period of abstinence from marijuana and other illicit drugs and alcohol, the undergraduates were given several standard tests measuring aspects of attention, memory, and learning. Compared to the light users, heavy marijuana users made more errors and had more difficulty sustaining attention, shifting attention to meet the demands of changes in the environment, and in registering, processing, and using information. These findings suggest that the greater impairment among heavy users is likely due to an alteration of brain activity produced by marijuana.

Longitudinal research on marijuana use among young people below college age indicates those who used marijuana have lower achievement than the non-users, more acceptance of deviant behavior, more delinquent behavior and aggression, greater rebelliousness, poorer relationships with parents, and more associations with delinquent and drug-using friends.

If your teen is addicted to marijuana please seek help. Effective treatment of marijuana addiction, like all drug addictions, requires personalized treatment plan that not only addresses the specific drug involved but the addicted person's personality and circumstances of use.

Choosing a teen marijuana rehab treatment facility, involves the understanding of the facility’s personalized teen oriented rehabilitation program and how it takes into account the developmental needs of the teens. It is not uncommon for teens with drug or alcohol problems to be dealing with some type of mental issues too. The facility of choice should be able to treat those mental health issues as well.

Another important part of teen’s addiction treatment is addressing his or her educational needs. It is crucial to minimize the impact of treatment on the child’s education and his chance of graduating from high school, while away from home in the treatment center. For this reason, specialized adolescent teen rehab facilities, provide educational program alongside the addiction treatment.

Concerned about your teen abusing marijuana. Have questions?

Looking for a Drug Rehab Center for your Teen?

Reach out to us. For more information on our treatment programs contact us:

Teen Treatment Programs: 1-888-757-6237
http://www.inspirationsyouth.com/
http://www.inspirationsteenrehab.com/

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