Troubled Teens Resources

Teen crisis intervention programs have been organized nation wide in an effort to stem the tide of teen age crime and drug abuse. One such popular program, Drug Court, has had measurably good success with re-offenders.

The cycle of drug abuse is rarely ended after the first cycle of rehab for many teenagers. A run through a boot camp or brat camp, if there are even any available, is rarely enough in hard core cases. It is difficult to equip a teen to deal with the pervasive influence of drugs if they live in the midst of a neighborhood that is rife with dealers and gangs. Teen programs such as Drug Court give teens a last chance to reform before the system swallows them up.

“Teenagers who repeatedly land in juvenile court for drug- and alcohol-related crimes have a new opportunity to get clean.
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The program aims to reduce recidivism and teach teenagers how to be responsible human beings with no drug or alcohol abuse…
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Drug court, which takes between 12 and 18 months to complete, consists of five phases, each a bit less intense than the last.

Offenders accepted into the drug court program suffer from addiction and, without serious intervention, they risk being taken from their homes and put in a youth center for in-patient treatment.
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Offenders with diagnosed substance abuse or dependency who need treatment with a juvenile record are eligible for the program. The substance abuse treatment is done through the Washington County Health Department, Bricker said.
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“It’s a last-ditch effort prior to going to placement,” said Cherity Shahan of the Department of Juvenile Services.”

(Source)

Treatment for teenagers diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder certainly comes down decisively in two camps. There are those parents who do not see medication to be ultimately effective, fearing that an addictive tendency might be activated. The opposing side welcomes the availability of medication, many families finding it to be the necessary corrective to get their teen back on track.

Those in the latter camp may be interested in a new test that is reported to be able facilitate an accurate diagnosis and the correct medication immediately.

“A Fullerton clinical psychologist is one of three in the nation using the new Qb test to identify attention deficit disorder linked to a database in Sweden.
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He said the test, approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, posts 99.9 percent accuracy.

“Usually, when a teacher suspects ADD, a written test is given to find out if the child is, for example, messy and forgetful,” Reicks said. “The child has no say.

“The new system relies on a child’s body movement and ability to concentrate simultaneously,” he said. “We can tell in one minute through the Internet if the child has ADD or attention deficit hyperactive disorder.”

(Source)

A diagnosis of ADHD can send parents reeling. Indeed it has precipitated any number of teen crisis intervention programs in an effort to be able to intervene early enough to provide corrective therapy - either medication or behavioral therapy - before harm is done to a teen’s school career. Hopefully this new test will prove to be a boon for parents struggling with this issue.

Teen crisis intervention programs often emerge from communities that have suffered a tragic loss or have been threatened by irrational teen behavior. Such as a recent threat by two obviously troubled teens to kill their fellow students at Connetquot High School.

“The news of two teens suspected of plotting a “massive attack” at Connetquot High School, with the intention of killing scores of innocent students and teachers, is chilling.

Parents, students and school officials understandably want to know if and how such tragedies can be prevented. In this instance, officials say potential disaster was averted when a diary belonging to one of the teens was found. This was a stroke of luck. None of us, however, wants our future safety to depend upon such serendipity.”

But should future safety depend on a state sponsored psychological evaluation of your children? What Pandora’s box is opened by allowing the state to intrude so far into a family’s life that their conclusions might dictate your teen’s future? Does this really constitute teen help or a violation of privacy?

“Now a radical opportunity to identify and help at-risk youth is being introduced by the state Office of Mental Health. Working with a $33-million legislative allocation, the office is embracing a public health approach. Its goal is to provide a free voluntary psychological checkup for 400,000 children in the state, under a program called Child and Family Clinic-Plus. This program will begin to be implemented this fall by five nonprofit mental health clinics in Suffolk County and two in Nassau.

The parents of ninth, 10th and 11th graders in participating schools will decide if their children should take a standardized screening test. Those students whose scores on the test indicate that they may be at risk will be eligible for three free comprehensive assessments and nine free sessions of therapy at home.”

(Source)

It seems that in recent years Americans must often decide between safety and freedom. These suggested tests are voluntary now, but will their use lead the way to mandatory testing? Will parents have the right to refute the conclusions of such tests? These are some of the many issues that parents face.

Teen help does not mean supervising your teenagers’ “kegger”. Teen help does not mean collecting all the car keys at your kid’s pool party and then going inside to settle in for a movie. What should be patently obvious is apparently a point of contention in the ongoing battle to prevent teens at risk from drinking.

Many parents feel that allowing their teens access to alcohol under controlled conditions will teach them responsibility. However, the prevalent word from the experts is that is just a comforting, but spurious notion.

“In many cases parents do this under the false assumption that they are protecting their kids. They make the assumption that they won’t drink elsewhere and that’s not true,” says Robert Lindsey, director of the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence.

In addition to drunken-driving accidents that too often end tragically, teen-drinking parties can spawn sexual assaults, stabbings, brawling and neighborhood vandalism. “We all know we’re fooling ourselves if we think underage drinking is fine,” says Stacy Saetta, a legal policy researcher at the Center for the Study of Law and Enforcement Policy in Felton, Calif. “Simply to say it’s a rite of passage isn’t good enough.” Even when parents think they are doing the right thing by gathering car keys of partiers, “kids still get away and still drive drunk,” she said. “These parties are very, very dangerous.”

(source)
(via Save Our Youth)

Teen crisis intervention programs developed across the nation represent millions of dollars and man hours dedicated to diverting teens from the often fatal consequences of underage drinking. Parents who fail to see the immensity of the problem are failing their teenagers first and foremost.

Teen crisis intervention programs are often the result of media hype. That can be a two edged sword. Parents need to be aware of the dangers confronting their troubled teenagers, but by the same token, if the media goes too far in demonizing a drug, the ultimate effect may be a dilution of the anti-drug message. As this writer puts it, not every drug can hold the title as the worst.

“This is the problem with having a demon drug of the moment: all of them can’t possibly be “the worst” and “most addictive” and “most dangerous,” but if you look at the news coverage of each new scare, that’s exactly what the coverage claims. When crack came out, it was “more addictive than heroin,” (the previous worst drug ever), now meth allegedly makes crack look like “child’s play.”

One possible result of media overkill is that now cocaine may have come out looking like a benign substitute for meth and heroin. After all, it is associated with the fast life culture promoted by Hollywood. Kate Moss, the high fashion model that all predicted would lose her career due to her much publicized cocaine use, is experiencing an even more successful run.

“There seems to be less of a stigma about” cocaine, said Dr. Herbert Kleber… “People don’t feel nearly as much the need to hide it,” he said. “They feel that they can use it in a more open fashion.”

(Source)

Perhaps what should be demonized is simply addiction itself. Be it to a drug, or food, or sex, perhaps the lesson teens need to hear is to never to abdicate their power to anything outside themselves. That can be encouraged by teaching the importance of individuality and the power of choice.

Teens at risk have inspired communities across the nation to provide a variety of teen crisis intervention programs at a grass roots level. Such a program is just now being launched in a small Ohio town.

“Eighth-grader Dylan Weaver said he sees a problem with drinking and drug abuse among his peers.

Weaver, of Pickerington, found a way to get involved in curbing that problem when his Pataskala youth group joined the Consortium for a Drug Free Licking County.

The Jersey Baptist Church youth group took part in focus groups to help tailor the message of the consortium’s “Be Unstoppable” campaign, which will launch across the county in the next few days.”

The campaign will actually target parents in it’s initial thrust, noting that parents indifferent to or ignorant of drug culture and teen drug use need a wake up call.

“… the consortium is targeting parents first because too often all of the pressure for preventing drug and alcohol abuse is put on youth.

“Finally, we realized we have to have the parents in this with us. They’re on the front lines,” McCloud said. “It’s not fair to put the whole burden on the kids.”

Parents will receive postcards with tips about how to keep their kids away from drugs and alcohol. It also will lead parents to the campaign’s Web site, www.beunstoppable.us, for more in-depth information on drug and alcohol abuse…”
(Source)

It is interesting to note that the proposed campaign has provoked controversy, as represented in the comments. Some feel money is better directed at improving schools and parents ought to be able to cope without programs to supplement their efforts.

Teen crisis intervention programs are typically spearheaded by community groups who want more safeguards and effective solutions in place when dealing with out of control teens. Some very innovative programs have sprung up across the country by groups of parents who have become alarmed over the prevalence of teen drinking and drug abuse.

In the past, such programs have primarily targeted teens. Unfortunately the laxity of many parents around teen drinking have caused some communities to create laws that hold parents as accountable as their teens if a drinking party goes South. Such as this ordinance recently introduced in a California town that targeted parents who host underage drinking.

“The city is revising its “unruly party” ordinance to make it easier to crack down on teenage drinking — including a provision that changes the definition of a party from five underage revelers to two. The new ordinance will eliminate the current $1,000 cap on the amount the city can recover from party hosts — or their parents — when police respond to gatherings.”

The changes in the ordinance were due to a letter sent out by a parents that described the vandalism and excessive drinking that occurred at an unauthorized party held in their home.

“Local high school parents responded by forming healthy choices committees that promised to work with the schools and community to cut down on teen drinking and drug use and come up with alternative activities for teenagers.”
(Source)

As a parent, you have more power in your community than you may realize. Be pro-active in teen crisis intervention in your neighborhood, It can be as simple as circulating a letter and approaching your local officials for support.

It is very amazing to see alcoholic beverage manufacturers concocting an intoxicant using a variation of the same recipe junkies and addicts have been killing themselves with for years.

One of the street names for it is “speedballing”. It involves simultaneously shooting up a downer in one arm and an upper in the other, the collision of opposing chemicals designed to give the addict some bang for his buck. It is just another example of the insidious ingenuity that an addict will employ while seeking that elusive buzz, the perfect nirvana moment.

Now a legal and less toxic form of “speedballing”is being marketed to adults by a variety of manufacturers- and angry critics say it is being aimed also at teens - in the form of high energy alcoholic beverages.To top it off Anheuser Bush has packaged it’s Spykes in easy to conceal “cutsey” bottles that can only be attractive to teens.

“…there is soaring demand for caffeine-fueled energy drinks, which are especially popular among teens. And as it happens, energy drinks have become enormously popular as mixers with alcohol on the bar scene.

“The energy drink market is taking off, with Red Bull as the lead,” said James Mosher, who works on alcohol policy at the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation. “A big part of the market is using energy drinks as a mixer with booze with the idea that the caffeine will keep you partying all night.”
(Source)

For counties and schools and parents who are invested heavily in teen crisis intervention programs, the battle is made all the more difficult when indifferent corporations continue to value profit over plain common sense.

Your teenager has made it all the way to college and you hope that he will survive the typically tempestuous first two years. If he succeeds in resisting the vortex of teenage binge drinking, he will be well on his way to graduation. Recent studies indicate a college student’s tendency to “party hearty” diminishes as he progresses through school.

Another campus based study indicates a promising means of intervention in combatting binge drinking.
Dubbed “motivational interviewing”, it has the at-risk teenager examine the discrepancy between self-destructive behavior and their stated goals.

“They used the motivational interviewing technique with students in the university’s Freshman Seminar program. During two 75-minute class sessions, they talked with students about their goals and values and helped the students recognize discrepancies between their current behavior and their values.

A total of 91 freshmen participated in the study. Of that number 47 were in MI group prevention classes while 44 were in a control group.

“We didn’t think that this type of intervention would be terribly potent in a group format,” Michael said. “We were surprised to find that students who had the intervention consumed fewer drinks and became intoxicated less often than the control group.”

Students who previously had reported getting drunk four to five times a month reported 1.5 fewer episodes of intoxication in a 30- to 45-day period following the MI sessions. They also reported consuming 4.5 fewer drinks during that period.”
(source)

Many crisis intervention programs for binge drinking or drug abuse are local in scope and perhaps not well publicized. If you have a teenager in college, inquire on campus as to what programs might be in place. Check also with the counties and municipalities for possible intervention programs. A little research can go a long way.

“…the first two seasons of Intervention, viewers have been introduced to the enormous redneck crackhead who punched out his father; the teen meth addict working as a stripper; the single mom suffering from bulimia; and the young alcoholic father. Multiple or combined addictions are frequent on Intervention. Witness the gay man addicted to both sex and cocaine, or the tightly wound woman whose gambling binges are fuelled by crystal meth…”

Not to trivialize the stories of the families featured on Intervention, but you can’t help but notice that the themes of each of these individual’s real lives sound like the old and familiar scripts written for countless one hour dramas. It makes one pause to wonder what is it about humans that have us incessantly exchanging tales of woe, to seemingly linger over the inescapable fact that being human is often a painful proposition. One could hope that such intense fascination could instead be focused on healthy, thriving human beings. However, I don’t think a reality show that follows the lives of happy and productive families is on the horizon.

The jury is out as to how much good it does any of us to witness the ravages of drug and sundry other addictions in a reality format. The portraits of pain in these interventions are stark but we have seen it all before. In fact, without the grace of Hollywood lighting and makeup, real pain is ugly and clumsy. Unlike actors who facilely deliver polished dialog, real people sputter, spit and grope for words and anger is inarticulate and bruising.

If the series Intervention serves to encourage a broken family to seek help or to dissuade a troubled teenager from taking drugs, it can’t be dismissed. The danger is in trivializing both the concept of interventions and to keep America focused on broken people without enough attention paid to the broken people who do heal and carry on successful lives.

Unlike the series which typically ends with a decision - yay or nay - to therapy, the therapies and rehab programs that interventions set the stage for are merely the first tentative steps on a very hard, often boring, road to productive living. However, no camera will linger on an ex-addict struggling to learn basic life skills, like writing a budget, keeping a clean house or showing up regularly for work.

“But does it work? Intervention has been criticized by some health professionals for sensationalism and its drive-through approach to addiction counselling…And then there’s the woeful absence of follow-up…. There are no statistics provided on how many of the addicts successfully completed their rehabilitation and the program rarely revisits its case studies. All noble intent aside, Intervention lacks closure.”
Source

There has to be more stories that emphasize that not only do humans being become terribly broken, they can be terribly fierce about rebuilding what is broke.

That is what a real intervention is for, a first step in a fierce fight for life.