Teen Drug Dependence

Teen drug dependence occurs when a teen is dependent on a drug. A teen needs the drug. It is similar to addiction. What are some of the causes of teen drug dependence? Every parent worries that his or her teen might turn to drugs, or worse, become dependent on them, and studies indicate that parents of teens who have very low self-esteem and have friends who think drug and alcohol use may have good reason to worry.

Some studies show that low self-esteem and peer approval of alcohol and drug use during the pre teens can result in drug dependency in the early twenties. Teen drug dependence can lead to serious consequences during the teen's adult life. Teen drug dependence can cause serious that will be rooted the body and mind of the teen.

Low self-esteem is an igniter for self-destructive behaviors, and drug use is one of these Without a good sense of self, people may become pathologically unhappy with themselves, and that can lead to some very serious problems.

Teens with very low self-esteem are more likely to meet the criteria for teen drug dependence nine years later than other teens. Early drug use is an important risk factor in teen drug dependence. The earlier a teen starts drug abuse the more at risk the teen is.

At Echo Malibu we focus on teens with low self-esteem for intervention because we know that low esteem is a major factor for drug abuse.

By the time the study participants were 20 years old, nearly 64 percent had used drugs, and 10 percent of those drug users had developed a drug dependency as defined by the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. The manual defines dependence as someone who exhibits three or more symptoms, such as failing attempts to quit using drugs, giving up important activities like work, sports or seeing family or friends in order to get or use drugs and using increasingly larger amounts of a chosen drug or for a greater period of time than intended when the drug use began.

Echo Malibu has wonderful programs that are geared towards helping teens get rid of their teen drug abuse. However, Echo Malibu knows that we have your teen regain overall wellness. We focus on emotional, mental, social, family and physical health as well. When your teen leaves our center we want your teen to be ready to tackle the world and conquer its hardships and taking all its advantages.

Contact Echo Malibu today. We want to be the ones that guide your teen to getting better. All you have to do is call us today and we can take care of the rest.