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Offering Help with Teenage Substance Abuse

Fredric Steiger, M.D.,S.C., Medical Director, Columbia St. Mary's Huiras Center

Posted: Jan. 1, 2008

Q: Where can I find help for teenage addiction?

A: If your family is dealing with adolescent substance abuse, the first thing to know is that you’re not alone. National statistics show a rise in teenage alcohol and drug use. Willingness to face this crisis and seek help is a vital step toward an addiction-free life.

The most important first step is to trust your instincts and not ignore the signs of abuse. Too often teenagers convince their parents that their use was a one-time event; that it will never happen again. Parents often believe that the use of alcohol or marijuana is a right of passage for teens and fail to recognize that if their teen has access to these drugs, they probably have access to many other drugs as well.

If you uncover drug use, you must take the lead to avoid losing control of your child. Columbia St. Mary’s Huiras Center in Mequon was established to serve as an access point for teens in need of substance abuse screening, assessment and treatment.

At the Huiras Center, teens and their families receive a unique combination of therapy to achieve goals like rapid assessment within 24 hours of referral whenever possible; comprehensive mental health and substance abuse evaluation; evidence-based treatment; individual, group and family therapy; medication management; psycho-education; relapse prevention and social skills training.

Our philosophy of care is to evaluate the adolescent as a whole person – we treat the substance abuse along with any school, family, or mental health issues. The end goal is to help teens achieve and maintain a drug-free life.

To provide parents with greater insight into the disease of addiction, we developed a DVD with personal stories of success and tragedy that highlight the need for rapid intervention and ongoing parental involvement when substance abuse is discovered. We hope that our program can be the first step toward wellness for families struggling with addiction.

Learn more about the Huiras Center at Medical Moment.org

To order a free DVD about Columbia St. Mary’s Huiras Center, please call 414-326-1745.

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