Educating Teens About Drugs and Alcohol

Drugs and alcohol can take a toll on the human mind, and misuse can lead to a host of life problems. The adverse effects of using mind-altering substances, most often become apparent in adulthood. However, there is a statistically significant number of adolescents and teenagers who – in short order – present many of the criteria for having a use disorder.

While there exist treatment centers dedicated to treating minors living with addiction, the majority of people currently in recovery sought help in adulthood. A straw poll of individuals sitting in 12 Step groups and the like, would show that a high number of people began using at a young age. What starts as experimentation, usually due to unhealthy influences, can morph into a severe problem fairly quickly.

Few people understand just how significantly alcohol, and drug use, can impact life. When young individuals first start using, they don’t suffer remarkable consequences, they often experience the opposite. Experimenting can be an avenue to finding acceptance among teens who struggle to find connections with their peers. For these youngsters, substance use can even be a means of becoming relatable. Attending parties, imbibing and smoking pot, after all, has long been associated with the “cool kids” in school. A common misconception that is a sure path, for some, to feeling broken later in life.

Once a substance use problem develops, it is simple for teens to brush it off as being not that big of a deal. And, drug and alcohol use continues for years to come. Since most addicts and alcoholics learn how to disguise their issues early on, mental illness can continue unchecked for years. When considering that trend, it is vital that steps are taken to ensure every adolescent and teenager has the facts about drugs and alcohol.

National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week

Young people are often times simultaneously precocious and reckless. A sense of invincibility is pervasive among young people, and they rarely like to be told how to Be. They know that adults drink alcohol and smoke marijuana, and that knowledge can lead one to think he or she can too. What they fail to understand is that scientists know that drugs and alcohol can do significant harm to the developing minds of teenagers. Researchers also tend to agree that the younger substance use initiation begins, the more likely such people are to struggle with a use disorder later in life.

It is vital that experts impress upon young people the dangers of substance use and abuse. When teens have the facts, they are more likely to make more educated, and safe choices. In observance of National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week or NDAFW, Celebrate Hope would like to encourage everyone to have a hand in spreading the word about substance use. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) firmly believes that together, we can SHATTER THE MYTHS® about drugs and alcohol!

Events have been taking place across the country and over the internet to bring young people together with experts in the field of medicine. The hope is that through discourse, some of the more common misconceptions can be dispelled. For more information about this important observance, please click here. We invite you to watch a short video on the subject below:

If you are having trouble watching, please click here.

Faith-based Addiction Treatment

If you are a young adult, whose substance use is impacting your life in negative ways, then Celebrate Hope can help. Our Faith-based Addiction Treatment center combines comprehensive, cutting edge recovery services and Christian counseling to foster lasting change.

Addiction Recovery Miracles Aplenty

People in addiction recovery are granted the opportunity to realize their dreams. Those who seek help and set out on the path of sobriety are able to accomplish just about anything. Even people with significant amounts of wreckage from their past can find a way to overcome obstacles and lead a fulfilling, productive life.

At Celebrate Hope, we have had the good fortune of seeing many men and women turn their life around with the help of God and a program of addiction recovery. Our clients come from all walks of life; while their stories are unique, they each share the common bond of mental illness, spiritual sickness, and desire to heal. With a yearning to get sober, and to embrace honesty, open-mindedness, and willingness, the cycle of addiction can be broken.

Of course, the decisions made while under the influence of mind-altering substances can significantly impact the course of one’s life. Some poor choices made in service to the disease can result in having to serve time in a penal institution and potentially leave a seemingly permanent mark on one’s record. For such people, deciding to lead a life in recovery doesn’t mean that a criminal record will not stand in the way of one’s dreams. But, as with all things in life, if a person chooses to continue to do the next right thing, good things can happen. At least, one man’s story makes that abundantly clear!

From Manufacturing Meth to Life In Recovery

Some 13 years ago, former meth user Derek Rygh was literally feeling the heat of his addiction. At the time, Rygh was allowing people to cook methamphetamine in his home in Minnesota, which, subsequently went up in flames, according to The Twin Cities Pioneer Press. Mr. Rygh did not deny to the police what was going on and he went on to be convicted for manufacturing meth. It turns out that this conviction may have been the best thing that ever happened to Rygh.

While in jail for his felony sentence, Rygh was accepted into a faith-based, inpatient addiction treatment program, the article reports. He was in the program for more than a year and never encountered a relapse.

“The program was not easy, but it was my only hope when I felt so completely hopeless,” he said.

After completing the faith-based addiction treatment program, Derek worked for two years to earn an associate degree in Christian leadership. He used the degree by working for the very treatment center that helped him turn his life around. The recovering meth addict got married and now has two children. The next chapter of Derek’s story indeed shows the miracles that recovery can provide.

“I want to become a nurse, but you can’t if you are a felon,” Rygh said. “I have had a lot of hardships in my life that I have survived and a lot of that had to do with nurses and doctors who I am grateful for.” 

The young man went before the Minnesota Department of Corrections’ Board of Pardons and requested a pardon extraordinary, which would clear his criminal record, according to the article. With 13 years sober, Rygh was granted his pardon in the twelfth hour of 2018.

Faith-Based Addiction Treatment

We invite men and women battling substance abuse disorder and other addictions to contact Celebrate Hope. Our supportive Christian rehab can help you find freedom from addiction and assist you in reconnecting with God. Our team of addiction professionals shows clients how to put Biblical principles to work as they journey toward long-term recovery.