The widespread increase in cannabis use fuels the need for youth alcohol rehab. Moreover, co-occurring alcohol and cannabis use causes lasting damage to the teenage brain. In a study published in 2021 in the Journal of Alcohol Research, researchers reveal that cannabis use does not reduce the intake of alcohol by adolescents or lessen its damage. Instead, the co-occurring use fuels the damage to the adolescent brain, causing a greater need for youth alcohol rehab.

Therefore, the youth services offerings at Tarzana Treatment Centers (TTC) are of paramount importance today. At TTC, alcohol rehab or substance use disorder rehab treatment plans are specific to each adolescent. As the youth services page on the TTC website clearly expresses, “Prior to beginning alcohol or drug treatment each youth receives a comprehensive clinical assessment to determine which level of care is most appropriate. Admission into any level of care includes a medical history, treatment history and a thorough bio-psychosocial assessment.”

Substance Use by Teens = A Need for Alcohol Rehab

Alcohol rehab for teens is needed today more than ever before. First, an increase in cannabis use disorder in teens due to the legalization of marijuana in California and beyond. As the study in the Journal of Alcohol Research shows, combined use of cannabis and alcohol results in considerable damage to the adolescent brain. In the concluding remarks by the researchers, the following negative consequences are highlighted:

“Existing studies suggest heavy alcohol and cannabis use during adolescence are related to small to moderate disruptions in brain structure and function, as well as neurocognitive impairment. The effects of alcohol use include widespread decreases in gray matter volume and cortical thickness across time; slowed white matter growth and poorer integrity; disrupted network efficiency; and poorer impulse and attentional control, learning, memory, visuospatial processing, and psychomotor speed. The severity of some effects is dependent on dose. Heavy to very heavy cannabis use is associated with decreased subcortical volume and increased frontoparietal cortical thickness, disrupted functional development, and decreased executive functioning and IQ compared to non-using controls.”

Given such outcomes, when the use of both alcohol and cannabis becomes co-occurring in teenagers, the danger is obvious. Thus, both alcohol rehab and SUD rehab for teens equal a major need in our society. However, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many youth-oriented alcohol rehabs and SUD rehabs are closed in California and beyond. Indeed, it is harder than at any other time in the 21st century to find youth rehab services for teenagers and adolescents.

TTC Offers Drug and Alcohol Rehab Options for Youth

If your teenager is drinking too much, TTC understands. We can discuss youth alcohol rehab options with you, up to and including residential treatment. If your teenager is smoking or vaping too much cannabis, the treatment team at TTC understands. Hence, we can offer drug rehab service options to help a young person recover today. And the key is starting today.

Please do not wait until the drinking or drugging does permanent damage. Drug and alcohol use is a slippery slope to more dangerous substance use disorders like opioids and stimulants. Once the door opens, the deadly progression is rapid. Therefore, please make the smart choice and contact us today.