Opioids, including heroin, are extremely addictive drugs. Use and addiction to heroin can happen to anyone of any age, including teenagers. If you suspect teen heroin addiction in a loved one, you need to know risk factors, the signs to look for, and what to do about it. For more information, please reach out to Fort Behavioral Health today at 844.332.1807 to learn about our adolescent treatment program specifically designed for female teens and adolescents.
Risk Factors for Teen Heroin Use
Heroin addiction doesn’t happen to all teens. However, some have risk factors that put them at greater risk of trying and developing an addiction to drugs like heroin. If your teen has any of the following risk factors, pay extra-close attention to them for signs of addiction:
- Mental health issues
- Family history of substance use
- Impulse control problems
- Friends who also use heroin or other drugs
- Easy access to heroin and other drugs
- Trauma
First, mental health issues frequently accompany substance use disorders. Changes in brain chemistry that lead to mental health issues can make resisting drug use more difficult. Over time, addiction can happen from the physical and chemical changes that occur in the body from heroin use.
Secondly, a family history of substance abuse may increase the risk of heroin use. If you have any family members who have battled substance use disorders in the past, your teen could have a greater chance of using drugs.
Thirdly, impulse control issues can impact heroin use. Taking drugs once may happen on an impulse. However, people with an inability to regulate their impulsiveness could have a greater chance of more frequent drug use and addiction and could need to seek evidence-based substance abuse treatment programs.
Proximity to peers who have substance use disorders or heroin addictions normalizes the use of heroin in the teen’s life. Combined with ease of access to drugs from friends or family members, a teen could have a greater chance of developing an addiction.
Witnessing or experiencing trauma also increases teen heroin addiction chances and the likelihood of other substance use disorders.
Signs of Teen Heroin Addiction
A teen with risk factors for heroin addiction may not develop a problem with the drug. But, you need to monitor them for signs of teen heroin addiction carefully. Watch out for the following indications that your teen needs professional help to overcome a problem:
- Nausea or vomiting
- Itching
- Dry mouth
- Problems sleeping
- Academic or social problems
The Importance of Professional Teen Heroin Addiction Treatment
Heroin is an opioid, meaning that it comes from the poppy plant. It reduces feelings of pain and produces euphoria for short-term use. These side effects are why synthetic opioids are effective pain relievers when used with medical supervision. However, heroin has no medical use, and all opioids have a high chance for a user to develop an addiction.
Due to the changes that heroin makes in the body and brain, suddenly stopping its use can cause serious medical problems quickly. For instance, these effects of quitting will start a few hours after the last dose and can last up to a week. Withdrawal from heroin can cause intense drug cravings, chills, pain, restlessness, and diarrhea.
A professional heroin addiction treatment program will monitor the person’s health to guide them through this challenging stage. In some instances, the person may need medical help to ease the detoxification process. This type of care is not something that you can get at home. Your teen needs a qualified recovery program.
Trust Fort Behavioral Health for Help with Heroin Addiction in TX
Trusting your teen’s health and well-being to an addiction recovery center is a significant decision that you must carefully weigh. At Fort Behavioral Health, the facility offers a female-only adolescent addiction treatment program to help young women to regain control of their lives.
Your teen will need professional care to wean themselves from the addictive nature of heroin properly. Since the physical effects of withdrawal are real, they require medically supervised detoxification to overcome. You and your teen cannot tackle addiction recovery on your own. To start the recovery process with substance abuse treatment programs for young women, call Fort Behavioral Health at 844.332.1807.
