The decision to place your child in a drug rehabilitation program may be one of the most difficult decisions you’ll ever make as a parent. However, if you have a child who is struggling with addiction, it’s the only decision you really can make. With this decision, though, there are positive and not-so-positive ways you can go about getting your child into drug rehab. Keep these in mind so you can avoid a few potential mistakes along the way.
Do’s to Remember When it Comes to Rehab for Your Child
Do Set A Positive Example– This is perhaps the most important thing you can do for the sake of your teen. Children are much more likely to copy the behavior they see in their parents than listen to the words their parents tell them. Examine how much you’re drinking, what kind of drugs you’re taking, and whether or not you use prescription drugs properly. Florida Institute of Technology offers an excellent self-assessment where parents can judge their own drinking and drug use to determine what kind of example they are setting for their teens.
Do Research Treatment Options – Drug rehabilitation is not a one-size-fits-all solution for your teen’s drug problem. Each drug problem is different and each person requires a different approach to work through that addiction. That’s why it’s so important to take your time and select a rehabilitation program that offers some degree of flexibility and customization to meet your child’s unique treatment and recovery needs. One of the important topics treatment needs to address, according to the New York University Study Center, is why teens turn to drugs and alcohol in the first place and addressing that need for your teen specifically during the treatment process.
Do Research Rehab Facilities – Don’t blindly accept one treatment or rehab program over another. Ask a few tough questions. The National Institute on Drug Abuse recommends asking what kind of scientific evidence the treatment program is based on, whether or not the treatment is tailored to each patient, what kind of duration the treatment involves, and how the program adapts to meet changing needs of patients in treatment.
Dont’s Regarding Teen Drug Rehab
Don’t Just Hope it Will Go Away – Your teen isn’t likely to outgrow drug addiction. It’s not a “phase” he or she is going through. It isn’t something that’s going to end on its own. What it is, is a cry for help. You need to answer that cry, whether your teen wants you to or not, and get your child the help he or she needs in order to recover from addiction.
Don’t Send Your Teen to an Adult Rehab Facility – Adults and teens have different needs as well as different problems that led them to addiction. They need different types of treatment in order to recover from addiction. The staff members at teen adult treatment facilities undergo specialized training to deal with teens and addiction. This specialized training greatly improves your teen’s odds of successfully completing the treatment process.
Don’t Assign Blame – This isn’t the time to point fingers or place blame. Nor should your teen’s drug rehab be seen as a method of punishment. Your child needs help – help you can’t provide. Now is the time to seek treatment from those who are qualified to provide it above all else. Don’t waste your energy on anything other than your child’s recovery.
Parents have so many things to worry about with teens these days. Drug abuse and addiction are often at the top of the list. If you suspect your teen is abusing drugs, now is the time to take action. Don’t waste another day waiting and worrying about your teen when help is so close.