Troubled Teens Resources

Thinking about a teen crisis intervention for your troubled teen? What are you going to do after you confront your teen about their problem? What type of treatment do they need? Well there is a new option for parents of teen boys ages 13-17 in Austin, TX. This program of individualized therapy offers a different type of help for teens.

“‘Every teenage boy we work with has an individualized program created to best suit their personal needs to foster a positive environment. Our programs have been developed to enhance all areas of each troubled teen lives and help them learn to adapt to situations where they need additional help. Resolution Ranch strives to help troubled teens build stronger relationships in their communities as well as to succeed in life,- states Neal Staab, Administrator of Resolution Ranch.
Resolution Ranch’s 12 Step Program offers a spiritual focus to help troubled teens learn respect, build character and confidence. Each boy works through the 5 levels of achievement until they are ready to resume their lives in the outside world with strengthened coping capabilities.
At Resolution Ranch teens develop positive self-evaluation and introspection skills. At each learning level, boys take part in an activity or response writing that is read and evaluated by a counselor. As Level 1 Ranch Hands new boys learn respect, awareness and honesty. Level 2 Cattle Men focus on learning goal setting, confidence and responsibility. Level 3 Ropers learn humility, resolve and character building. Level 4 Wranglers work on helpfulness, relationship building, dealing with change, and making amends. Level 5 Cowboys learn about hope, affirmation and commitment.
As each boy works on his individual goals, feedback from the group builds confidence and commitment to recovery. Group therapy sessions allow feelings to be openly expressed in a nurturing environment. A “group” can be called at any time by any member of the community. Peer affirmation and evaluation helps teens counter negative behaviors and reinforce positive behaviors.”

If you are looking for help for a troubled teen visit

this link.
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When a teen heads down the road of substance abuse parents first reaction is usually shock that their baby has entered world of teen age drug abuse.  In todays society youth are starting earlier and earlier on gateway drugs like marijuana, alcohol, and tobacco.  When the newness wears off they move into more destructive drugs and usually a new circle of friends.  With new more expensive drugs youth are then forced to find ways to support their new sources of recreation.  This usually comes in the form of stealing from family members, shoplifting, and even dealing to pay for their own habit.

Parents are usually shocked to find that their child has been selling drugs to support their own habit.  Once admitted into a program teens will honestly reveal the extent of their abuse.  Most parents are oblivious to the fact that their child was even using drugs let alone dealing in them.  At Tipton Academy many students have come clean about the issues they had prior to their enrollment in this boarding school for troubled teens.  Part of the healing process for parents and students is to for the teen to divulge everything he has done before he was placed.  This can be very difficult, but is very effect in the overall healing process employed by Tipton Academy.

Tipton Academy also has some very effective parent seminars.  These are scheduled quarterly and have proven to be an integral part of the student and parent coming back together.  A parent can feel so alone, especially right after enrolling their child in a program.  Tipton Academy has a parent support network that can provide comfort and a great deal of support.  Parents feel that they finally have someone they can talk to who can understand what they are going through.  If you would like more information please contact Tipton Academy direct 877 968 8443.

One of the most virulent drugs troubled teens can abuse is meth. The descent from normal teenager to addict is much more rapid in meth addiction than with most other drugs.
The initial affects of the drug are exuberance and a sense of control and power. The contrast between this state of mind and the usual insecurity and impotence that beleaguers a troubled teen almost guarantees that the at risk teen will return again and again to the drug.

Though the long term affects of meth addiction have yet to be calculated, what has been researched indicates that the path to recovery is long, arduous and perhaps, never complete. Recent studies indicate that even minor use of the drug by a teenager can come back to haunt them as an adult, creating a heightened sensitization to amphetamines, making the adult more vulnerable to addiction.

Neural transmitter damage, ruined teeth and impaired memory are other hidden “treats” this drug has in store for the user. While a teen is using this drug they have no compunction about robbing friend and family in order to secure more. Paranoia hounds their every moment, distorting judgement.

Meth use is said to have reached epidemic proportions in the heartland, overwhelming state resources and sending officials scrambling to devise programs and ad campaigns designed to expose the teen to the ugly consequences. The Montana Meth Project is one such ad campaign and a website that I’d suggest the parent visit if they suspect that their teen is dabbling with the drug, You can download the vivid images of ravaged teens, such as the one above.

If your teen is exhibiting any of the following symptoms, I’d be taping those images on the refrigerator door. Unhappily, the drug abusing teen’s sense of reality is so skewed after a certain point, that they tend to dismiss such warnings. Be vigilant for any indication that your out of control teen is abusing this drug.

Methamphetamine users can be identified by:

• Signs of agitation
• Excited speech
• Loss of appetite
• Increased physical activity levels
• Dilated pupils
• High blood pressure
• Shortness of breath
• Nausea and vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Occasional episodes of sudden and violent behavior
• Intense paranoia
• Visual and auditory hallucinations
• Bouts of insomnia.
• A tendency to compulsively clean and groom and repetitively sort and disassemble objects, such as cars and other mechanical devices

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“What do you have to be depressed about? You have everything you could possibly want,” is often the frustrated parent’s response to a teen who confesses that he or she is depressed. But the fact is, all that the teen does have materially is not necessarily what the teen actually wants or needs. An Ipod , tattoos, baggy jeans and mini skirts are what his culture informs he must have. Home, hearth, food and education are what his parents know are necessities to provide. So it is not without cause that a parent would, along with sorrow and fear, also feel a sense of outrage that their teen is struggling and struggling with drug abuse, no less.

Sometimes, when depression manifests as drug abuse, the reasons are far more complex than simple rebellion. Drug abuse in the depressed teen often begins as a form of self-medication, a desperate attempt to feel something, anything but the gnawing despair that haunts them.

“Episodes of major depression may occur suddenly or gradually and usually last several months. It is common for episodes to recur and suicide is a major risk.

The cause of depression is not known, but a number of advances have been made in identifying potential factors. Depression comes in many forms, from mild sadness to a mood disorders such as major depression. Most likely, it is a combination of genetic and environmental factors that are involved in the development of the disorder. Major depression tends to run in families, and it may be triggered by severe stress (e.g., abuse, death of a loved one). Depression is more common in women and people with chronic medical conditions.”
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It is very important that a parent does not make their troubled teenager’s depression and drug abuse about them. Most parent have done it all “by the book” and have indeed provided for their children - body, mind, and (sometimes) soul. A teenager’s depression and subsequent drug abuse can stem from any of several factors, and in many cases the origin of depression are totally beyond a parent’s control, but not, beyond their love and understanding.

Britney Spears. As parents anguish over the decision to
employ some kind of crisis intervention for their troubled teen, this former teen star flagrantly throws away the opportunity for a drug and alcohol intervention program that most parents would give their right arm to be able to afford.But there is a lesson to be learned from this sad soap opera. The teen must actually be “in crisis”.

In real life, depending on what parents can endure and afford, most troubled teenagers only have one, maybe two chances at most,to turn their lives around. There are no body guards running interference for the normal struggling teen, no chauffeured car to prevent the drunken teen from driving and no exclusive intervention program with revolving doors. Out of control behavior does not reward the average teen ager. In fact, most often,it scars them for life - if it doesn’t kill them.

For everyday folks, there are consequences and for all the sad spectacle that Britney Spears creates for herself day in and out, there have yet to be any real consequences. Not yet. Not as long as she suffers no loss or enduring pain. There are no ugly arrests nor has family services taken her children away. There are just interludes of supposed intervention between parties. And perhaps that is saddest of all. Sometimes deep pain and catastrophic loss are the most extreme interventions life can devise. Hopefully, Britney wakes up before she reaches that point of no return.

If ordinary teens with  limited access to any type of intervention or drug therapy can find their way, surely Miss Spears can as well.

Raves are typically depicted as glamorous, daring, and a guarantee for unusual and sensuous highs. The scene is a seductive one, luring teenagers from all walks of life to the pulsing primal dance floors that bloom temporarily in squat ugly buildings. They are also a sure bet for finding some of the most dangerous drugs a teenager can abuse.

About.com has provided the nitty gritty on raves, scraping away the glitter to the bare bones of a very dangerous recreation.

Club drugs can cost you more than a few bucks.

Club drugs are easily found at most raves and teen clubs and are often cheaper than any available alcohol making them a more appealing high to many teens. It is a sad reality that most teens who frequent clubs or raves try these club drugs. What many teens do not realize is that club drugs are often the same things as date rape drugs. If you take them you may become a victim instead of a partier.

You will be at a greater risk of date rape.

Clubs and raves are places where strangers come together to have a good time. For some people a good time comes at the expense of others. The more people around you that you do not know the more you are at risk of being victimized by a stranger. Date rape drugs are a big problem at legal and illegal nightclubs. Be aware and always look out for you!

After hours or unregulated clubs are not usually fire safe.

If you frequent clubs or raves that are “underground” or “after hours” you could be in danger since they are not monitored by fire and safety agencies. Although you may get in to these clubs without a hassle, if there is a fire you may be unable to get out. Often the doors on these clubs are chained shut and the windows nailed shut leaving you with no escape route other than the front door.

Sex is NOT a party favor.

In the touchy-eel environment of a nightclub or rave it is very easy to get caught up in the sensuality of the moment. Dancing can be very seductive and if you are intoxicated you may misinterpret the moment turning a simple dance in to a silent love affair. Try to keep a level head about sex, nothing ruins a night faster than an unwanted advance or a regret filled intimate encounter.”

The site also provides extensive fact sheets on the drugs most likely to be abused in a rave setting; GHB and Roofies and Special K

For a drug abusing teenager, any setting they choose is likely to include a menu of drugs. The vigilance parents must exercise today to prevent their teenager from succumbing to drug abuse is daunting. Share this information with your teen. If your communication is so far strained that an honest discussion about raves and drug abuse cannot be rationally carried out, then your problems may have already begun. But print out the fact sheets. Trust me, your teenager will get around to reading them and it might make them think twice.

The focus when considering your teenager’s drug abuse will naturally be on their emotional, psychological and spiritual states. Often times, the not readily apparent physical ramifications of ingesting what, in essence are toxins, can be overlooked. More often than not, a teenage drug abuser can mask the deleterious effects of drug consumption. The “highs” that teenagers so ardently seek out can also camouflage the toll and drain that the body endures processing these chemicals. One immediately thinks of consequences to the liver.

Detox is a necessary part of the process.

When looking at various substance abuse treatment programs for your addicted teenager, you will find a variety of programs that include detoxifying the body as a step in their treatment process. One such variation is the Narconon® New Life Detoxification Program.

“While drugs and their metabolites quickly become undetectable in blood and urine, some as rapidly as 3 days after last usage,drug metabolites remain stored in fatty tissues for years. That accumulated drug residues continue to cause adverse symptoms led L. Ron Hubbard to develop a program aimed at reducing levels of toxins in the body to assist in recovery.

The New Life Detoxification Program utilizes a combination of exercise, induced sweating in a sauna, and nutritional supplements to produce the following results.”

• Reduction or elimination of drug and alcohol cravings.
• Reduction or elimination of many symptoms associated with drug addiction and alcoholism. These can include depression, irritability, and fatigue.
• Ability to think more clearly.
• Improved memory and attention span.
• Increased energy.
• Increased sense of well being.
• Enthusiasm toward Life.

Such a program can be designed by the teenager’s physician and therapist as well. The point is to heal mind, spirit, and body, assuring a firmer purchase on sobriety as the troubled teenager progresses from rehab into a renewed life.

It is easy to dismiss the suggestion that music can propel a susceptible teen towards intoxicants - much like cinematic violence is dismissed as a factor in the de-sensitization of today’s youth.

Today, music is a 24/7 proposition. Music wraps around you like a second skin. Music is the air you breathe and the waters that you swim in. The Ipod exists because it has to. Music can own you as surely as drugs can own you; body,mind and spirit. It is a formidable foe to defeat and it is a rare parent that is not staggered by it’s weight..

The power of music in the drug culture is beyond refute. When the lyrics of a song plays back a disturbed teenager’s brokenness and pain, measure for measure, and the beat syncopates with their rising anger,the combination provides incredibly fertile ground for drugs to take root.

“Consider a few scenes; smoking weed and listening to reggae music, hard-house and ecstasy, poppers and the Queen Shilling, alcohol and Wedgies, psi-trance/mushrooms and physics students and the list goes on.What becomes apparent is how drugs and music almost go hand in hand. This is not surprising when you consider the fact that the vast majority of illegal drug use takes place in clubs, at festivals and at gigs, but what is interesting in all this is the common neurological connection that drugs and music share.Before you were born your brain is already starting to tick to the rhythm of life; the maternal heartbeat, the foetal heart, the rate of breathing, the pitch of your speech and the intonation of your language. Your brain is programmed to understand the patterns and pulses of sound as the language used to encode your memories.”
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The substance abusing teen leaves evidence of his addiction in many of the choices that he or she makes. From dress, to manners, to demeanor, to music, your child paints a very vivid picture of how they feel about their world. It would serve a parent well to listen to the menu of songs on their teenagers Ipod. If the lyrics sound like these, consider it a wake-up call.

Bury me softly in this womb
I give this part of me for you
Sand rains down and here I sit
Holding rare flowers
In a tomb…in bloom

Down in a hole and I don’t know if I can be saved
See my heart I decorate it like a grave
You don’t understand who they
Thought I was supposed to be
Look at me now a man
Who won’t let himself be

Down in a hole, feelin’ so small
Down in a hole, losin’ my soul
I’d like to fly,
But my wings have been so denied

Down in a hole and they’ve put all
The stones in their place
I’ve eaten the sun so my tongue
Has been burned of the taste
I have been guilty
Of kicking myself in the teeth
I will speak no more
of my feelings beneath

Down in a hole, feelin’ so small
Down in a hole, losin’ my soul
I’d like to fly but my
Wings have been so denied
Alice in Chains

Many parents were exposed to the concept of wilderness therapy through the series of programs and spin offs that go under the heading of “Brat Camp“.

If you have a teen struggling with drugs or alcohol problems, you have probably accumulated quite a list of possible residential treatment programs available at boarding schools, boot camps, and military schools and are well aware of the different therapies and philosophies endorsed and exercised by these varying treatment facilities.

Wilderness therapy differs in methodology and temperament than treatments offered by boot camps, wilderness adventures or the more traditional boarding schools. Wikipedia offers the following explanation of wilderness therapy.

“Wilderness therapy is a form of outdoor education treatment that relies on the natural aspects of a primitive outdoor sojourn. Like adventure therapy and boot camps, wilderness therapy is often used for behavior modification by the families of young people. But the aims and methods of wilderness therapy don’t center on behavior modification. Unlike adventure therapy, wilderness therapy programs avoid what they view as manipulations, contrived activities, psychological games, and contrived consequences (ANASAZI Foundation 1990). And unlike boot camps, they employ no force, confrontation, point or level systems, or other overt behavioral modification techniques or models. They stress assertiveness, open communication between staff and students, and are very group-oriented.

“Wilderness therapy programs trace their origins to outdoor survival programs that placed children in a challenging environment where determination, communication and team efforts were outcomes” (Conner 2005). According to the Director of the Wilderness Therapy Program at Naropa University, “through contemplative practice and the experiential outdoor classroom, students gain further self-awareness and the ability to respond to whatever arises in the moment” (Piranian 2006). And according to the founders of ANASAZI Foundation “we learned that whenever we adopted what we have come to call ‘contrived’ experiences, the overall impact often diminished for the participants” (ANASAZI Foundation 1990).”
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SoberRecovery.com provides an extensive list of wilderness therapy programs currently available.

That hyphenated word, “self-esteem”, seems almost meaningless today. We all know that we need it to function as healthy adults and there are thousands of books on how to build it. It is no mystery that teens struggling with drug abuse issues invariably suffer from low self-esteem.

To esteem someone is to value who they are, to recognize and acknowledge their skills and abilities. A parent of a troubled teen might protest that they have always praised their teen’s achievements and never berated their failures.

But what did the teen feel he achieved? Did the teen, now abusing drugs, really feel proud that he was an A student? Or was it meaningful only to the parents? Did the depressed teenager derive any satisfaction finishing at the top of his or her class, or was it an empty experience, just something that made his folks happy?

It is important for a parent to know what skills and accomplishments actually have meaning to their teenager.

For some teens, good grades or sports achievements are a simple matter and many high achieving teens can feel like impostors or hypocrites if they personally do not experience the satisfaction of defeating a demanding challenge. These teens may not yet know what that challenge is and a sense of purposelessness and boredom and anxiety can make drugs seem an attractive alternative.

“Information about specific aspects of the self is increased through experiences of success and failure in daily tasks or when particular aspects of one’s competence are challenged. A young child may develop a positive sense of self in athletics, problem solving, or social skills through the encouraging reactions of others as well as through the pleasure associated with succeeding in each of these areas(Harter, 1985).

With understanding in a variety of roles and settings, each skill takes on a certain level of importance for a person. Not all skills are evenly valued at home, at school, and by friends. People may believe they have skills in some areas but not in those they consider highly important. Others may believe they have only one or two areas of strength, but they may highly value those areas and believe them to be seriously important to overall success. Self-esteem is liable by the value one assigns to specific competencies in relation to one’s overall life goals and personal standards. Thus, it is possible to be a success in the eyes of others and still feel a nagging sense of worthlessness. Also, it is possible to feel proud and confident even though others may not value the behavior and qualities in which one takes great satisfaction.
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Parents with high-achieving teenagers are most often very bewildered that their child would risk their achievements and succumb to abusing drugs. Those parents would do well to discover those activities and accomplishments that give their struggling teenager, not them, a sense of fulfillment and pride.