Many young adults are less likely to seek help in getting admitted into addiction treatment programs than older adults with the same problems. To make matters worse, by their senior year of high school, many students will have used an illicit substance. This is a concern because young adults who experiment with drugs are much more likely to develop long-term addictions.
Young people typically won’t stop using substances until they experience adverse effects. Even then, many young people often self-treat instead of looking for professional help. If you or a young adult you love is suffering from a substance addiction, it is vital to seek treatment as soon as possible. Contact Casco Bay Recovery online. You can also call us to learn more about our programs and services.
What Is Young Adult Rehab?
Rehab for young adults is inpatient treatment that is customized to the needs of individuals between the ages of 18-30. Across the nation, several young adults struggle with various types of addiction. This is partly because the transition from childhood to the teenage years, to adulthood can pose a huge challenge.
Over the past couple of decades, substance abuse rates have continued to ascend among individuals ranging from the age of 18 to 30 years old. It was estimated that by the senior year of high school, approximately 49% of students have used an illicit substance. Young adults who experiment with drugs are much more likely to develop a long-term addiction.
Drugs Commonly Abused by Young Adults
- Hallucinogenic drugs
- Prescription drugs
- MDMA/Molly
- Marijuana
- Inhalants
- Cocaine
- Alcohol
- Heroin
Though there has been a huge rise in drug use among young adults, it’s unfortunate that many young adults are less likely to seek out treatment on their own. This is because, more often than not, younger individuals won’t stop utilizing a drug until they have experienced an adverse effect from it. Even after that occurs, young adults might attempt to self-treat rather than search for a treatment program.
In response to the nationwide drug epidemic, treatment programs are opening their doors across the nation to assist those in need. Some treatment centers specifically specialize in services that are tailored to young adults with addictions. It’s imperative to remember that recovery is not a one-size-fits-all approach.
When there are treatment centers that are tailored to particular audiences, they address the entire person within that audience, rather than solely focusing on the drug. Additionally, rehab for young adults generally provides distinct amenities, activities, and therapies that are custom-made for individuals in their late teens and early twenties. Remember, addiction doesn’t have to be a long-lasting battle.
What Causes Young Adults to Develop Substance Abuse Issues?
There are a variety of causes on why young adults develop substance abuse issues and become in need of rehab for young adults. It’s important to understand that an individual’s family, friendships, environment, and own personal motives can certainly be factors in explaining the misuse of substances. For some individuals, drug and alcohol experimentation before starting adulthood is viewed as a huge part of the exploration of identity.
However, for some others, drugs can be utilized as a gateway to fit in with their peers. As mentioned, there are numerous reasons why an individual gets involved with drugs. Unfortunately, there are also many occurrences in which the overall root of substance use stretches deeper than “experimentation.”
Young Adults Engage in Substance Abuse for the Following Reasons
In an attempt to fit in: Establishing oneself and making friends at school can be extremely challenging for adolescents. Overall, the teenage years often come with low self-esteem, fear, and many insecurities about not feeling accepted. To fully fit in, feel “cool” or even join a more enticing and older social circle, several teenagers will start buying drugs and engaging in drug use.
To feel good: There are a variety of adolescents who abuse drugs or alcohol in an attempt to get high. These individuals are seeking a thrill or intensified feeling that can’t be obtained through the more simple pleasures of life such as exercise or food. Generally, this is where the addiction cycle takes place.
Drugs can interact with the overall way the brain produces and the way the body experiences pleasure. When drugs are utilized, the brain can create about up to 10 times the normal amount of euphoria or dopamine that an individual should experience. Though it is considered abnormal chemistry that occurs, the brain remembers it and therefore begins to crave it.
In an attempt to feel better: There is indeed a desire to feel good, but there is also a desire to feel better. Two very distinct entities transpire upon evaluating drug use. For one, teenagers who are seeking to “feel better” are self-medicating.
The individuals are battling something much deeper than a failed homework assignment or even peer pressure. Some adolescents are suffering from deep-rooted conditions such as social anxiety, stress-related disorders, and depression. Furthermore, individuals attempt to utilize drugs to replace or forget any negative feelings with the pleasure from substance use.
Additional Reason Why Young Adults Often Engage in Substance Abuse
Experimentation: A person’s brain does not finish developing until the age of 25 years old. The last part of an individual’s brain is to develop which is the part that controls self-control, judgment, and rational decision making. This makes adolescents more prone to diving into daring and risky activities. Alcohol and drugs are often accessible and easy outlets for experimentation that can severely impact the teenager’s developing brain.
Competition: The overall need to perform, impress, and make others proud is considered supreme pressure for young adults and adolescents. Whether the teen is in school or on the field, he or she consistently aspires to prove that he or she is the best to parents and their peers. However, the pressure to be and remain outstanding is too intense. For example, in academics, young adults and teens rely on the misuse of prescription stimulants such as “smart drugs” or even study aids to improve academic performance.
Attention: Often, teens experience a lack of talent or purpose at their current age. They feel like they aren’t good enough to shine or are even lacking something to make them feel special. These same feelings might drive them toward substance abuse.
Some youth aren’t sure how to become the best that they can be, so instead, they choose to become the worst in hopes that they will land their teachers’ or parents’ undivided attention. Unfortunately, such substance abuse often leads to substance addiction which, then requires these young adults to attend rehab for young adults.
Further Additional Reasons Why Young Adults Often Engage in Substance Abuse
Lack of education: There are some young adults and adolescents who grow up feeling that drug and alcohol engagement is normal. For example, their favorite musicians are singing about it, the TV ads are selling it, and the movies are glamorizing it. Whether you are experiencing insomnia, sadness, or a headache, there is a pill for you.
Today’s culture has even adopted the “pill cures all” mentality which further leads the youth generation to view drugs similarly. Many individuals do not understand the consequences of engaging in drug use. They don’t understand just how often substance use can harm their bodies, relationships, and their minds.
What Factors Contribute to Young Adult Addiction?
Young adults don’t often realize how easy it is to develop a dependency or addiction to the substances they ingest. They may start using a certain substance without knowing what’s in it. Unfortunately, they might not consider the repercussions of doing so. Some of the reasons why young adults may start to experiment with addictive substances include the following:
- To relieve stress – School and work can cause young adults to feel anxiety and distress. Substance use is sometimes an outlet to release stress and tension.
- To enhance performance – Young adults may feel the pressure of competition and want to be the best, academically, athletically, or otherwise. Certain substances can improve their performance and increase productivity or the likelihood of winning.
- To experiment with peers – The thrill of trying new things is something young adults often chase with their peers. Many young people think there’s no harm in trying something they’ve never had, especially if they’re not alone in doing so.
- To chase their last high – Ingesting some addictive substances may result in feelings of pleasure and euphoria. Young adults may want to replicate those feelings after their first experiences with substance use.
Young adults often believe that nothing will happen to them when using addictive substances. They may not realize that addiction can occur even after just one use. Over time, the brain will stop producing certain chemicals and then depend on addictive substances to fill the void.
Our addiction treatment center helps alleviate substance withdrawal symptoms, provide relapse recovery tools, and promote lifelong sobriety.
Young adults will also learn how to deal with addictive substances when they’re outside the rehab facility. They also learn how to depend on ongoing aftercare options and attend local support groups to help keep them sober.
What Is a Young Adult Rehab Center?
Because substance use disorders are common problems, rehab for young adults programs have been opening up or increasing their capacities in the last few decades. Some even specialize in providing treatment for young adults. Young adult rehab programs provide age-specific professional help for young adults with substance use disorders.
Young adults don’t have the same experiences as older adults struggling with addiction. Clients of this age often started using drugs or alcohol as teenagers due to early and possibly long-term exposure to certain substances. More than a personalized approach, young adults need specific programs that consider their very particular needs. In addition, our young adult rehab center provides unique activities, amenities, and therapies that we tailor to people in their late teens and twenties.
Benefits of Rehab for Young Adults
When a person is dealing with a substance use disorder, that person typically has little time for other pursuits. Our young adult rehab center offers addiction treatment as well as ways for our clients to continue schooling or work while they’re recovering. Our rehab for young adults program also focuses on teaching valuable life skills that our clients may lack, such as money management and self-sufficiency.
Another benefit of rehab for young adults is that clients start their healing processes among their peers. This is beneficial because most clients feel safe and able to share their thoughts and feelings when they’re among people their own age.
Begin Treatment at Casco Bay Recovery
If you are looking for rehab for young adults in Maine, contact Casco Bay Recovery online. You can also call us to learn more about our addiction treatment programs. Your journey awaits.