Substance abuse covers a wide range of illicit drugs, alcohol, and other addictive substances. According to reports conducted between 2018 and 2019, 6.6% of Canadian students in grades 7 to 12 used pharmaceutical drugs to get high. 

Another study examining the current users (over a 30-day span) of high-risk substances in a general Canadian population sample (young adults in grades 7 to 12) reported 27% alcohol users, 19% cannabis users, and 8% users of other illicit drugs. 

The use of these drugs among young adults poses a great threat to their lives and societal stability. While the data serves to highlight these destructive tendencies among young adults, there is a need for sustainable measures to checkmate substance abuse. 

This article sheds more light on the problem, highlighting risk factors, ruinous effects, and reformative treatment strategies towards transforming the lives of these young adults.

What Is Substance Abuse?

Substance abuse refers to the excessive and continued use of high-risk substances despite a plethora of ruinous effects on the physical and mental health of the user. Some high-risk substances commonly abused include alcohol, hallucinogens, opioids, and stimulants like cocaine. 

Substance abuse is born from a variety of risk factors, some of which are:

• Family history of substance use
• Parental negligence toward mischievous behaviour
• Association with delinquent peers
• Physical and sexual abuse
• Societal pressure
• Mental health issues

Effects of Substance Abuse on Young Adults and the Society 

Substance abuse among young adults poses a plethora of adverse effects on them and society. These effects transcend whatever bounds are placed on them due to a lack of tentative addiction treatment to curtail them. 

The resulting effects when substance abuse is left unchecked include:

On the Individual;

• Cardiovascular diseases
• Cancer
• Cognitive impairment affecting memory, learning, problem-solving, and concentration
• Dependence on drugs
• Paranoia
• Mental Health Disorders
• Hallucinations

On the Society;

• An exponential increase in crime rates 
• Increase in road accidents due to driving under the influence
• Increase in environmental damages such as deforestation and pollution due to the production and distribution of these illicit substances
• Increase in poverty and homelessness, as addicts tend to squander their finances purchasing high-risk substances.

Practical Treatment Strategies for Substance Abuse 

The first step towards succeeding in any form of addiction treatment is admitting to having a problem. The statement, “a problem shared is a problem half-solved,” perfectly encapsulated the need for user-medical professional interaction.

Fortunately, there are many treatment strategies to help free young adults from addiction. However, the treatment approach differs per individual, depending on the length of use of the high-risk substance and the resulting addiction severity. 

Furthermore, the level of response to available treatment options differs across individuals – what may yield positive results in one person might have no significant effect on another. 

Accordingly, here are the common addiction treatment strategies in existence. 

Detoxification

Detoxification is the first course of treatment in some cases of medium to severe substance abuse by young adults. It is a well-supervised medical process that eliminates addictive substances from the body.

This procedure aids in stabilizing and limiting the withdrawal symptoms of the patient. When the patient gets addicted to more than one substance, medication-assisted therapy gets carried out but tapered. 

The process may take some days or weeks. But once the patient is stabilized, they need to undergo treatment programs.

Treatment Programs

For a fast and safe detox of the substance, the patient should stay for treatment programs at the hospital to manage the symptoms properly. These programs may be inpatient or outpatient, depending on the level of attention the patient needs. Also, note that these programs get done in drug-free environments.

• Inpatient Programs: This intensive treatment program requires patients to live at the hospital during treatment. It is a well-supervised and structured program that will aid the patient in overcoming their addiction to these addictive substances. 

This program may last weeks or months and is sometimes followed by the outpatient program.

• Outpatient Program: This is the opposite of an inpatient program. Instead of staying at the hospital, the patient gets to live at home and receive treatment at an outpatient clinic in their own time. 

Most times, these outpatient programs can offer working-class and student patients night and weekend programs so they can go on with their daily lives during working or school days.

Therapy

Another effective treatment strategy for substance abuse by young adults is therapy. Using therapy alone or as part of a treatment program can help the patient pinpoint the root causes of their substance use and mend their social life. Also, it will teach them healthy coping skills to prevent potential relapse. 

In addition, there is no cause for worry about trusting someone with your personal life, as professional psychologists carry out these therapy sessions without giving any disclosure.

With that said, several types of therapy aid substance abusers in gaining new outlooks and behaviour.

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): Negative thinking patterns are one of the reasons young adults feel the need to abuse addictive substances. This is because these thoughts make them feel powerless in handling difficult situations. It also makes them lack the confidence to solve problems or relate to people.

However, with the help of CBT, they will be able to identify, reassess, and use problem-solving methods to handle any problematic situation. It will also aid in boosting their self-confidence. CBT can be helpful in conditions such as depression and bipolar disorders.

• Motivational Enhancement Therapy (MET): Substance abusers react badly when forced to sober up. More times than not, they go deeper into abusing the substance. As such, it is best to use the MET process to help them understand the motives behind their behaviour and make them desire to be sober.

MET involves the therapist making a pact with their client, giving the client the power to make decisions for themselves, thereby eliciting internal change to foster lasting recovery.

• Family Therapy: This is the perfect therapy for addiction cases brought about due to family conflicts. Here, the patient and family members avail themselves to resolve issues like communication, heated disagreements, etc., to create a healthy home that caters to the well-being of everyone.
• Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy: This form of therapy aids substance abusers to forget painful experiences and traumatic memories. For instance, people who survive terrible accidents tend to abuse alcohol or drugs to help them fight the anxiety that comes with remembering their ordeal. 

However, with EMDR therapy, they get taught how to replace those traumatic memories with positive beliefs.

Support Groups

This is the final addiction treatment strategy to use. Once young adults who abuse addictive substances such as drugs or alcohol finish the above-discussed treatments, they must join a support group. These support groups play a major role in aiding young adults not to deflect from the path to recovery after treatment.

Also, everyone they will meet in these support groups has had the same experience as them, making it a judgment-free zone. As such, they can speak of their struggles without fear and get the motivation, inspiration, and support to stay committed to sobriety.

So endeavour as parents or guardians that these affected young adults join support groups such as Crystal Meth Anonymous to get the support they need.

Final Thoughts

Substance abuse among young adults remains a severe problem that requires continuous and complete treatment. Each treatment depends on the severity of the addiction. Also, it depends on the substance involved. 

However, as shown through the course of this read, there are no shortcuts to full recovery. The best thing for young adults suffering from substance abuse is to commit to every stage, from detox to support groups. You don’t need to be scared, as you will have the support of loved ones and experts. All you need to do is to start getting the required treatment. 

However, if they have already started and had a relapse, don’t let them give up. Call their sponsor, encourage them to attend a support group meeting, or talk to their therapist. Good luck.

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