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Parent Resource
Drugs and young people don't mix. The disease of addiction progresses more rapidly in young people than it does in adults. The use of alcohol and other drugs exaggerates and magnifies all the normal boundary-testing behaviors associated with adolescence. A loving, well-behaved son or daughter can seem to change into a self-destructive and withdrawn stranger, sometimes within a matter of months. The use of drugs often leads young people to poor school performance, involvement with the criminal justice system, strained relationships with family, and health problems. Tragically, too many young people die as a result of their involvement with alcohol and other drugs.

When an adolescent develops alcohol or other drug related problems, every aspect of their personal, family, and social life can be affected. It is normal for parents discovering such problems to feel confused, angry, frustrated, afraid, and guilty. Many parents are also unsure about how they should respond to this problem and what community resources might be of help.

There are several steps that parents can take in responding to adolescent substance use. They can educate themselves about adolescent substance use problems, become familiar with various intervention options, and learn how they can help resolve the problem. The following information is intended to provide information that can help with this process.

If you have additional questions, please call The Bridge, Inc at (256) 546-6324 in Gadsden or (251) 633-0475 for the Mobile Facility and ask to speak to one of our assessment specialist. The assessment counselor can answer your questions and help you decide if your son or daughter would benefit from professional assessment and treatment services.  


Commonly asked questions about adolescent substance use and the treatment of substance use problems: 
 
  1. What are the signs and symptoms of substance use problems? 
     
  2. What are the differences between those young people who grow out of substance use problems (i.e. are able to stop using without any formal treatment) and those for whom these problems continue to get worse? 

  3. What if my son or daughter does not want to stop using alcohol and other drugs? 
     
  4. When do we need professional help for a substance use problem? 

  5. How is it decided if my child needs treatment and what kind of treatment he or she will receive? 

  6. What is treatment? What activities occur during treatment? 

  7. What if there is a waiting list and we need to get our son or daughter into treatment as soon as possible? What can we do? 

  8. What can parents do during the time our child in in treatment? 

  9. How do kids get involved and develop problems with alcohol and other drugs? Does this mean that we somehow failed as parents? 

  10. Isn't alcohol/drug experimentation normal for adolescents? 

  11. Will my son or daughter be safe while they are in treatment?  

  12. Will I learn how best to help my son or daughter? 

  13. What happens after treatment? 

  14. Will my child be locked up during his/her treatment? If not, can he or she leave at any time? 

  15. How will I know if my son or daughter is doing well in treatment and is making positive changes? 

  16. What are the qualifications and backgrounds of The Bridge's treatment counselors? 

  17. Are residential programs more successful than outpatient programs? What factors influence treatment outcomes? How are outcomes influenced by characteristics of youth undergoing treatment?

We would like to thank and credit Chestnut Health Systems for much of the parent resource information provided here. The source document is "Questions and Answers About Adolescent Substance Use Problems and their Treatment" by Richard A. Risberg & William L. White. The development of this pamphlet was supported by funds from the Center for Substance Abuse (CSAT) of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Department of Health and Human Services (grant no. TI11894 and contract no. TA 6001-50).
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