Substance Abuse in an Adolescent Boy: Waking the Object

What is it about?

The psychotherapy of an adolescent boy abusing alcohol, marijuana, and other drugs is used to discuss dynamics that can underlie substance dependence. Differentiating experimental from dangerous substance use is particularly challenging in the treatment of adolescents. The boy’s escalating substance use is viewed both as an effort to numb himself and to “speak” through symptoms of problems he could not yet name. I discuss therapeutic approaches that support an adolescent’s capacity to think about their self-destructiveness. I also address the need for confrontation and ancillary care when an adolescent’s substance abuse become life threatening.

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