3 Tips Parents Should Know About Their Pregnant Teenage Daughters And Substance Abuse Treatment

If you are the parent of a teenage daughter who is dealing with a drug or alcohol dependency, you already have an idea about how challenging her recovery will be to obtain and maintain. However, if your daughter is also pregnant, it is important to know what her options are for treatment and how to best meet the needs of both your daughter and your unborn grandchild. The following information will help you to more effectively help your daughter during this difficult time.

#1-Your Daughter May Need Extra Care During Her Treatment Because Of Her Pregnancy

You may find that finding a facility that can handle the special needs of pregnant teens with substance abuse issues is not easy. It is important to note that pregnant teens are often placed into a higher risk category, and unfortunately, some facilities choose not to take that extra risk.

Although your options when choosing an appropriate facility are often more limited, it is still available. Before you start to choose a facility to help your daughter recover, you should speak with her physician to determine if in-patient or out-patient rehabilitation will be better for her.

#2- It Is Never Too Late For Pregnant Teens To Get Sober And Improve The Chances Of Having A Healthy Baby

One common problem for many teenaged girls is telling their parents about the baby, and as a result, it is not unusual to delay doing so for as long as possible. If you have only recently gotten the news about the pregnancy and now you are aware of her substance abuse, you should learn how safe supervised recovery from drug abuse in a supportive environment can be. In addition, you may need to force her into treatment, assuming that she is under the age of 18.

If she commits to a treatment facility, she will probably be there for at least a month or, in some situations, a year or more. Regardless, you can expect for her health and pregnancy to be monitored during her stay. Even though withdrawal from drugs or alcohol is stressful for her and the baby, it is still better for both of them than it would be to continue using. The severity of the substance abuse and the different substances that she has become dependent on will impact how she will need to continue receiving  treatment, so there is rarely a one-size-fits-all statement regarding the length of time she will be a patient.

#3-It Is Rarely A Good Idea To Attempt Recovery At Home

There is no doubt that for many addicts, withdrawal from a drug is dreaded, and you may already know that your teen might lie, steal or cheat to get the money she needs to feed her habit. However, the all-inclusive existence of in-patient substance abuse facilities will often have a better success rate than an out-patient facility will. Therefore, an in-patient treatment option may be more appropriate for pregnant teenagers because it removes distractions and makes it easier to concentrate on her sobriety.

In addition, if your daughter has an opiod dependency, she can relieve some of her symptoms of withdrawal by using methadone, buprenorphine or  Naltrexone. Another option is the use of camprosate and Disulfiram as part of a treatment plan for alcoholism. Since those medications can only be prescribed by a physicians and the risk versus benefits of each should be considered during pregnancy, it only makes sense that it will be much better for your daughter to become healthy in a treatment facility as opposed to attempting it at home.    

In conclusion, if your teenaged daughter is pregnant and needs substance abuse treatment, it is crucial to remember that it is possible for her to become clean and sober during her pregnancy. Although substance abuse during any state of pregnancy is dangerous, continuing to use while she is still pregnant is usually worse. Immediate treatment for her substance abuse, regardless of how far along she is, is essential for her well-being and that of the baby. Contact her doctor as soon as possible to find her a program that will help her overcome this difficult issue, or call local treatment centers like Focus Treatment Centers to learn more about their programs.