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Teen Addiction Traumatizes Younger Siblings – Recovery First Adventures

Teen Addiction Traumatizes Younger Siblings

The Betty Ford Center Children’s Program Reminds Parents That Summer Is the Time Teens and Young Adults Are Most Likely to Try Drugs and Alcohol for the First Time

CENTER CITY, MN–(Marketwired – July 19, 2016) – The unlimited freedom that summer provides for many preteens and young adults sometimes leads to first-time use of alcohol or drugs, which can open the door to the addiction trap and traumatize families, particularly younger siblings. Two recent studies by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (Teen Study, Young Adult Study) indicate that June and July are when experimentation with these dangerous substances peaks.

“What is disturbing is that on an average June or July day, more than 11,000 adolescents use alcohol for the first time,” says Jerry Moe, National Director of the Children’s Program, part of the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation. “This can have lasting negative effects on younger kids who see their older siblings engaging in this behavior.”

Moe has closely observed the effects that addiction has on younger brothers and sisters. These range from feeling forgotten by the family to being bullied by siblings trapped by addiction. Many kids who have completed the Children’s Program report that older siblings sometimes:

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