Inside (34 articles)
Considering residential rehab treatment for your teenager? First read this warning-sign checklist to spot and avoid dangerous or ineffective programs.
What are the real marijuana risks for teens? Regular moderate marijuana use won’t do an adult much harm, but it will harm a teenager. Brain development continues through adolescence. If you smoke marijuana regularly during certain key periods of adolescence, you pay a lifetime price. Parents – get your son or daughter to just delay marijuana use to the age of 21 and save them from a host of permanent cognitive impairments.
Don’t wait for your son or daughter to come to their senses - teens almost never self-recognize addiction and they rarely ask for help. Learn why they can’t see the truth and why this matters when picking treatment.
The 5 most common reasons why adolescents use drugs or alcohol - Until you understand the motivation behind the drug use it’s hard to respond appropriately.
Is your son or daughter smoking marijuana? Learn the signs of marijuana use and be ready to spot a problem before it gets out of hand.
Smoke marijuana? Got 2 minutes to spare for a self test? If so, answer yes or no to 12 questions to make sure you don’t have a marijuana problem.
So many options - outpatient, intensive outpatient, residential, high intensity residential…how are parents supposed to know what’s needed? Here’s a brief explanation of the different American Society of Addiction Medicine Adolescent Levels of Care with case study examples to illustrate.
What do the experts suggest? Learn about the ideal values that drive effective adolescent treatment (teens aren’t just mini-adults) and learn the essential questions you need to ask to get the right care for your son or daughter.
Learn more about how trauma and substance abuse co-exist, the importance of trauma-sensitive care (and where to find it) and what parents can do on their own at home to help.
Your drug and alcohol using roommate disrupts your studies. What should you do? Here are 3 ways to handle this situation.
Imagine you promised to keep a teen friend's secret about cutting or or another form of self harm...should you really stay quiet? No, you shouldn't. Here's what you need to do and why.
Children with ADHD face a variety of challenges when they first leave home. What can parents do if they start to see signs of substance abuse in their newly independent young adult children?
With the rise in adolescent marijuana use and the movement to legalize the drug there is a need to take a careful look at the consequences legalization might have on our youth. Recent evidence show the danger of long term irreversible cognitive damage. Steps need to be taken to prevent legal development from harming our young citizens.
Once you decide your adolescent needs addiction treatment, the next vital step is determining what level of care is required. Read on to learn more about the 6 factors professionals consider when deciding on an appropriate level of care.
OK – you’ve caught your son or daughter drinking or using drugs – now what? Well, the first thing you need to do is make sure they don’t repeat their mistakes and keep using or drinking, and if they can’t or won’t stop, then you need to get them some help. So after catching them experimenting with substance use, what’s really important is that you monitor their activities so that you’ll know right away if they continue to use or drink. Here are 5 ways to do just that.
You can't force authentic change and you can't control a person's true thoughts and motivations...so maybe you shouldn't even try. Does your adolescent son or daughter need substance abuse treatment or treatment for co-occurring disorders? If so, you may want to look at treatment programs or counselors using the Seven Challenges Program, an evidence based treatment program which encourages honest communication to foster an authentic motivation for change. Read on to learn more about this clinically tested teen program which is now in use in hundreds of facilities nationwide.
Want to know if your teenage son or daughter has a problem with alcohol or drugs? Ask them 6 easy questions and if they answer yes to 2 or more, they may very well have a problem
So you catch your teen son or daughter drinking and you learn that it’s been going on for a while. What do you do now? Do they need treatment or just punishment? Is it normal? Is it a big deal?!! Get started on answering these questions by comparing your teen’s age and drinking habits to the NIAAA criteria for low, moderate and high risk teen drinking.
A little tension is normal in the parent-teen relationship, but when your teen suffers from addiction and loses control over their actions, relations in the family can get pretty damaged in a hurry. Here are 8 parenting tips on raising a child with addiction to happy and healthy adulthood while maintaining some peace in the household.
Statistically speaking, your teen son or daughter is more likely than not to use drugs or alcohol well before finishing high school. By knowing when your child is most exposed to drugs and alcohol and most likely to try experimenting you may be able to prevent or minimize the extent of that experimentation. Read on to find out more about the stages of adolescence that are associated with the greatest likelihood of drug and alcohol use.
Despite a lot of media hype over teen sexting, research suggests that most teens don’t do it.
A series of questions that will tell you what you need to know to make an educated decision, and choose the best wilderness program for your troubled teen.
You can't manipulate nature, but if you don't respect her, there are consequences. Wilderness programs can teach troubled teens to be accountable, responsible and self determined.
When your worst fears are confirmed, and when you do find your son or daughter experimenting with marijuana...what can you do and how can you get them to stop?
A parent's guide to marijuana, hash and hash oil, and how teens are smoking these drugs.
The younger and harder that kids start drinking, the greater their eventual risk for alcoholism.
College can be a lot of fun, hopefully educational and also very dangerous. The college years are a very high risk period for the development of alcoholism or drug addiction, and although many college students would benefit greatly from early intervention and treatment; very few ever get help.
Not knowing is the worst...and drug tests promise parents the peace of mind that comes with certainty; but drug tests do come with some risks attached, and before you initiate a family testing policy you first need to get educated and informed.
Depression in teens more than doubles the risks of substance abuse and dependency. Learn how to spot it, and what to do if your teen is depressed.
Nothing beats the devastation of a crystal meth addiction, and parents need to keep kids safe from this very addictive menace. Here's what to look for; and if you see any warning signs of meth use, don't wait for tomorrow...take action TODAY.
With addiction and drug abuse teens are at risk for a host of peripheral social problems, including suicide, violence, mental health difficulties and poor academic performance. Get educated about the risks facing your teen, and learn what really helps if there is a problem.
A recent survey indicates that the majority of parents are not speaking with their kids about the dangers of prescription medications, and that they also don't perceive that prescription medications present as much of a risk to their kids as do illicit or street drugs.
Earning a reputation as a notorious party school does little to enhance the prestige of an institution, but reactions to these persistent reputations vary drastically between colleges. Some schools have enacted fundamental policies designed to influence substance use, while others have offered little more than lip service reactions.
It seems that the higher rates of depression in teenaged girls compared to teenaged boys are largely a function of substance use and abuse. How can parents recognize when the moodiness of adolescence may actually be abuse caused depression?