Title: 
Getting High... Can You Get Off It?

Word Count:
640

Summary:
This article focuses on the introduction of alcohol and drugs during a person's teenage years. Curiosity can lead into addiction, which may also lead in getting into rehab. Different feelings and reactions may arise from the addict, and their need for a rehab treatment. A new perspective is introduced for these addicts in order to lessen their need for drugs.


Keywords:
counseling, depression, anxiety


Article Body:
It is often said that each person is unique and totally distinct from the eight billion other people on the planet.  Different people have different interests, biases, wants, needs, and desires.  Where these interests and desires take a person in life totally depends on each decision that is made every day. 

	For example, a typical teenager in college can choose between being a “do-gooder” whose life revolves around the home and the classroom; or going just a bit wild and experiment with all sorts of new things. Experiencing new things can be as simple as meeting girls, having intimate relationships, to drinking alcohol, or to something as risky as taking drugs. 

	Teens who experiment with drugs often do so because of peer pressure and the need to belong.  Poor choice in friends can lead an otherwise normal teenager to go over board and become addicted to illegal drugs.  Sometimes, the pressure and bad influence from peer groups can overcome a teenager's sense of right and wrong, or the values and principles taught to them from the home and the church.  Some who do not get hooked on drugs say that they tried doing drugs just to satisfy the curiosity about how it feels to “get high.”

	The usual period for a person to experience and try new stuff would be during their teenage years, since their curiosity for the world is at its highest point around that age. Almost all of us have been exposed to drugs and alcohol at some point in our life. Alcohol is considered as a social drink for some, but this could lead to a more difficult alcohol addiction, or alcoholism. A more alarming fact would be to know that a certain number of teenage boys and girls get addicted to drugs, such as marijuana, “crystal meth”, or even LSD. This addiction could lead into a more dangerous position, causing them to go into drug rehabilitation.
		
	Of course, a recovering addict would naturally be anxious or frightened by the prospect of being confined in a drug rehabilitation facility. Anxiety is present and felt at all times since they do not know what to see and think after they get out of rehab. Turning them into rehab may also cause depression, not just for the patient, but for the parents as well.  Of course, the addict does not want to be into rehab because of the fact that they cannot use their drug inside the premises and that they will be separated from their drug- addicted friends.  This isolation or separation would naturally cause depression. It would be a hard time for both the parents and the patient since this would be a time for detoxification, counseling, and basic addiction treatment.


	Being inside a rehabilitation center would be like punishment for the addict. In this scenario, they are required to attend, listen, cooperate, and learn the benefits of having a healthy, drug-free life, instead of being addicted and enslaved by a chemical substance. In case they have to stay there for a set period of time, thoughts of depression and feelings of withdrawal from their drug may arise. These patients may be hard to talk to or communicate with due to their withdrawal symptoms. By having a relaxed and calm environment, this could help in releasing stress and anxiety from the patients, as well as giving them a fresh perspective on life.
		
	Whether the addict is registered in the rehabilitation center as an out-patient, short term in-patient, or long term in-patient programs, they would have to deal with drug counseling activities, open forums, and educational facilities that might help in decreasing their need for drugs. Depression should decrease as time flies because through the rehabilitation sessions, the patient would learn how to be set free from the addiction and get back on the road to recovery.