One of the biggest nightmares a parent can face is their troubled teen turning to drug and/or alcohol abuse. While the drugs seem to make them feel better, what they do not realize is that they are destroying themselves physically and emotionally. They are also taking their toll on the family and friends who love them.
When your teen becomes addicted to drugs and alcohol, one of the best solutions for getting them healthy again is to send them to a reputable treatment center. Says the professionals at Visions, a teen residential treatment center located in California, in order to focus on teens with substance abuse problems, it’s important to leverage the experience of therapists, doctors, and specialists to provide effective treatments that help young patients understand more about themselves and their condition.
Substance abusers need to better understand why they feel and think the way they do, and why they insist on drowning their sorrows in illicit substances and alcohol. A treatment program can give them the tools they need to cope with their hardships and symptoms. They will also learn about where and when to seek the help they need from others.
That said, in 2024, there is a new method being developed that can potentially stop teen (and adult) substance abuse in its tracks before it’s too late. It’s called artificial intelligence (AI) and at present it’s being utilized as a tool for early detection.
According to a recent report by Technology.Org, experts around the world are said to be searching for newer and more effective ways to treat substance abuse and addiction. Many professionals are attempting to infuse modern technology into a variety of procedures to treat addicted teens who possess different physical and emotional conditions due to the problems.
AI is just one of these high-tech solutions that is playing a promising role in the early detection of teen substance abuse. Here are just a few ways AI is being used in addiction situations.
Predicting Relapse or Crisis
In general, AI refers to machines or programs that can potentially execute decisions based on the human process. They are programmed by human beings to simulate human intelligence and to carry out tasks by predicting and understanding repeated patterns.
One of the positive breakthroughs of AI tech is the revolutionizing of substance abuse and addiction treatment by utilizing behavioral recognition. Today, AI programs are becoming so advanced at their ability to recognize patterns of human emotion and behavior that they can predict when a person will want to take their own life. In a word, AI is fast on its way to becoming more human than human.
When it comes to substance abuse and addiction, AI will gather online data which professionals can then examine to determine a teen’s physical, mental, and emotional distress levels. This means that the chance of professionals intervening on behalf of patients who are about to relapse or enter full-blown addiction or alcoholism is considerably high.
At this point, there is no question AI is resulting in more teen interventions which can greatly reduce the number of patients who end up relapsing for one reason or another. AI can even identify which drug of choice any given teen abuser is likely to seek out to get his or her ultimate fix.
Locating Optimum Peer Support
Says Technology.Org, peer support groups remain one of the most important factors in assisting young people struggling with addiction. Continued unconditional support from family, friends, and professional organizations can encourage distressed teens to decrease their alcohol and drug use while continuing with their prescribed treatment.
Now, AI-powered applications engineered to focus on drug abuse and alcohol can help patients by offering optimum peer support. By using online search algorithms, AI can identify teen behaviors and, in turn, match users along with like-minded people to assist them during the long recovery phase. Patients can connect directly with other teens who have gone through similar if not identical issues and therefore, they can seek out the specific advice they need.
Beginning and Tracking the Treatment Process
Beginning professional treatment is said to be one of the biggest hurdles for teen substance abusers since admitting to addiction is extremely difficult. But now, there are AI programs that can assist potential patients with taking that first, necessary and crucial step towards the recovery process.
Programs and residential treatment centers are designed to help teen patients by offering them lifestyle advice that can eliminate destructive habits by substituting them with exercise and a proper diet. At the same time, AI can be utilized to monitor a teen abuser’s recover process and then offer advice on the next steps that should be taken.
AI can help teens who are uncomfortable with traditional healing methods like support groups by connecting them with coaches whom they feel relaxed with. This means their treatment becomes less anxiety provoking and potentially far more successful in the short and long term. In the end, this is also very good news for anxious parents who just want to see their teens get better.
Article Submitted By Community Writer
