Lying about one’s drug use may be commonplace among teens, but a recently published report shows that parents of at-risk teens are also avoiding the truth about their drug abuse.
The November issue of
Pediatrics highlights a growing problem among at-risk households: the reliability of self-reporting when it comes to substance abuse. The study indicates that 52% of teens who tested positive for cocaine lied about using the drug in a pre-test questionnaire.
“This study is interesting for many reasons,” begins a spokesperson for Mountainside
Drug Rehab and Alcohol Treatment Center. “Firstly, it highlights the stigma attached to substance abuse. Even though these teens knew that there would be an actual drug test administered after they answered the confidential questionnaire, they still chose to not disclose their drug use. What is truly astounding is that this characteristic was not unique to just the teens in the study, but to the parents of those same at-risk teens as well; the parents also did not tell the truth about their personal drug use. Parents were 6.5 times likely to test positive for cocaine and 5.5 times likely to test positive for opiate use than what was indicated in the study. This study shows that professionals who suspect a drug problem within a teen, or even a family, may not get a straight answer and may never know that there truly is an issue requiring addiction treatment, unless they perform a drug test.“
Mountainside Drug Rehab and Alcohol Treatment Center has long been an advocate of alcohol and drug abuse prevention through education, starting at the family and community level. Since its inception, Mountainside has been committed to creating innovative and effective treatment that will help individuals to get and to remain sober.
The compassionate, caring treatment team at Mountainside is comprised of licensed and certified counselors and social workers as well as an on-staff Nurse Practitioner and a Registered Nurse, both of whom have specialization and extensive experience in drug addiction and alcohol treatment. For clients who may have psychiatric issues and/or a dual diagnosis, Mountainside provides the services of a Psychiatrist who also has specialization in addictions. As a result of their unique, innovative approaches to addiction treatment over the past 12 years, Mountainside has become the model for the addiction treatment field.
The program, along with its professional addiction treatment team, has earned national recognition and resulted in Mountainside being invited to Washington by the White House to meet with the White House Drug Czar, John P. Waters, for an in-depth meeting on what makes its program so successful. These accolades did not go unnoticed within the addiction treatment field and resulted in the adoption by many throughout the country of a more holistic approach to drug addiction treatment.
If you or someone you love is addicted to drugs or alcohol, or if you have any questions, please contact Mountainside
Drug Rehab and Alcohol Treatment Center for a confidential inquiry at 800-762-5433.
