Troubled Teens Resources

Teen help is seriously hampered by Hollywood celebrities making drug addiction appear to be a walk in the park. Britney will make another album, Lindsay Lohan will make another movie , so what is the big deal? Parents of out of control teens may be wondering if it is even worth their time to put their teen into a drug rehab program. If you use Hollywood as a measuring stick, money spent on rehab certainly appears wasted.

Why bother to enroll your teen into a troubled teen boarding school or any other program if Spears and Lohan are an example. No, rehab doesn’t work all the time and the most compelling reason it fails is because the individual addict has not fully committed to the program. Parents of teens at risk who are undergoing the arduous search to place their teen need not despair at the apparent failures such as Britney and Lindsay.

“..experts say that the more permissive attitude of high-end residential programs is primarily a reflection of the demands of a new generation of affluent addicts, more pampered and less inclined to endure the tough-minded approach of the past.”

(source)

For those who have finally put the demon of addiction behind them, the fallacy in pampering the addict is evident. Consequences are a big factor in making an addict realize the seriousness of their actions and choices. Most understand that you can’t have your cake and eat it too.
Addiction is a complex malady and solutions for long term sobriety vary according to the individual and the addiction.

Despite the variables in treating drug addicts, what is universal is that no addict can be helped if they refuse to recognize that they have a problem. If rehab serves to pamper instead of teach the hard lessons of addiction, the likelihood of relapse seems inevitable.