The human brain is complex, with countless pieces of the puzzle evolving from birth through the mid-20s. Every segment or center within the brain develops in its own time. Babies learn to babble before they learn to talk in sentences, and there is a great deal of nuanced development between those two benchmarks. Similarly, the teen brain does not move toward its adult form all at once. The pleasure centers evolve much faster than the centers within the brain that control decision-making and risk assessment. It is easier to understand how an ‘average teen’ can suddenly do seemingly nonsensical things like binge drink before going swimming or decide that experimenting with meth or Oxy ‘just once’ will be fine.
Many teens have trouble understanding that these actions might have consequences. Experimenting with alcohol and drugs is one of the primary ways that teens exhibit poor decision-making. These experimentations often end in dependence and addiction. Pennsylvania’s teen detox center options are viable. This first step is to medically manage withdrawal that needs to occur before a teen can proceed through the rehab process and begin living in recovery. At Pennsylvania Adult and Teen Challenge, we provide detox and treatment for teens over the age of 18. To learn more about teen detox programs in Pennsylvania, call our team at 844.442.8673 or fill out our online form.
Risks of Teen Drug Use
The mental and physical health risks of drug and alcohol addiction include short-term and long-term consequences such as:
- Brain damage
- Depression
- Suicidality
- Insomnia
- Liver disease
- Cardiac issues
- Stroke
- Central nervous system damage
There are other consequences that affect a teen’s future opportunities and ability to live to their potential.
Why a Teen Detox Center?
To ensure the safety, stability, and success of the patient, we recommend a medically supervised detox for teens suffering from substance use disorders.
A drug detox center program can provide:
- Safety, by mitigating the more painful side effects of withdrawal. Doctors provide medications to treat symptoms as wide-ranging as nausea and vomiting to fever, chills, and even hallucinations. Any underlying medical conditions your teen might have can be treated if they emerge.
- Stability, by securing your teenager’s psychological, physical, and emotional health during withdrawal so they are well-positioned for the next steps.
- Success, by creating a foundation to build the recovery program that will carry your teen into post-rehab life. Long-term success rates go up when detox is performed under proper supervision.
Please reach out to Pennsylvania Adult and Teen Challenge today at 844.442.8673 to learn about the other benefits of a detox center.
What to Look for in a Teen Detox Center
When shopping for a teen detox program, look for reputation, compassion, and professionalism.
- Reputation includes reasonable reporting of success rates—and remember, no rehab center can ever report 100% success, as addiction is a chronic and recurring disease. It also includes proper accreditation and licensing, third-party testimonials, and therapeutic and medical staff qualifications.
- Compassion means that the human beings caring for your teen during detox and possibly beyond are caring and kind while upholding the best quality of care. Withdrawal can be scary and tough. You want your teen to work with people who take an interest in their patients and want the best outcomes for all.
- Professionalism means that we use evidence-based treatments to help those in our programs. Furthermore, those caring for your adolescent are competent and knowledgeable within their area of focus.
At PAATC, we offer all of the above in our detox center and beyond. Reach out using our online form to set up an appointment or call us at 844.442.8673 to get the conversation started. Our first question for you will be, “How can we help?”
