Addiction is something that affects young adult and middle aged men. The images conjured by the word “addiction” are homeless rovers in the seedy parts of town or alcoholics stumbling into taxis in the middle of the night. Addiction isn’t something that affects the more delicate segments of the population, like teenage girls, right?
Wrong. Teenage girls are facing drug and alcohol abuse, and even addiction, at younger ages and in increasing numbers. Did you know that before the age of 15 half of teenage girls have experimented with alcohol? It’s incredibly dangerous. Starting young increases the chances of long-term addiction, for both alcohol and drug use. Addiction for teens is a pressing and difficult issue, and it is important for parents to face the realities of teen addiction.
Professional Help for Addicted Teens
The first step, of course, is awareness and acceptance. Many parents refuse to believe that their teen daughter has been exposed to alcohol and drug use, let alone could be facing potential addiction. Once parents have accepted the realities of their teen’s addiction the next, most crucial step, is to get them professional help.
Is professional help really needed? How does it differ from parental, academic, or religious help? What exactly does professional help do? Professional help for additive behaviors is absolutely necessary, and goes far beyond the help parents or teachers can offer alone. And when the stakes are this high, it’s absolutely critical that professional help is sought immediately.
Professionals attack addictive behaviors in teens through several careful steps. Initially, professionals will look at the immediate causes and scenarios that lead to the addictive behaviors. This can be friend groups, issues at home, or even mental illness or disorder. Without addressing these factors addictive behaviors can’t be resolved. Careful therapy and practice can break down problems that have created addictive behaviors in the first place.
Throughout therapy, professionals also help teen girls recover from addictive behaviors by teaching them healthy habits. By removing destructive habits like addictive behaviors, and adding healthy habits like physical fitness, adequate sleep, and effective communication skills, teen girls can leave behind their troubled and dangerous past and prepare for a future of success and happiness.
Getting professional help for troubled teen girls with addictive behaviors is not only life-changing – it could be life-saving. Consider professional help ranging from therapy all the way to therapeutic boarding schools for more serious situations and addictive behaviors.
Think Havenwood Might Be For You?
We encourage any visitors considering placing their daughter in treatment to fill out our online assessment as soon as possible. This two minute form will give our admissions team all the information needed to determine if your daughter is a good fit for our program.
Eric Allred was born and raised in Rigby, Idaho. He grew up on a family farm where he learned the value of work. He graduated from Rigby High School and attended Rick’s College, now known as BYU-Idaho. He received his bachelor’s degree in journalism from Utah State University, received a master’s degree in organizational behavior and human relations from the University of Phoenix and a second master’s degree in marital and family therapy from Phillips Graduate Institute. Eric has been involved in Rotary and was president of a local Rotary Club. He enjoys being with his family and doing outdoor activities such as fly fishing.
Chase was very fortunate to start in this industry as a struggling 17 year old kid looking for a mentor and something to be passionate about. Wilderness therapy was Chase’s first stop in this industry and was truly a transcendental experience for him. Chase has an enormous love for this line of work and the power that it has in creating change in everyone involved. Chase’s biggest belief is the power a mentor, strong, healthy relationships, and accountability can have on anyone, especially youth. Taking a very relational approach to his work, Chase has always been very relatable to the students he works with. Being able to understand and relate to a vast variety of the same struggles as a lot of the students he works with has been able to help him continue to grow, learn, and teach. Chase believes that with great rapport and trust, he can use his experience to continue to coach and train new staff, and has the ability to find those staff with the passion for this industry, and help them grow. His love and passion can be felt the moment you talk with Chase about this industry and he passes that on to others he works with. In his spare time you will find Chase cheering for the Eagles, Yankees, and Mavericks, hanging out with his brother, learning more about Eastern Psychology, and continuing to grow and learn.