Planning any family intervention presents its challenges, but preparing an intervention for your teen is not necessarily the same process as for an adult. It can be incredibly difficult for a parent to acknowledge their teen is struggling with a drug or alcohol addiction. One of the most significant barriers to overcome is enabling and codependency. However, parents must acknowledge this and work with the interventionist to help their teen get into a treatment center.
Family intervention specialists work with families and parents to help identify the warning signs that their teen has developed a drug or alcohol addiction. An intervention is a turning point that convinces a person struggling with addiction to acknowledge his or her situation and accept the need for treatment. Adolescents that are struggling with addiction present challenges when facing the intervention, which is why it is essential to hire a professional interventionist.
Teen Drug Addiction and the Difficulty of Intervention
Adolescents are in a crucial stage of development, and the introduction of drugs or alcohol significantly impacts this development. Substance use at a young age drastically increases the risk of developing addiction-related medical conditions as an adult. Also, it increases the likelihood of the teen struggling with a more intense and longer-lasting addiction. Abusing drugs or alcohol during a crucial time of brain development has the potential to result in life-changing consequences.
Every high school across the country offers drug education and prevention. However, countless teens begin to use drugs for a variety of reasons. Typically, it begins with peer pressure or being offered alcohol or drugs at a social gathering. Other teens are growing up in a household where the parents abuse drugs or alcohol—commonly, most teens get drugs or alcohol from someone they know. Overall, a teen develops an attitude toward alcohol and drugs at home, which is why intervention helps begin the healing process for a family.
Planning Family Intervention for Your Teen
When parents suspect a teen has been abusing drugs or alcohol, they must take intervention action quickly. An intervention is often a turning point for a teen who has developed an addiction. They may not realize they have a problem until they are in a room with all their family and friends. Organized and planned with a certified interventionist, the process is successful. The main barrier is overcoming family enabling, which is common with drug-addicted teens and parents. Most parents tend to avoid confrontation and believe the problem is temporary, and they will grow out of it. Unfortunately, this is not the case, and the addiction becomes progressively worse without help or intervention.
The first step is contacting the intervention group, who will then spend a significant amount of time on the phone with the family answering questions. The interventionist will then meet with the family and spend a day educating the family about intervention and addiction. During this time, the interventionist is handling the enabling and any codependency issues, which would derail the intervention. The next day, the intervention takes place, and drug-addicted teen is brought to the treatment center to begin rehabilitation.
Teen Alcohol Use and Alcohol Inpatient Treatment
Most reasons why parents choose a family intervention is because their teen began binge drinking and using alcohol in excess. Teen alcohol abuse is common, and it does lead to a more serious addiction that would require inpatient treatment for alcohol addiction. In 2018, about 1.2 million adolescents aged 12 to 17 were past month binge drinkers, which corresponds to 4.7% of adolescents. Approximately 1 in 21 adolescents were current binge drinkers. Teens substance abuse treatment services across the country offer excellent rehabilitation and alcohol inpatient treatment for any adolescent struggling with addiction. When deciding on what method of rehabilitation to access, the first step is determining the extent of the addiction through an assessment. Certified interventionists provide these services and help families determine if there is an addiction, how bad it is, and what rehabilitation is the best option.
Does Family Health Insurance Cover Treatment After a Family Intervention?
Yes, most health insurance policies taken out by the parents cover their dependents. TRICARE health insurance, for example, covers TRICARE rehab options and alcohol treatment programs. TRICARE is the health care program of the United States Department of Defense Military Health System. It provides civilian health benefits for U.S Armed Forces military personnel, military retirees, and their dependents. Alcohol abuse and binge drinking is a common problem that many active duty and retired military members struggle with. Unfortunately, many teens grow up in households where binge drinking and excessive alcohol use are common.
Adolescents who are growing up witnessing their parents drink all the time and become intoxicated around them are more likely to begin experimenting with alcohol use. Most adolescents acquire alcohol from someone they know, such as a family friend or family member. It is essential for parents to know the warning signs and intervene when necessary. Early intervention is essential to prevent the problem from becoming worse.
Some of the current problems facing teens involve marijuana and nicotine in record numbers. The past month marijuana vaping among 12th graders nearly doubled in a single year, the second-largest one-year jump for any substance in the history of the Monitoring the Future Survey. However, rates of binge drinking within the nation continue to drop for students in grades 10 and 12 but then rise again during post-secondary schooling.
Sources
https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/cbhsq-reports/NSDUHNationalFindingsReport2018/NSDUHNationalFindingsReport2018.pdf
https://teens.drugabuse.gov/teachers/stats-and-trends-teen-drug-use
