Substance & Addictive Disorders
The teenage years are characterized by rapid growth and change. Between the ages of 13 and 18, you’ll notice your child beginning to rebel. At this stage, they may begin using drugs or alcohol. If substance use becomes a problematic pattern in your child’s life, it’s time to seek treatment.
Teenage
Substance Abuse
Evidence-Based Care Designed for Teens
Substance use is a major concern for parents nationwide. The choice to drink or use drugs can prevent adolescents from succeeding academically. It may also lay the groundwork for other risky behaviors, like driving under the influence or having unprotected sex. But how common is teen substance use?
According to the CDC, by 12th grade, more than 60% of students have tried alcohol. Half of high schoolers surveyed said they had used marijuana, and 40% had tried cigarettes. These are the three substances most commonly misused by teenagers. Unfortunately, many of these teenagers will develop a lifelong substance use disorder due to their choices in adolescence. Your son or daughter doesn’t have to be one of them.
Addiction Treatment for Teens
Your child’s experimentation doesn’t have to define their future. The Forum San Diego offers comprehensive treatment rooted in scientific best practices. Our compassionate, knowledgeable clinicians will help you to turn your child’s life around. We are experts in the field of addiction treatment. All of our staff members are passionate about helping young people to get their lives back on track through evidence-based interventions, including:
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT)
- Psychodynamic therapy
- Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT)
- Process groups (group therapy)
Video Game Addiction
As video game consoles and custom-built computers became more common, so did gaming addiction. While many teens (and parents!) enjoy playing video games, there is a clear distinction between healthy and unhealthy gaming.
If your son or daughter sneaks time with their games, lies about how long they’ve played, isolates themselves from others, and is constantly preoccupied with thoughts of their next gaming session, you should seek professional help for their video game addiction.
Internet Addiction
Also called technology addiction, internet addiction is another rising concern among parents nationwide. When your teenager spends hours buried in their smartphone – and seemingly cannot go five minutes without scrolling – they may have developed an issue requiring clinical intervention.
Symptoms of internet addiction include a preoccupation with social media or online content, a compulsive need to log on, irritability and restlessness when unable to go online, hours and hours of internet use, and an inability to stop (even if they want to). If your child is showing these symptoms, contact The Forum for more information.
Disordered Eating
The Forum views eating disorders as process addictions. This is because they also involve ritualistic, compulsive behaviors that cannot be controlled. Types of disordered eating involve restricting (anorexia), purging (bulimia), and excessive eating (binge eating).
Today, another disorder has become a major problem: orthorexia. If your teen has become incredibly focused on healthy eating and excessive exercise, they may be suffering from this condition.
No matter what your child’s disordered eating looks like, it can have a serious impact on their physical and mental health. We encourage you to contact a clinician specializing in eating disorders; we have several such providers at The Forum.
Get help for teen alcoholism & drug addiction.
Teen Rehab in San Diego
The Forum is different from other treatment centers. While many other facilities offer teen services as an afterthought, we focus specifically on the adolescent population. Joanna Savarese, PhD, is a clinical psychologist and neuropsychologist who has worked extensively with children and young adults. With more than 15 years of experience in this area of study, Dr. Savarese is uniquely equipped to help your child to find recovery from substance use disorder.
The Forum only treats patients between the ages of 13 and 18. That specialization means that we understand what it takes to get through to your teenager – even if it seems like nothing else has worked.
We know you’re at a crossroads right now. It’s time for things to get better.
