Professional addiction counsellors at Affinity lodge, one of the leading drug and alcohol rehab units in the UK, spoke this week about how there were clear trends leading to a reduction in the average age of recovering addicts and alcoholics, and that rehabilitation units needed to offer specialist assistance to enable recovery in young
Jane Allen, a senior support worker at Affinity Lodge and a recovered addict herself has worked in substance misuse and addiction alcohol rehab for over 20 years. She said the new age range found in addiction centres was quite startling low and a worrying reflection on the troubles within society itself. When Jane first started working in an alcohol rehab and drug Unit, the average age was probably around 40. Now she finds herself dealing more with addicts in their mid-twenties who have started using drugs and abusing drink at a much earlier age.
Jane said “One of the major problems for young people today is the drink and drug culture is all about them. It is accessible, available and almost expected. Children are confronted with it at schools and are pressured by their peers to be involved.”
Affinity Lodge and its partner unit Panacea Healthcare which specialises in rehab and addiction are both aware of the specialist input needed to enable young people to get back on track and recover from their drug issues. Chris Knight, managing director at Panacea health reiterated Jane Allen’s feelings and stated that Young people needed a singular focussed approach because of the “way substance and misuse can damage the young mind.”
Jane explained that if a child starts to abuse drugs and alcohol from a very young age it distorts their perception of reality. They have not built up a strong enough experience of life to allow them to cope with way that drugs warp how their world view. On top of this, if they are used as a crutch the child becomes an adult without first learning essential life skills. Because children are not fully formed in mind or body substance misuse more often than not stops emotional growth. The Pre-frontal cortex of the brain which deals with areas such as decision making could well be affected as it does not form fully until the age of 25.
