Do you have a kid at home who is on prescription meds? What are your rules around access to and unsupervised use of these pharmaceuticals? Your rules and attention to your child’s use of their own medication could be the difference between a properly medicated child or an addict, or even worse, life and death.…
According to a report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), an alarming number of adolescents are using drugs, alcohol and cigarettes on any average day. The report provides the following statistics about daily adolescent substance use. On an average day, 881,684 kids age 12 – 17 smoked cigarettes On an average day, 646,707…
A recent online survey by Partnership at Drugfree.org shows that parents who support the legalization of marijuana expect strict rules around the use of the drug to protect kids. According to USA Today, the survey reached – 1,603 adults, 1,200 of whom are parents of kids ages 10-19. About 35% of parents favored legalizing marijuana for recreational…
Peer pressure can cause good kids to make bad choices. Here are 8 ways to support your teen in making good decisions when faced with peer pressure. Frequently we hear how a teen used to be such a nice kid until they started hanging out with so-and-so. Yes, the wrong crowd. Everyone knows about the wrong crowd. We’re…
Parents don’t intentionally encourage their teen to use drugs or alcohol, but some of their actions can do this without meaning to. Here’s a list of 5 ways you may be encouraging your teen to use drugs or alcohol without realizing it: When a teenager starts using drugs, the finger-pointing begins. The first to get…
Memorial Day is nearly upon us, how will you spend the holiday? For so many people, Memorial Day has become just another US holiday that is all about drinking and partying. The long weekend in conjunction with the beginning of summer is great reason to celebrate, but for many people that means getting really drunk…
Underage drinking is a bigger issue with our children than most parents realize. No one wants to think about their kids using drugs or alcohol and having conversations around substance abuse with children is uncomfortable and difficult. It’s scary to think about these things so how can we go about discussing them with the kids…
It’s that time of year, kids are studying for and taking finals in preparation for the end of the school year and summer break. There is so much pressure around grades and getting into a good college and many students are are going to risky lengths to make sure they do the best they can.…
An important story from the New York Times that all parents should take time to read. Don’t keep your child’s addiction a secret, ask for support for yourself and for them. Almost two years ago my wife and I became aware that our 22-year-old son, William, was using heroin. At the time he was already…
Do you think your teenager may have a drinking problem? An alarming number of young people are alcoholics, if you feel your teen may be abusing alcohol, don’t ignore your intuition. You can get them help today. Facing teen alcoholism can be difficult for any family. Even when the teen who is abusing alcohol is ready and…