Teenage Alcoholism: 3 Reasons Your Teen Keeps Relapsing
Posted Feb 21 2011 12:16pm
Is your teen suffering from teenage alcoholism or teenage drug abuse? Maybe they are in treatment or have gone to rehab. You thought your son or daughter was “O.K.”, but there have been multiple relapses and you are getting discouraged. You just don’t understand how slips keep occurring. Why can’t your teen stay away from drugs or alcohol?
Here are 3 reasons for relapse with teenage alcoholism and teenage drug abuse:
1. Your teen’s brain is conditioned to respond to certain triggers. For example, if your teen is going to the same school, hanging out or seeing the friends that they drank or did drugs with, and seeing the places where they “used”- their brain associates “all of the above” with ”reward” . Biochemically-speaking, the brain starts experiencing the strong urge to release dopamine (which is experienced as pleasure).
2. Stress drives relapse. The pressure of school, of relationships, and the consequences that have to be faced (courses that were failed, the loss of trust from family and friends, jobs lost) can overwhelm your teen. It takes time and often therapy for your teen to learn new coping skills.
3. Inability to feel pleasure. Your teen’s brain has not made dopamine for the period of time they were deep into teenage substance abuse. The brain relied on alcohol and drugs to release dopamine (pleasure). Therefore hearing a great song on the radio, seeing a beautiful sight in nature does not make your teen feel good the way a normal brain would respond. This is called anhedonia- a lack of pleasure It is temporary. Within 6 months off alcohol or drugs the brain can get its own dopamine back up and running.
The recovery from teenage substance abuse can be long and difficult and requires patience from you, the parents, who are a major source of support. Understanding how biochemical the process of recovery is can help you weather the inevitable relapses that occur.
Here are 3 reasons for relapse with teenage alcoholism and teenage drug abuse:
1. Your teen’s brain is conditioned to respond to certain triggers. For example, if your teen is going to the same school, hanging out or seeing the friends that they drank or did drugs with, and seeing the places where they “used”- their brain associates “all of the above” with ”reward” . Biochemically-speaking, the brain starts experiencing the strong urge to release dopamine (which is experienced as pleasure).
2. Stress drives relapse. The pressure of school, of relationships, and the consequences that have to be faced (courses that were failed, the loss of trust from family and friends, jobs lost) can overwhelm your teen. It takes time and often therapy for your teen to learn new coping skills.
3. Inability to feel pleasure. Your teen’s brain has not made dopamine for the period of time they were deep into teenage substance abuse. The brain relied on alcohol and drugs to release dopamine (pleasure). Therefore hearing a great song on the radio, seeing a beautiful sight in nature does not make your teen feel good the way a normal brain would respond. This is called anhedonia- a lack of pleasure It is temporary. Within 6 months off alcohol or drugs the brain can get its own dopamine back up and running.
The recovery from teenage substance abuse can be long and difficult and requires patience from you, the parents, who are a major source of support. Understanding how biochemical the process of recovery is can help you weather the inevitable relapses that occur.