If you are concerned about your son, teen rehab may be your next step.
If your teen is smoking Marijuana, he may seem to grow more and more distant from being the son you’ve always known. Grades may slip as a result of decreased focus or from missing classes. He may have lost interest in hobbies or activities that used to be extremely important to him. He may even be steering away from long-time friends. His mood changes will make him distant and disconnected from you, and his behavior may take a turn that it never has before, resulting in lying or stealing to get what he wants. Teen rehab may be the answer for him.
Dispelling the Myth
Believing that Cannabis is not addictive can cause serious problems. By recognizing the issue sooner than later and catching it before your teen grows dependent or moves on to other drugs, your teen will find treatment easier, and the effects of drug treatment will be more lasting.
Estimates from research suggest that about nine percent of users become addicted to Marijuana; however, this number is around seventeen percent (about one in six people) among those who start young and is 25-50 percent among daily users. And according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, nearly seven percent of high school seniors admit to smoking Marijuana daily, which means they are well on their way to dependency.
The Short Road to Dependency
Teenage years are an important time for brain development, and any Cannabis use can interfere. It can lower the IQ and impair judgment and some abilities, especially when paired with alcohol. Too often, when parents find out their child is smoking Marijuana, they assume it’s light, recreational use and hope that a stern talking-to or a good “grounding” will fix it. Recreational use can easily transition to regular use, which eventually leads to dependency.
Long-term Marijuana users who try to quit often experience withdrawal symptoms consisting of irritability, sleeplessness, decreased appetite, anxiety and drug cravings. Your son may be among those who have let Cannabis use become a part of daily life and have developed a dependency. Contrary to what many will tell you, he will need to have help through these symptoms and struggles. The behavioral therapy necessary comes with teen rehab.
Teen Rehab: The Path to Rehabilitation
Ozarks Teen Challenge is a Christian boarding school for troubled boys. We offer teen rehab including everything from drug treatment to behavioral therapy and group mentoring. We create an environment that leaves no room for the behavior that landed them there, while using biblical principles and discipleship to focus on rehabilitation and restoration.
Your teen will be in a Christian boarding school environment and will be shielded from making bad choices while we deal with the root of the behavior. Group mentoring will allow your teen to hear from others who are struggling with similar issues. This helps increase perspective while also feeling understood and supported. Through our drug treatment and behavioral therapy, we will tackle the issues at the root and give your son the tools he needs to leave Ozarks Teen Challenge and not fall into the same traps from before entering teen rehab.
If you have discovered that your teen is smoking Marijuana (or you even just suspect that he might be), don’t make the mistake of assuming it’s a phase and will automatically get better. Cannabis dependency is real and can derail the great things in store for your son. Teen rehab could turn it around early enough to move forward into the bright future with a restored mind and spirit.
