Nevada Inpatient Drug Rehab Programs

Nevada drug rehab centers are a source of hope for residents of the Silver State who have fallen into the trap of addiction. According to KLAS-TV Las Vegas, a local news provider, Nevada has been listed among the 10 states where the use of illicit drugs has reached epidemic proportions. Prescription drug use has increased in this western state, with drugs like OxyContin, Vicodin and Xanax competing with street drugs like heroin and marijuana. But for the individual who's fighting a compulsive craving for drugs or alcohol, statistics and news reports aren't as important as the need to find a reliable, effective Nevada addiction treatment program. Red Flags of Drug Addiction in Teens When you think of Nevada, the state's gambling centers -- Las Vegas, Reno and Lake Tahoe -- may come to mind. Because gambling is legal in Nevada, the state has been seen as a hotspot for adults who want to overindulge in games, drugs and alcohol. But Nevada is also home to many hardworking parents who want to build healthy, stable lives for their children. Underage drinking and drug abuse are a threat to the stability of families in Nevada, where teens have access to a wide range of illicit drugs.

Busy parents in Carson City, Henderson, Las Vegas or Sparks may not notice some of the early warning signs of drug addiction in teenagers. They may prefer to think that a son or daughter's moody behavior is "just a phase" or that they are "just having a good time." It's important to talk to your teens about drugs from an early age and to note any unusual patterns in their behavior that might indicate drug addiction, such as:

• Wearing long-sleeved clothing in warm weather to cover bruises or track marks
• Wearing sunglasses indoors or after dark to hide bloodshot eyes
• Abandoning old friends for a new, edgy crowd
• Sleeping too much or too little
• Changes in weight
• A drop in grades
• Aggressive behavior or angry outbursts at home
• Hostility with family members
• Strange paraphernalia or wrappers in trash cans, backpacks or pockets

Drug counselors in Nevada provide education and preventive services to help protect teens from the physical and emotional devastation of drug abuse. The Division of Mental Health and Development Services, a branch of the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services, can provide referrals to concerned parents.

*Substance Abuse Among Nevada's Youth

When it comes to certain forms of substance abuse, Nevada's youth are ahead of the national average. The University of Nevada at Las Vegas reports that:

• Adolescents in Nevada had the highest rating for alcohol dependence within the past 12 months.
• Nevada teens had the second-highest rating for alcohol abuse in the past year.
• The abuse of prescription drugs, marijuana and other illicit drugs was higher among Nevada's youth than in the US as a whole.
• In 2009, Nevada adolescents accounted for 3.9 percent of admissions to drug rehab for heroin abuse, compared to 0.5 percent in the rest of the nation.

Staging an Intervention

No parent likes the idea of staging an intervention to convince a teen to go to rehab. But sometimes this measure is necessary to save an adolescent from the life-threatening consequences of substance abuse. An intervention is a pre-planned, formal meeting in which family members, friends and drug abuse professionals confront an addict regarding their dangerous behavior. The intervention team then proposes a solution to the problem, which includes treatment at a professional rehab facility.