Troubled Teens Resources

Teen age drug abuse never looked so good now that the current crop of young Hollywood teens are seemingly intent on spotlighting advertising their version of it. The lovely chalet, pictured here, is where those who can afford it go for “rehab” and is rumored to be where young Lindsay Lohan is.

“According to sources within the facility, the 21-year-old star arrived this weekend to begin the intense rehabilitation program that is expected to last a minimum of 30 days….upon check-in, a thorough mental and physical examination is completed. Once assessed, clients go through a traditional 12-step system and experiential therapies

The Lodge was named by Town & Country magazine to be one of the country’s top rehabs. For a price tag of $30,000 and up, the rehab offers privacy — with rooms for 16 residents at a time. The Lodge boasts spectacular views of mountain ranges and waterfalls; Jacuzzi tubs and private fireplaces, horseback riding therapy, massage therapy, hydro therapy and even a hair salon with manicures!

But that’s not all. The Lodge even owns a helicopter called “Rainbow” and arranges “heli-hiking” tours, and features gourmet meals prepared by culinary school graduates. There’s also a sound stage that was once the home of the “Donny and Marie” show, which now houses the most effective challenge ropes course in the world.

(Source)

It really doesn’t matter if it is luxurious rehabs or bare-bones boot camps, what guarantees any troubled teenagers‘ success in kicking is to bottom out, re-evaluate and recognize the severity of the problem. Without that, neither rainbow helicopters nor gourmet meals will make one bit of difference. One sincerely hopes that Miss Lohan will truly find her way home.

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.

It is hard for the rebellious teen to see the down side of a good high. Boredom and alienation drove them into drug abuse and, for a very short time, drugs seem to offer all of the excitement and fulfillment an empty heart could need.
Until you need more. And then more. But what every drug addict will admit is that nothing will ever match the sensation of that first time. Drugs seduce the teenager into believing that they will always deliver nirvana. By the time a teenager realizes that the first thrill will never return, a great deal of damage to body and soul have occurred as the before and after pictures on this page demonstrate.

What a drug addict will state unequivocally is that freedom from drugs results from wanting to be free. And that is the hardest part of all. What can you say to an addicted teenager to make them want to live? Drug addiction is, after all, a long drawn out suicide, a dangerous dance with death.

That is why it is critical that a parent choose a boarding school, boot camp or wilderness program that employs tools and therapies that will help the troubled teenager find the value in who they are. When a teenager has the time and space to take the aborted journey of self-discovery, with sound guidance they will slowly discover their inherent skills and gifts that past pain, trauma or chaos in their lives prevented them from nurturing. When a boarding school’s treatment program can help a struggling teen to then start honing their natural gifts - be it music, writing, or mathematics or mechanics, the teen will grow to start protecting his new found inner wealth as passionately as they once protected their stash. It is much harder to destroy what you love and an addicted teenager is incapable of self love.

“My last rehabilitation was at the Wilderness Treatment Center in Montana. That program changed my life. I am forever grateful. I learned that I was responsible for myself and the direction of my life. The program gave me the ‘tools’ to deal with my drug addiction. The first 30 days were basic counseling sessions (group and individual), mixed in with outdoor recreation and ranch work. After 30 days at the ranch, a smaller group of 4 to 8 kids went into the mountains for 3 weeks of strenuous hiking. Later, when I was a wilderness instructor at the center, I saw more change in the kids during their 3 weeks in the woods than in any other aspect of their treatment. Kids sometimes would have a dramatic shift in their perception of the world. Twelve years later, I still regularly attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, as well as bringing Alcoholics Anonymous meetings into juvenile detention facilities and adult jails.”
(Source)

Recovery is often a long and arduous road, but there is hope for parents dedicated to saving their teenager from a life of addiction. Partnership for a Drug Free America has an excellent database of boarding schools, boot camps and drug treatment programs. Find one in your area.