Troubled Teens Resources

Troubled teenagers are soon going to have more time on their hands to cause trouble. For a parent surveying the summer ahead there is a certain amount of dread. Alcohol continues to be the most widely abused substance amongst teens and summer months seem to amplify the problem. Statistics and consequences are unforgiving in the picture that they paint.

“The prevalence of alcohol use among teens mixed with the effects of alcohol — a tendency toward risky and violent behavior, impaired judgment and slowed reaction time — help explain why alcohol is a major factor in teen motor vehicle crashes, homicides, suicides and drowning.

Its use is also linked to early sexual intercourse, date and acquaintance rapes, unplanned pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases, fights and community property damage. In addition, many young people also die from alcohol poisoning.”
(Source)

One study asserts that over 4 million teens get drunk in any given month. A recent survey revealed that a quarter of the eight graders, almost half of all 10th graders and over half of the seniors got ripped the month before taking the survey.

Almost 80% say they drink because it feels good and almost half because they have nothing else to do. It is appalling to think of the damage that is done because of such inane excuses and reasons. In the richest country in the world, teens can think of no other way to “feel good” but to become stumbling, puking spectacles. Wow. What do you do with that?

If you have an at risk teen, a teen that just will not listen, consider finding a boot camp, a wilderness therapy program or a troubled teen boarding school. Find a program that can present a fresh perspective, that helps the teen to experience life lived with purpose, using the gifts that they were born with. If they know how to do that, they’ll never be bored again.