This time, they had support from someone with clinical expertise in substance abuse. New Horizons and School District staff began bonding as a team, each respecting the others' skills and depending on their support. As we communicated more clearly, the bond between the agencies deepened and we became more functional. This was reflected in our work with students and families. This difficulty differentiating between normal exploratory behavior and substance abuse is one reason parents generally do not detect their child's substance abuse for more than two years.
Substance abuse affects the body of a teen and an adult differently.
A teen's body is still developing. In fact, adolescence is the second largest growth period of the human life cycle. Cells are dividing and multiplying through the process of mitosis. A cell that is addicted or damaged creates two such cells when it divides. Adults tend to get involved in substance abuse to alter their mood and feel better.