For North Idaho healthcare professionals at Ascent, Boulder Creek and Northwest Academies, learning how to break the hold of addiction gripping adolescents may be one of the most critical steps in helping young adults restructure their lives.
Thanks to nationally-renown interventionist Heather Hayes, close to 25 clinicians and therapists got an in-depth look at ways to effectively treat substance abuse among juveniles and young adults in a half-day training session at NWA.
An expert in drug and alcohol treatment, Hayes will be providing the therapeutic school for 17-year-olds with an assessment of its substance abuse treatment. A Licensed Professional Counselor, she is also a hostage negotiator and psychological profiler for the Forsyth County (Georgia) Sheriff's Department SWAT and Hostage Negotiation Team.
"Many kids have grown up with stress, addictive parents and other disorders in their lives," said Hayes, who has a private practice in Atlanta and helped develop a Drug and Alcohol Intervention Program for students at Georgia Institute of Technology. "Then a drug or alcohol comes along comes their way, and it's like 'Wow, this is what I've been looking for.'"
Since teens are beginning to drink as early as 14 years old, Hayes contends they're four times more likely to develop alcohol dependence than those starting at 20.
"That's why it's important to intervene early and get the message across that drugs and alcohol are not the answer," she said. "We want to break the addictive cycle they're just starting to fall into."
While Hayes stressed that most adolescents do not experience the more dramatic withdrawal symptoms of long-term consequences like loss of job or marriage as adults, the effects can just as damaging.
"Chemicals poured on an immature brain and nervous system makes coping even more difficult," said Hayes, who has appeared on many nationally-aired documentaries on teen alcohol and drug use. "Once abuse starts, kids stop developing emotionally. It takes two months to see effects on the behavior system of a 12-year-old cocaine user. With alcohol, you'll notice it in about a year."
Only by developing an effective assessment and treatment plan - which includes a chemical-use profile, family history, goals, motivation, a DSM IV diagnosis, a 12-Step and a coping skills program - can the early stages of adolescent addiction be tackled.
"We want to catch people while they're functioning between the middle and late stage," said Hayes. "This is a great time to intervene. Teens die all the time from overdosing."
For success in treatment, Hayes emphasized that research shows kids who have the best results are those whose families are actively involved in their treatment.
"When trying to break addiction, it's important to help families understand what their role is," she said. "In chemical dependency treatment, it's vital that families get involved. Kids in treatment love it."
Hayes pointed out that the trend now is for longer term treatment. Participation of less than 90 days is of limited or no effectiveness for residential or outpatient treatment.
"People who complete treatment are more likely to be successful in the long run," she said. "Research also shows that kids who had sponsors are more likely to stay sober. In their 'step work,' they're building new sober relationship and learning how to have fun in recovery. They also see they are not alone."
Hayes, who has been a therapist for several substance abuse recovery centers and addiction treatment units, also covered guidelines for "med use" with adolescents along with relapse prevention strategies that she has found successful.
"Using meds with good safety profiles that have low-abuse potential in once-a-day dosing have been very effective," she said. "Creating a balanced lifestyle, learning new ways to cope - along with doing urine screens, Alco strips and breathalyzers - have also had positive effects in relapse prevention."