Is It Possible/common for Teen Drug Addicts to Go to Detox and Skip Rehab?

Question by Hannah T: Is it possible/common for teen drug addicts to go to detox and skip rehab?
I am writing a story for English and my character is a 15 yr old drug addict (I am not assigning a specific drug for her to be addicted to; she does anything that will give her a high) I am trying to figure out how the whole detox/rehab thing would work. I would rather write about her in detox rather than in rehab being taught to stay off of drugs. Any information at all on this would be helpful. =]

Best answer:

Answer by Mick H
At her age it would probably happen in a detox unit in a hospital setting. There is no requirement for anyone to go to Rehab after detox – unless the person is an offeder and it has been made part of a court order. Detox is the most dangerous stage of getting clean, when people are most vulnerable – and therefore open to change, as well as at serious risk of dying – alcoholics have to withdraw particularly carefully.

Answer by Makino
As I have learned, if someone has dependence on a drug, meaning that they need it in order to feel normal, then it usually requires some sort of rehabilitation or support group to help them stay away from that drug. The most popular one is used by Alcoholics Anonymous – there are 12 steps – which have a religious tone, but don’t necessarily need to have religion attached to it. A person isn’t considered totally rehabilitated until they can admit that they have uncontrolled dependence on the drug and they must also be willing to step forward and make those changes. The 12 steps are as follows (quoted from Wikipedia):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twelve-step_program

These are the original Twelve Steps as published by Alcoholics Anonymous.[11]

We admitted we were powerless over alcohol—that our lives had become unmanageable.

Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.

Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.

Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.

Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.

Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.

Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.

Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.

Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.

Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.

Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of

His Will for us and the power to carry that out.

Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

Good luck on your project 🙂

“From Teenage Star to Addicted and Homeless” — Dr. Phil — Subscribe to the Dr. Phil YouTube Channel: http://bitly.com/SubscribeDrPhil LIKE us on Facebook: http://bitly.com/DrPhilFacebook Follow us on Twitter: http:/…


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