Has your teenager tried drugs? The National Institute on Drug Abuse polled 46,000 teenagers in 2012 and found that 40% of high school seniors, 30% of high school sophomores and 13% of 8th graders reported having used illegal drugs at least one time. Many teens experiment with drugs without understanding the possible outcomes, and some of them become addicted. You know that if your teenager has a drug problem, you should seek counseling or rehab at a teen treatment center. Some teenagers will also need detox services. 

A Physical Addiction

A drug addiction can be mental or physical in nature. When drug use is a habit, treatment may begin with counseling and behavior modification techniques.

Physical drug addiction is a different story. If your child's brain and body have become dependent on a drug, stopping the drug all at once can be physically painful and cause lasting damage. Your teen will need to be in detox if this is the case. 

Medical Supervision

Putting your drug addicted teenager through detox at home can be a dangerous option. If your child's body has become dependent on alcohol, for example, stopping cold turkey can actually lead to seizures or heart failure. 

It is important that an addict be monitored by medical staff while the body is cleansed of the addictive substance. A professional detox program will provide your teen with constant supervision and medical assistance when needed. This will reduce the likelihood of potentially life threatening situations and ensure that emergency care can be immediately provided if necessary. 

Pain Management

When your child's body is deprived of the addictive substance, the resulting withdrawal symptoms can be overwhelming and painful and last for days. Drug detoxification professionals know how to manage these symptoms in a way that will make your child as comfortable as possible while ridding the body of toxins. No one wants to see their child in pain, and the best way to keep that from happening is to trust the medical professionals who work with drug addicted kids every day. 

Once your child has completed physical detox, the real work can begin. When the drug is out of your teen's system, you can begin to discover the root of the problem and treat the addiction through a variety of therapies. 

If your child has a problem with alcohol or drugs, a good detox program is often the first step to a bright future. Contact a business, such as Evergreen Recovery Centers, for more information.