Teen Drug Abuse (cont.)
What are treatments for drug addiction?
There are few medications that are considered effective in treating drug
addiction. Those are currently limited to the treatment of alcohol, opioid, and
nicotine addiction. Please read the Alcohol and Teens article for information
about the medications that manage alcohol addiction. Effective medication treatment for
other addictions is primarily limited to address addiction to opiates and
nicotine. Methadone, levo-alpha acetyl methadol (LAAM), and buprenorphine
hydrochloride are non-sedating, non-intoxicating opiates that treat opiate
addiction by preventing symptoms of withdrawal from heroin and other opiates.
Naltrexone blocks the effects of opiates and is therefore useful in both
treatment of overdose of opiates and in longer-term treatment. Nicotine
addiction is often medically addressed by medications that replace nicotine in
the form of patches, gum, or nasal spray. Buproprion, which was originally found
to be an effective antidepressant, has been found to decrease patients' cravings
for nicotine.
The National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) recommends that treatment of
substance abuse: be readily available when the addicted person is ready to
enroll; be tailored to the complex, multiple and changing needs (for example medical,
mental health, social, legal, and family) of each individual; and consider the use of
medication treatment when appropriate and include random drug testing. There are
numerous individual treatments for drug addiction in teens. Relapse prevention
uses methods for recognizing and amending problem behaviors. Individualized drug
counseling specifically emphasizes short-term behavioral goals in an attempt to
help the individual reduce or stop the use of drugs altogether. Some such
programs include drug testing. Twelve-step programs like Narcotics Anonymous are
individualized drug-counseling methods. Motivational enhancement therapy
encourages the teen to increase their desire to participate in therapy. Stimulus
control refers to a treatment method that teaches the person to stay away from
situations that are associated with substance abuse and to replace those
situations with activities that are contrary to using drugs. Urge control is an
approach to changing patterns that lead to drug use. Social control involves
family members and other significant others of the addict in treatment.
Family interventions for drug addiction that tend to be effective for teens
include multidimensional family therapy (MDFT), group therapy, and multifamily
educational intervention (MFE). MDFT has been found to be quite effective.
Longer-term residential treatment of three to five months that addresses peer
relationships, educational problems, and family issues is often used in treating
substance abuse in teens.
For youths in the first stage of drug use, where they have not yet used drugs,
preventative measures are used. Therefore, limiting access to drugs, addressing
any risk factors of the youth or family, as well as optimal parental supervision
and expression regarding expectations is often recommended. The approach to
those who have experimented with drugs is not minimized by mental-health
professionals, since infrequent use can progress to the more serious stages of
use if not addressed. Therefore, professionals recommend that the youth be
thoroughly educated about the effects and risks of drugs, receive fair but firm
limits on the use of substances, and that the user be referred for brief
counseling, a self-help group, and/or family support group. Teens that have
progressed to the more advanced stages of drug addiction are typically treated
intensively, using a combination of the medication, individual, and familial
interventions already described above.
Next: Where can a person get help for teen drug abuse? »
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