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Diamonds and Pearls of WisdomThe DivorceWizards Blog, by Lynne DiamondDivorce and Teen Drug AbuseSaturday, January 28, 2012 Someone recently asked me whether there is a correlation between teen drug and alcohol abuse and divorce. What exactly are we asking - Does teen drug abuse cause divorce or does divorce cause teen drug abuse.In the absence of hard statistics, I offer my simple opinion - yes and yes. Teen drug/alcohol abuse is a family disease. Often parents become so frustrated and scared when they discover their teen is an abuser, they don't know where to turn. Family relationships become tense and in the absence of help, the family unit may dissolve. Sometimes, a teen may feel despondent when his parents are divorced or divorcing and may turn to drugs and alcohol as a way to escape and feel better. Resources for teen drug problems are hard to find. Many treatment facilities cost upwards of $1000 per day payable in advance. The facilities do provide superbills for insurance reimbursement but often, few if any, services are actually covered. On the other hand, there are facilities available for low income families where middle class families are excluded from receiving services because their middle class incomes are too high. Teen drug abuse is a growing problem and is one disease that is killing teenagers. The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University calls it the No. 1 public health problem in the United States. According to the Orange County Register, 80 teenagers died in the past three years in South Orange County alone from HEROIN overdoses with the majority of those children living in the most upscale neighborhoods. No doubt similar statistics would apply in Los Angeles, San Diego, Marin, Santa Clara, and all over the State of California. Here are two resources in Southern California who may be able to assist families with these challenges. Both utilize the 12 Step Program format, proven to be the most successful, (but not the only)way of dealing with addiction. Both consider addiction as a family disease and treat not only the addict but the entire family. The first is the Positive Achievement Center at Chapman Hospital, Orange, CA. Their program is a comprehensive Drug and Alcohol Treatment Program for adults and adolescents, (the only adolescent chemical dependency unit within an acute hospital setting) in Orange County. The PAC offers a broad range of inpatient and outpatient services, including: Intervention services are available 24 hours a day. Initial consultations are free and completely confidential. For more information, please call them at 800- 337-2966 Because it is a hospital program, the PAC may be more insurance friendly for many Californians. Another program is BreakAway Health Corporation., an outpatient facility in Costa Mesa, CA. for over 24 years. Their programs are specifically designed to identify and address a broad spectrum of substance abuse/dependency issues through a blend of treatment modalities that have been proven to be the most effective for long lasting recovery. BreakAway provides both full time and part time treatment for young addicts including school credits recognized by the State of California and strong recommendations from several insurance companies. You can reach BreakAway at 714-957-8229. One more resource is Al-anon, a 12 step program for families of addicts and alcoholics, both teen and adult. For teens suffering through their parents' dependencies, there is a program called Ala-teen. You can find more information at www.aa.org or www.al-anon.org . These programs all have websites and are available to assist 24 hours a day. Don't wait any longer - save your children and save your family! |