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REHAB FOR TEENAGERS

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INDEX

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1. Introduction2. Why teenagers use drugs

• Peerpressure• Transition• Availability• Emotionalandpsychologicalconditions• Stress• Fun

3. Types of drugs most commonly used by teenagers• Marijuana• Syntheticmarijuana• Nyaope• Prescriptionmedication

4. Signs that teenagers are using drugs or alcohol• Extrememoodswings• Poorperformanceatschool• Changesinhealth• Signsinthehome• Newfriends• Changeinattitude• Thedevilhidesinthedetail

5. What to do if your teenager is using drugs of alcohol6. Different treatment approaches

• Individualcounselling• Cognitiveandalternativetherapies• Familytherapy

7. Conclusion

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1.Introduction

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Parents are rarely drug experts, but inmodern society it may be an advantage.Unbeknown to them, many may have adrugaddict in theirhomesandare fundingtheirchild’saddiction.Ifateenageristakingdrugs or drinkingalcohol, chances are thattheyaregoingtogreatlengthstohideitfromtheirparents.Teenagers,bynature,exploreboundaries,testnewlimitsandaresecretive.Theydonotwanttheirparents too involvedin their lives,whichmakes iteasier for themto hide their new habits and more difficultfor parents to set and enforce appropriateboundaries.

Adolescents are more at risk of becomingaddicted than adults. People who do notabusesubstancesbeforetheageof21haveamuchdiminishedriskofbecomingaddictsoralcoholics.Almostthree-quartersofaddictsstartedusingdrugsintheirteens.

Adolescenceisacomplicatedandintensetimebetweenchildhoodandadulthoodandaperiodofgreatphysicalandpsychologicalchange.

Duringthisphasethemainfocusisonfindingan identity,withassociatedmajor decisionsand new responsibilities thrown into theequation.Thissearchforidentitymeansthatteensmovetowardsgreaterindividualityandfriends start replacing family as their socialsupportmechanism.

For this reason, acceptance in a group isextremely important, and if taking drugs ordrinking makes this acceptance happen,thenisseemslikeasmallpricetopay.

It is quite disturbing to discover that yourteenageristakingdrugsorusingalcohol,andanaturalresponseistoworryaboutthechildand the impactof thishabiton theirhealthandtheirfuture.Whenparentsdiscovertheriskassociatedwith thecommondrugs thatteenagersuseandabuse,theybecomeveryalarmed. It is importantforparentstoknowthatanyuseofalcoholordrugsbyteenagersconstitutesabuse,purelybecauseitisillegal.Earlyinterventionisthebestpolicyinhelpingtheirchild.

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2. Whyteenagersusedrugs

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Drugs and alcohol change the way you feel and the feelings they give can range fromcool, confident and grown-up to terribly hung-over, ashamed and isolated. Taking theirpsychologicaldevelopmentintoaccount,theyseetheadvantagesofdrugusemoreclearlythanthedisadvantages.

The reasonswhy teenagers try, andcontinue to use, drugs are vast and varied, but somereasonsaremorecommonthanothers.Despitethecollectiveviewthatpeopletakedrugstogethigh,itisfarmorecomplicatedthanjustthat.Theyareinvariablymotivatedbyanarrayofpsychologicalfactors,ratherthanjustphysicalones.Teenagerswanttohavefriendsandfun.Dangerispartoftheappealandtheyenjoythesocialstatusofbeingarisk-taker.

Peer pressure

Teenagerssearchforidentityandhaveaneedtofitin.Thistendencycouldleadtothedesiretobewithandexplorefriendshipswithpeoplewhomtheywouldnotnormallyassociatewith.

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Teenagers search for identityandhaveaneed tofit in.This tendency could lead to the desire to be with andexplore friendshipswith peoplewhom teenagerswouldnotnormallyassociatewith.Theymayaspiretobefriendswith the popular group in school. This could put themin positions that they do not know how to handle andpotentiallygiveinwhenbeingoffereddrugs.

Alcohol and certain other substances are effectivein improving socialisation skills, which may causeteenagerstogiveintopeerpressuretodrinkalcohol,oruse other substances, in social settings where they feeluncomfortable. While high, theymay feel calmer andmore secure and generally more comfortable in thesedifficultsituations,thusprovingtotheirpeersthattheyfitinandareworthyoftheirfriendship.

It isultimately the teenagers’desire tobe included thatlet them give in to peer pressure and try substances.Peerpressure isespeciallyprevalentwhenateenager isnaturallyintroverted,strugglingtomakefriendsorisnewinasocialsetting(likeschool).Theysometimesfeelthattheyneed toprove themselvesas rebelsand risk-takersand this effort to get alongwith others can trigger thetemptationtousedrugsandalcohol.

Toreducetheriskofteenagersgivingintopeerpressuretousesubstances,theyneedtobesupportedtodevelopconfidenceandpositiveself-esteem.

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availabilityofdrugsandalcohol,astheycannowgooutandbuysubstances.Opportunitiestouseincrease,becausetheycangotoplaceswherethereislessadultsupervision.

Sincedrugsmightberelativelyeasytoobtain,theymaybemorewillingtotrycertainsubstances.Theysolelyfocusonthegoodfeelingsanddonotconsiderthenegativeconsequencesofsubstanceabuse.Theyareyoungandimmatureandtheconstantmessagethatdrugsarebadforthem,increasetheircuriosity.Horrorstoriesaboutaddictsdyingingutterstendtohavelittleimpactonteensandtheirdrughabits.

Emotional and Psychological conditions

Emotionalpain isacommoncauseforsubstanceabuseandcanstemforvariousdifferentsources. Teenagers who have experienced some form of trauma or have been abusedwhen theywereyounger,haveahigher riskofbecomingaddicted than thosewhohavenotexperiencedthis.Itisimportanttonotethattraumaisexperiencedindividuallyandwhatcanbeexcessively traumaticforonepersoncan leaveno impressiononanother. Further,abusecomesinmanyforms,notjustsexualorphysical,butemotionalandspiritualabusecanleavesignificantemotionalscars.Teenagersareinvariablynotequippedtodealwithboththenormalpainofadolescenceandthisadditionalemotionalpain,andfindrunningfromornumbingthepainwithdrugsaneasieralternativetodealingwithit.

Psychologicalconditionscandevelop inanypersonand is known tobe the rootcause inmanycasesofaddiction.Withtheesteemissuesrelatedtoadolescenceandtheneedtofitin,manyteenagersdonotacknowledgetheirpsychologicalconditionsandprefertoself-medicatewithsubstancesinstead,ultimatelycausingmoreharm.Parentsareadvisedtobeawareofandwatchforsignsofmentalhealthissuesandbeequippedtotakemeasurestofindappropriatehelpwhenneeded.Stress

Transition

Adolescence is naturally one of the biggest transitions humansgo through in their lives. Starting and ending puberty are twoof themost significant stagesdevelopmental stages inour livesandneed tobemanagedcarefully. Parentsgettingdivorcedandmovinghouseorschoolsareotherverysignificanttransitionsina teenager’s life. Any formofchangecancauseemotionalupheaval,whichcanmakesubstanceabusetempting.

It is difficult to predict how transitions will influence specificteenagers. We are all individuals and we all react differentlyto change. Some teenagers may find adapting to changeverydifficultandwillfindittemptingtotryalcoholand/orothersubstancestodealwiththefear,anxietyandconcerns. Otherswillbeexcitedbychangeandusesubstancestoenhancethosefeelings.

Availability

Partofbeingateenagerisgainingmorefreedomandmobility.With this increased freedom of movement, comes the rise of

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Modernteenagerslivestressfullives.Thedemandsontheirtimeandenergyarevastandtheneedtoperformissignificant.Manyteensfeelill-equippedwithinthemselvesand,withthefamilystructureofbrokenhomesbeingprevalent,manydonothavethenecessarysupportsystemtoseethemthroughthesestressors. Theyenduphavingtomakeverydifficultandsignificantdecisionson their own,which increase their stress levelsanddrugsbecomeanoptiontoreduceorescapefromthesestressors.

Fun

Manyteenagersseeexperimentingwithdrugsasnothingbutjustfunanddonotconsidertherisks.Theymayexperienceboredomandfindtheuseofillicitdrugsexciting.Theyarecuriousandbelievethattheyarebeingspecialanddifferentbyhavingthistypeoffun.

Thetypeofdrugsmostcommonlyusedbyteenagersvarywidely depending on their location and their financialstanding, but some drugs are generally more popularamongstteenagers.Ifweknowwhatsubstancesarebeingabused,thenitiseasiertobeawareofwhatsignstolookforwhenwethinkourteenagersareusingdrugs.

Marijuana

Currentdatashowsthatjustunder40percentofillicitdruguseby teenagers ismarijuanaand research is indicatingthattheabuseinontheincrease.Marijuanaisperceivedasa“lowrisk”drugand,falsely,believedtobenon-addictive.

Marijuanacausespsychologicaldependence,whichisinnowaylessdangerousordamagingthanphysicaladdiction.Teenagersdonotseeitasdangerousandaremorewillingtotryit.

If you suspect that your teen is using or has become addicted to marijuana, be onthe lookout for an increased use of eye drops or constant red and irritable eyes;isolation from friends and family; a drop in interest in personal hygiene; a rise inabsenteeism from school; severe memory and learning problems; involvementin criminal activities and the onset of psychiatric symptoms, like psychotic states. For more information see: http://wedorecover.com/addiction/addiction-types/cannabis-addiction-treatment.html

Synthetic marijuana

Syntheticmarijuanaisanydesignerdrugthatmimicstheeffectsofmarijuana.Itisoftentermed“spiceproducts”andsoldunderbrandnameslikeK2andSpice.Itis,asitsnamesuggests,synthetic,andproducenegativeresultsindrugtestsandisillegalinmostcountries.

3. Typesofdrugsmostcommonlyusedbyteenagers

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“Ifweknowwhatsubstancesarebeingabused, then it iseasier tobeawareofwhatsigns to look for when wethinkourteenagersareusingdrugs.”

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Therisksassociatedwiththeuseofsyntheticmarijuana isahugeconcern,as it is lacedwith dangerous chemicals and the healthrisksarenotfullyunderstoodyet.Itsshorttermeffectsareveryunpredictable,rangingfromeuphoria,tonausea,vomiting,increasedheartrateandextremeincreasein blood pressure. In the longer term, itcouldcausekidneydamageandthebodymay become “frozen”, where the personbecomes statue-like and everything shutsdown.Italsomayprecipitatepsychosisandinsomecasesitmayprolongthepsychosis.Teenagers assume it to be less dangerousthanmarijuana,becauseitissynthetic,butwhatmakesitsodangerousistheinconsistentchemicals that are usedwhen creating it.Likemarijuana,itleadstomentaladdiction,whichmaybecomephysical,asaresultofthechemicals.

Nyaope

This isadrug that isbecoming thedrugofchoice among thousands of teenagers,specifically, South Africans, where its

consumptionistwicetheworldnorm.Itisadeadlymixofmarijuanaandcheapheroin.A major attraction to this drug is that it isinexpensive.Toincreasethehighandmakeitlastlonger,bicarbonateof soda,poolcleanerorevenRattexaremixedintoit.Teenagerswhousenyaope are three times more likely to beinvolved in violent crimes than those usingotherdrugs.Nayopegivestheuserarushorfeeling of euphoria or when heavier dosesareused,itcausesdrowsinessandfeelingsofbeingrelaxed.Theheroininitcausesextremephysical dependence and contributes toaddicts constantly wanting to use strongermixtures.

Prescription medication

One of the most common prescriptiondrugsabusedbyteenagers isAdderall. It isprescribed forADHDandnarcolepsyand iseasilyavailable.Itsabuseissometimesrelatedtoalegitimatemedicalcondition.Itimpairsthinkingandreactionsandgenerallynumbsalertness.Anothercommonprescriptiondrugthat gets abused by teenagers is Vicodin.It is an opiate drug, mostly prescribed forpain,whichmakesiteasilyavailable.Somepeople develop tolerance, meaning thattheyneedmoreandmoretogetthesameeffect,whichcouldbethecauseforvariousandnumerousillegalactivities.Thetolerancetoitseuphoriceffectsdevelopsfastandthatadds to itsdanger. Ahighdoseofopiatescancausecardiacorrespiratoryarrestthatcan result in death. Theyare trying to gethigherand(accidentally)overdose.

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Extreme mood swings

Teenagersarenaturallypronetomoodswings,butextremeandsuddenchanges in theirmoods,frombeingdeliriouslyhappyonemomenttodepressedandwithdrawnthenextandeveninafitofrageafewmomentslater,maybeasignthattheyareabusingsubstances.

Poof performance at school

A teenagerwhoperformedwell oraverageat schoolandwhosegrades suddenlydropsignificantly,maybehavingadrugoralcoholproblem. If there isalsoachange in theirattitudetowardschool,thentheredflagisupandsubstanceabuseshouldbeinvestigated.

Changes in health

Thewaysinwhichdrugoralcoholabusecanaffectsomeone’shealthisvast,butlookoutforasignificantchangeisappetite.Somedrugscauseanincreaseinappetite,whileotherssuppressit.Thesuddenonsetofgastricdisorders,digestiveproblemsandulcersarecommonsideeffectsoftheabuseofmanysubstancesandmightbesignsworthlookinginto.Afurtherwarningsignalisasignificantchangeintheteenager’ssleepingpattern.

Signs in the home

Someofthefirstsignsofteenagealcoholordrugabusearemissingalcoholicbeveragesfromthedrinkscabinetorthedisappearanceofmedicationfromthemedicinechest.Ifyoufindunexplainedemptycontainersaroundthehomeorgarden,thenthereisreasonforconcern.If the teenager suddenly starts to smokecigarettesopenly, there is evenmore reason toinvestigate.

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Donottakeit lightly ifsomeonetellsyouthatyourchild is drinking or using drugs. Do yourself, andyourchild,afavourandlookinto it. Thefollowingarepotentialwarningsignsthatyourchildmaybeusingsubstances:theysuddenlydevelopaneedforextracashforunexplainedorunclearreasons;theirspeechslur;theystagger;theirpupilshavechangedortheireyesarebloodshot.Ifthereisapatternofseveralofthesewarningsigns,actionisnecessary.Although the signs of drug and alcohol use varybetween individuals and differ greatly becauseof thearrayofdrugs thatcanbeused, therearesomesymptomsofsubstanceabusethatcanraiseparents’andfriends’ suspicion in timetofindhelpbeforeitistoolate.

4. Signsthatteenagersmaybeusingdrugsoralcohol

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New friends

Itiscommonforteenagers,oncetheystartusingordrinking,tosuddenlyturntheirbacksontheiroldfriendsandstarthangingoutwithotherteens,normallyolderthanthemselves,whoalsouseanddrink.Ifyoususpectthatthepeoplewhomtheyarefriendswithabusedrugs,thenitisasignthatyourchildmightbedoingittoo.

Change in attitude

Ifagenerallycompliantteenagersuddenlydevelopsproblemswithauthorityfigures,showssignsofdishonestyorstartshavingtroublewiththelaw,thenwemaybedealingwithpossiblesubstanceabuse.Watchoutforabruptillogicalchangingattitudestowardanti-drugoranti-alcoholprogramsormaterials.

The devil hides in the details

Beawarethatthefollowingthingsarealsotell-talesignsofpossibledrugoralcoholabuse:alossininterestinpersonalhygiene;suddenandconsistentuseofbreathmintsorchewinggum;extremechangesintheirhairstyleorchoiceofclothingandchangesinthewaytheymoveoruseoflanguage.

Theriskofteenagersdevelopinganaddictionishigherthanforadults.Itisthusimperative,whenateenagerisabusingdrugsoralcohol,evenifaphysicaloremotionaldependencehasnotdevelopedyet,thathelpissoughtsoonerratherthanlater.Overthepastyears,themedicalcommunityhasrecognisedthatteenagerscannotbetreatedthesameasadults,because their reasons for usingandassociatedcomplications aredifferent than thoseofadults.Youngpeoplecanbeunsafeinadultgroups,asemotionalandsexualthingscanbeproblematicandleadtoabuseandtrauma,theywillmostprobablyjustfeeluncomfortableandnotopenup.Ifstaffarenottrainedandequippedtodealwiththedevelopmentneedsofteenagers,theymayuseinappropriatetechniquesandcausemoredamage.Adolescentsdonotrespondwelltoapproachesthatareeffectiveforadults.

Fortunatelyparentsarenowinapositionwheretheycanselectoptionsspecificallydesignedforteens,mostlybasedontheintensityandthedurationofthesubstanceabuse.

5.Whattodoifyourteenagerisabusingdrugsoralcohol

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• Early intervention is always thebest. It is recommendedthat parents intervene as soon as they know that their teen isusingordrinking,evenifaddictionisnotpresentyet.Remember,anyformofdrugandalcoholuseisillegalandplacetheteeninadangeroussituationwiththelaw.Theearliestformofinterventionisfortheteentoseeadrugcounsellor,inordertogettothereasonfortheuseandtopreventtheusetoescalateintoaddiction.• Outpatienttreatment:Theteenisallowedtoattendschoolandwillengagewiththerecoveryprogramonlyafewtimesa

week.Thisisappropriateforteenagerswithmildaddictions,asexposingteenswithminordrugproblemstoolderteenswithmoresevereissues,canexacerbatetheproblem.Contagionwithbehavioursandattitudesisstillanissueatthatageandstaffmustbetrainedtodealwiththis.• Intensiveoutpatienttreatment:Thistypeoftreatmentallowstheteentostayathome,butitinvolvesalotofsessionsperweekandanintenseinvolvementintherecoveryprocess.Thisisapplicableforteenagerswithmoreseriousproblems.• Dual-diagnosisinpatienttreatment:Thistypeoftreatmentisappropriateforteenagerswithsevereaddictions,wheretherearepossibleassociatedmedical risks involved. Properassessmentofthepersonbeforetreatmentisimperative,asitwilldeterminewhethertherearementalillness,likedepression,anxietyorADHDinvolved,whichcouldbedrivingtheaddiction.Nearlyhalfofteenswithdrugproblemshaveadditionalpsychiatricconditions,whichneedtobeaddressedwiththeaddictionproblemtomaketreatmentviable.• Long-termresidentialtreatment:Thistypeoftreatmentisgenerallyrecommendedforintenseaddiction,withtheinvolvementofcriminalactivities.Itisnormallyforlongerperiodsandtheteensneedtostayintheprogramsforthatperiodoftime.Harshtherapeuticstylesmustbeguardedagainst.Punitivestyletreatmentprogramsshouldbeavoided.Psychologicalandgrowingneurobiologicalevidenceprove thathumans,especially teenagers, respondbettertoreward-basedincentivesystemsthantopunishment.

Prevention isalwaysandstaysbetter thancure. Ithasbeenproven that teenswhohaveconstantandhealthycommunicationwiththeirparentsandtherestoftheirfamilies,havealowerriskoffallingintodrugandalcoholabuse.Itisstronglyrecommendedthatfamiliestalkhonestlyandopenlyabouttheirfeelingsandthechallengesthatteenagersfacedaily: likepeerpressure,sex,teenpregnancy,self-esteemandsubstanceabuse.Allowyourteenagertopartakeindevelopingfamilyrulesandempowerthemtomakechoicesrelevanttotheirage.Teensneedtofeellovedandtrustedandthosewhodosoarelesslikelytoturntodrugsand/oralcoholtofillthosegapsandgetintorecoverysooneroncetheydostartusing.

If your teenager refuses treatment,donotdespair. The incorrectassumptionprevails thatsomeonemustvoluntarilysubmittotreatmentforittobeasuccess.Thefactisthatoutcomesdonotappeartoberelatedtopre-treatmentlevelsofmotivation.Youcanforceyourteentosubmittotreatment.Aninterventionisoneofthebestwaystohelpyourlovedonetogofortreatment.Itisameetingofthefamilyandfriends,eventeachersandotherconcernedindividuals,duringwhichthesoleaimistoconvincethepersonthattheirusingordrinkinghasreachedastagewhenhelpisnecessary.

Fordetailedinformationonhowtostageasuccessfulintervention,DownloadourInterventionGuide.

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6. Differenttreatmentapproaches

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“Teenagersarestillinthemiddleoftheirphysical and mental development,which makes it necessary to involvedifferent strategies when dealing withthem,asopposedtodealingwithadults”

Theservicesofferedinadolescenttreatmentprogramsareverymuchinlineforthoseofferedforadults,butthedifferenceliesinhowthestrategyisapproachedandapplied.Asmentionedbefore,teenagersandadultshavedifferentreasonsforabusingdrugsandalcohol.Treatmentprogramthatdonotthoroughlyengagewiththeseunderlyingmotivesforusingareboundtofail.Teenagersarestillinthemiddleoftheirphysicalandmentaldevelopment,whichmakesitnecessaryto involvedifferentstrategieswhendealingwiththem,asopposedtodealingwithadults.

Individual counselling

Individualcounselling is thecommongroundbetweenall treatmentprograms. It isaimedtohelpidentifythecausesofthesubstanceabuseandittakestheformoftheteenmerelytalkingtoatrainedcounsellor.Therearemanydifferentstylesandapproachestocounselling,buttheendresultisthatthecounsellorattemptstoidentifytherootcauseoftheaddiction,sothatanappropriatetreatmentprogramcanbedesignedforthespecificclient.

Cognitive and alternative therapies

Cognitive therapy involves the locating and revising negative thoughts, perceptions andbeliefsandprovidingwaystoavoidthem.Thesetypeoftherapiesmaybeusedifandwhenappropriate,dependingonthespecificsituation.Aftertheinitialcounselling,andtakingthecauseof the substanceabuseand the individualbeingdealtwith intoconsideration, thetreatmentteamwilldecideonthebestwaytodealwitheachcase.

Family therapy

Familyinvolvementintherapyisnormallyrecommendedanditisakeycomponentofanyqualitytreatmentprogram-butevenmoresowhereteenagersareinvolved.Itgivesthemthe home environment they need to feel supported, while overcoming their substanceabuse.Itgivesbetterinsightintoaddictionandeducatethefamilyontheirrolestoensurethat their teensdevelopathoroughrecoveryplan. Thegoalof thefamilycounsellingwilldiffer,dependingonthereasonforthedruguse.

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Drugtrendsaroundtheworldarechanging.Moreteenagersaretryingdrugsthanbefore,theyarestartingatayoungerageandthetypesofdrugstheyusearemoreaddictive.

Tellingyourteenagerthatdrugskill isnotaneffectivescaretactic.Theyseemorepeopleusingdrugscasuallyandnotbeingimpactedseriously, than seeing deaths. This makesthemdiscardthewarningsentirely.

Weneedtoengagewithour teenagersonaregularandhealthylevelandbeawareofthesymptomsofdrugandalcoholuse.Wemust not hesitate to take immediate anddecisiveaction.Ourchildren’slivesdependonouractions.

12.Conclusion

For more information on how to get your teen into a rehab, call us now and we will happily assist in finding the best treatment

available.

Please call 082-747-3422 in South Africa or 0800-955-4357 from the UK.

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