An estimated 20 million adults in the United States today abuse alcohol. More than half of these alcoholics got into the habit of drinking heavily when they were teenagers.
According to Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, about 1.2 million adolescents, age 12 to 17, smoked cigarettes on an average day in 2006, 631,000 drank alcohol and 586,000 used marijuana.
But, while alcohol was the drug of choice, it was not the only substance to which teenagers turned.
About 49,000 adolescents used inhalants, on an average day in 2006, according to SAMHSA, 27,000 used hallucinogens, 13,000 used cocaine and 3,800 used heroin.
Many of these teens were first-time users. An average of 8,000 tried alcohol for the first time on an average day in 2006, while 4,300 used an illicit drug for the first time.
These are the teenagers targeted by the new Adolescent Substance Abuse Program (ASAP) being facilitated by Youth & Family Services of North Central Oklahoma.
The program’s emphasis is on early treatment, intervening before a teen hits rock bottom or gets into trouble with the law.
The outpatient treatment program targets adolescents and their families experiencing substance abuse issues. The services are directed toward client sobriety and maintaining or restoring a positive family relationship.
There are, of course, other drug and alcohol treatment programs for teenagers, but the fact this one specifically targets early intervention makes it noteworthy.
This proactive approach could keep teens from slipping helplessly into addiction, landing in jail or winding up harming themselves or someone else.
The new program gives troubled young people a chance at straightening out their lives ASAP, which is definitely preferable to the alternative.
