When parents find their children involved in alcohol and other abusive substance behavior, should they bring them to rehab centers immediately?

In the United States and many Westernized societies, the answer appears to be yes.  People have fallen in love with the quick fix promise.  You have cold?   Pop a pill.  You have excess fat?  Get a lipo.

Your child is into alcohol?  Send him to rehab.

The number of teenagers in drug treatment as a result of court coercion and school diversion increased by nearly 50 percent between 1993 and 1998 according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.   By 1999, the figure was around 135,000 teens in substance abuse facilities.  In 2006, this is even larger.

While drug rehab facilities may help treat substance problems, this solution totally bypasses what could be the best solution: parental admonishment and guidance.  While some teens may be too deep into the habit to respond to parental intervention, most teen substance abuse can be fixed by a strong effort from the immediate family.

More than 1/6th of the young people who are forced into treatment are not even categorized as having “substance abuse disorder.”  Many are just going through typical teenage rebellious phases and need more guidance than treatment, more compassion than institution.

When such kids are brought to treatment facilities and treated as addicts, it can truly affect them mentally and emotionally and lead to more serious problems later in life.