Honoring Children of Alcoholics Week
by Sue Scheff on Feb 08, 2012
February 12-18 is designated to honor children of alcoholics.
An estimated 25 percent of all children in the United States are affected by or exposed to a family alcohol problem. SAMHSA supports the National Association for Children of Alcoholics (NACoA) during its Children of Alcoholics (COA) Week. COA Week celebrates the recovery of the many thousands of children (of all ages) who have received the help they needed to recover from the pain and losses suffered in their childhood, and it offers hope to those still suffering from the adverse impact of parental alcohol and drug addiction.
During COA Week, we acknowledge the millions of children affected by a parent’s substance use disorder and celebrate that there is hope and healing for these children now and throughout their lives. This week—and throughout the year—remember to ask, “What about the children?” when speaking about recovery from substance use disorders.
You can support Children of Alcoholics Week 2012 by visiting their site for more information.
About NAcoA (National Association for Children of Alcoholics):
The people hurt most by drugs and alcohol don’t even use them; they are the CHILDREN of alcoholics and other drug dependent parents.
The National Association for Children of Alcoholics (NACoA) believes that none of these vulnerable children should grow up in isolation and without support. NACoA is the national nonprofit 501 (c) 3 membership and affiliate organization working on behalf of children of alcohol and drug dependent parents.
Our mission is to eliminate the adverse impact of alcohol and drug use on children and families.
• We work to raise public awareness.
• We provide leadership in public policy at the national, state, and local levels.
• We advocate for appropriate, effective and accessible education and prevention services.
• We facilitate and advance professional knowledge and understanding.
To help in these efforts, we:
• have affiliate organizations throughout the country, and in Great Britain, Germany, and Canada
• publish periodic online and print newsletters
• create videos, booklets, posters and other educational materials to assist natural helpers to intervene and support children
• host this site on the Internet with information about and ways to help children of alcoholics and other drug dependent parents.
• send information packets to all who ask, and
• maintain a toll-free phone available to all.
It’s the innocent children (1 in 4 under the age of 18) who suffer when their parents abuse alcohol and other drugs. The worst part is, they can’t help themselves. But you can. Join us in our critical work for these vulnerable children. Email or call us (toll-free) at 1-888-554-COAS to learn more about their daily plight and what small steps can be taken to make a great difference in their lives.
Join them on Facebook.
Tags: Alcoholic parents, Alcoholism, Children of Alcoholics, Drinking abuse, NAcoA, Parenting, Parenting Resources, Parenting Teens, Parents drinking, SAMSHA, Teen Drinking, Teen Help
Addictions: Breaking the Generational Curse
by Sue Scheff on Nov 09, 2011
Addicts. Addiction. Intervention. Rehab. Teen help. Therapy. Wit’s end.
We live in a world that has become more difficult than generations prior. The stress levels, the economy, job loss, losing homes, and even losing loved ones to suicide – bullying – or addiction; when does it end?
Guest writer, Christine Kane, gives us some great insights to consider about the generational curse:
What is a generational curse? Well, what is a curse? First of all, we’re not talking about some voodoo, spirituality thing. Curses are real. They are bad habits and wrong thinking. No one curses you; you curse yourself. Or, in the case of generational curses, your family curses you. But curses are not indestructible. They are not eternal or unavoidable. There are ways to break a generational curse.
Let’s talk examples. What are some generational curses that are common? Alcoholism, child abuse, drug addition, spouse abuse, inappropriate sexual urges, laziness, selfishness, divorce. There are many, many more. If your family has no history of this, if you are the only one with these problems, then you are not under a generational curse. However, if your family has a background in these, you are under a generational curse. What do I mean by that?
A generational curse is part nature and part nurture. Your DNA comes from your parents. They decide your color, your race, your hair, your height, and your health. They also affect your disposition and behaviors. How you are raised marks you just as much as whom you were born from. Not only are you born with certain tendencies, you are raised to accept or reject them.
But you’re an adult now. How you were raised doesn’t affect who you are now, right? Wrong. If you don’t comprehend that who you are now is linked to who your family is, you will never be able to break free of the curse. A generational curse is powerful because it is pervasive. If your parents did it, if your aunts and uncles and cousins did it, then it is no longer abnormal or appalling when you do it. It is just a normal part of life. That is how curses work. They trick you into believing they are ordinary, typical, or inevitable. But they are not.
So, how can you break a generational curse? First admit your own participation. Claim your own rebellion, repent of your own contribution. But you don’t want to do that. You want to claim that you’re just like your mother, so it’s not really your fault. Well, okay then, your kids are going to end up just like her, too. You are an adult now. Claim your own involvement in the curse so that you can overcome it. You can’t overcome what you won’t face.
Second, confess your family’s involvement. You will get nowhere by covering up the past. You must dig up the who and why and how and bring it to light. Even if the contributors are long dead and gone, the curse must be brought to the light so that it can be wiped away. It might be from your grandfather or great-grandfather, but it must be exposed and confessed. Only once the source is exposed will the curse be broken. The issue is not whether they are alive, but is their curse alive?
Generational curses can be huge. They can affect entire groups and races of people. They have affects in slavery and prejudice and family structure and it goes so, so deep. Entire countries can be based on generational curses and the problems that accompany them. So never think you are alone in this. This is not easy. You are breaking a chain; a chain that can have many, many links.
Author Bio
This Guest post is by Christine Kane from internet service providers, she is a graduate of Communication and Journalism. She enjoys writing about a wide-variety of subjects for different blogs. She can be reached via email at: Christi.Kane00@ gmail.com.
Join me on Facebook and follow me on Twitter for more information and educational articles on parenting today’s teenagers.
Tags: Addiction, Addicts, At Risk Teens, Parenting, parenting advice, Parenting Blogs, Parenting Resources, Parenting Teens, Teen Addictions, Teen Addicts, Teen Depression, Teen Drinking, Teen drug addiction, Teen Help, Troubled Teens
Teens, Kids and DRUGS: Is it MIND OVER MATTER?
by Sue Scheff on Nov 07, 2011
NIDA (National Institute on Drug Abuse) has created an extremely informative and educational website to keep parents, teachers, teens and kids informed on substances and all forms or mind altering drugs that are being used today.
Here is a snapshot to learn about the effects of drug abuse on the body and the brain.
Anabolic Steroids – Anabolic steroids are artificial versions of a hormone that’s in all of us — testosterone. Some people take anabolic steroid pills or injections to try to build muscle faster.
Cocaine – Cocaine is made from the leaf of the coca plant. It often comes in the form of a white powder that some people inhale through their nose. Another form of cocaine, known as crack, can be smoked.
Hallucinogens – Hallucinogens cause people to experience – you guessed it – hallucinations, imagined experiences that seem real.
Inhalants – Hair spray, gasoline, spray paint — they are all inhalants, and so are lots of other everyday products. Some people inhale the vapors on purpose.
Marijuana – You may have heard it called pot, weed, grass, ganja or skunk, but marijuana by any other name is still a drug that affects the brain.
Methamphetamine – Methamphetamine comes in many different forms and is snorted, swallowed, injected, or smoked. Methamphetamine can cause lots of harmful things, including inability to sleep, paranoia, aggressiveness, and hallucinations.
Opiates – Maybe you’ve heard of drugs called heroin, morphine or codeine. These are examples of opiates. If someone uses opiates again and again, his or her brain is likely to become dependent on them.
Prescription Drug Abuse – Abuse is when someone takes a prescription drug without a doctor’s prescription or in a way or amount that is different from what was prescribed. Abuse of prescription drugs can have serious and harmful health effects, including poisoning and even death.
Tobacco Addiction – When tobacco is smoked, nicotine is absorbed by the lungs and quickly moved into the bloodstream, where it is circulated throughout the brain.
Teacher’s Guide – The Teacher’s Guide is used in combination with the magazines in the series to promote an understanding of the physical reality of drug use, as well as curiosity about neuroscience.
Tags: drug facts, marijuana, NIDA, parenting advice, Parenting Blogs, Parenting Teens, Parenting Tips, Smoking Pot, Substance Abuse, Teen Drug Abuse, Teen Drug Use, Teen Help, Teen Issues, Troubled Teens
Ecstasy: What is it? Is your teen using it?
by Sue Scheff on Oct 31, 2011
Does it start with marijuana? Advance to pills? On to needles?
There can be so many different paths your teen can take to the road to addiction, but the one path they need to realize is they don’t need to start to begin with. Understanding the risks and dangers is the beginning of teaching prevention.
October 31st through November 6th is National Drug Facts Week.
This is an opportunity to shatter the myths about drug and substance abuse as well as become an educated parent and build a stronger drug-free community.
What is ecstasy?
“Ecstasy” is a slang term for MDMA, short for 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine, a name that’s nearly as long as the all-night parties where MDMA is often used. That’s why MDMA has been called a “club drug.” It has effects similar to those of other stimulants, and it often makes the person feel like everyone is his or her friend, even when that’s not the case.
MDMA is man-made—it doesn’t come from a plant like marijuana does. Other chemicals or substances—such as caffeine, dextromethorphan (found in some cough syrups), amphetamines, PCP, or cocaine—are sometimes added to, or substituted for, MDMA in Ecstasy tablets. Makers of MDMA can add anything they want to the drug, so its purity is always in question.
What Are the Common Street Names?
There are a lot of slang words for MDMA. “Ecstasy” is one of the most common. You might also hear “E,” “XTC,” “X,” “Adam,” “hug,” “beans,” “clarity,” “lover’s speed,” and “love drug.”
How Is It Used?
Most people who abuse MDMA take a pill, tablet, or capsule. These pills can be different colors, and sometimes have cartoon-like images on them. Some people take more than one pill at a time, called “bumping.”
How Many Teens Use It?
According to a 2010 NIDA-funded study, over the past 10 years smart young teens have turned their backs on MDMA. Since 2001, the percentage of 8th graders who have ever tried MDMA dropped from 5.2 percent in 2001 to 3.3 percent in 2010. The drop among 10th graders and 12th graders was similar. However, between 2009 and 2010, some increases were seen in the abuse of MDMA by 8th and 10th graders. For example, past-year use of MDMA increased among 10th graders from 3.7 percent in 2009 to 4.7 percent in 2010. Also, fewer 10th graders saw “great risk” in occasionally using MDMA, which means that they may not understand the health risks of using MDMA as well as they should.
Is MDMA Addictive?
Like other drugs, MDMA can be addictive for some people. That is, people continue to take the drug despite experiencing unpleasant physical side effects and other social, behavioral, and health consequences.
No one knows how many times a person can use a drug before becoming addicted or who’s most vulnerable to addiction. A person’s genes, living environment, and other factors play a role in whether they are likely to become addicted to MDMA.
Learn more – click here.
Join me on Facebook and follow me on Twitter for more information and educational articles on parenting today’s teenagers.
Tags: Addiction, At Risk Teens, Drug Addiction, Ecstasy, MDMA, Parenting, parenting advice, Parenting Blogs, Parenting Teens, Parenting Tips, Teen Drug Use, Teen Help, Teen Help Programs, Teen Issues, Teen Rehab, Teen substance abuse, Troubled Teens
Shatter the Myths of Teen Drug Use: National Drugs Fact Week
by Sue Scheff on Oct 28, 2011
IT’S NOT JUST POT ANYMORE!
When parents share with me that their teen is “only smoking pot” I am dumbfounded that they don’t realize the risk of this statement. Although many don’t like the term, “gateway drug”, it can be absolutely true.
Marijuana is not what it was in the sixty’s. The chances of it being laced with higher levels of PCP or other ingredients that can cause addiction are very good. Don’t be a parent in denial!
What Is It?
Marijuana is a mixture of the dried and shredded leaves, stems, seeds, and flowers of the cannabis sativa plant. The mixture can be green, brown, or gray.
A bunch of leaves seem harmless, right? But think again. Marijuana has a chemical in it called delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, better known as THC. A lot of other chemicals are found in marijuana, too—about 400 of them, many of which could affect your health. But THC is the main psychoactive (i.e., mind altering) ingredient. In fact, marijuana’s strength or potency is related to the amount of THC it contains. The THC content of marijuana has been increasing since the 1970s. For the year 2007, estimates from confiscated marijuana indicated that it contains almost 10 percent THC, on average.
What Are the Common Street Names?
There are many slang terms for marijuana that vary from city to city and from neighborhood to neighborhood. Some common names are: “pot,” “grass,” “herb,” “weed,” “Mary Jane,” “reefer,” “skunk,” “boom,” “gangster,” “kif,” “chronic,” and “ganja.”
How Is It Used?
Marijuana is used in many ways. The most common method is smoking loose marijuana rolled into a cigarette called a “joint” or “nail.” Sometimes marijuana is smoked through a water pipe called a “bong.” Others smoke “blunts”—cigars hollowed out and filled with the drug. And some users brew it as tea or mix it with food.
How Many Teens Use Marijuana?
Some people mistakenly believe that “everybody’s doing it” and use that as an excuse to start using marijuana themselves. Well, they need to check the facts, because that’s just not true. According to NIDA’s 2010 Monitoring the Future study, about 8 percent of 8th graders, 17 percent of 10th graders, and 21 percent of 12th graders had used marijuana in the month before the survey. In fact, marijuana use declined from the late 1990s through 2007, with a decrease in past-year use of more than 20 percent in all three grades combined from 2000 to 2007. Unfortunately, this trend appears to be slowing, and use may even be increasing. Between 2009 and 2010 daily marijuana use increased among 8th, 10th, and 12th graders. In 2010, 6 percent of 12th graders reported using marijuana daily, compared to 5.2 percent in 2009.
What Are the Short-Term Effects of Marijuana Use?
For some people, smoking marijuana makes them feel good. Within minutes of inhaling, a user begins to feel “high,” or filled with pleasant sensations. THC triggers brain cells to release the chemical dopamine. Dopamine creates good feelings—for a short time. But that’s just one effect…
Imagine this: You’re in a ball game, playing out in left field. An easy fly ball comes your way, and you’re psyched. When that ball lands in your glove your team will win, and you’ll be a hero. But, you’re a little off. The ball grazes your glove and hits the dirt. So much for your dreams of glory.
Such loss of coordination can be caused by smoking marijuana. And that’s just one of its many negative effects. Marijuana affects memory, judgment, and perception. Under the influence of marijuana, you could fail to remember things you just learned, watch your grade point average drop, or crash a car.
Also, since marijuana can affect judgment and decision making, using it can cause you to do things you might not do when you are thinking straight—such as engaging in risky sexual behavior, which can result in exposure to sexually transmitted diseases, like HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, or getting in a car with someone who’s been drinking or is high on marijuana.
It’s also difficult to know how marijuana will affect a specific person at any given time, because its effects vary based on individual factors: a person’s genetics, whether they’ve used marijuana or any other drugs before, how much marijuana is taken, and its potency. Effects can also be unpredictable when marijuana is used in combination with other drugs.
THC Affects Brain Functioning
THC is up to no good in the brain. THC finds brain cells, or neurons, with specific kinds of receptors called cannabinoid receptors and binds to them.
Certain parts of the brain have high concentrations of cannabinoid receptors. These areas are the hippocampus, the cerebellum, the basal ganglia, and the cerebral cortex. The functions that these brain areas control are the ones most affected by marijuana.
For example, THC interferes with learning and memory—that is because the hippocampus—a part of the brain with a funny name and a big job—plays a critical role in certain types of learning. Disrupting its normal functioning can lead to problems studying, learning new things, and recalling recent events. The difficulty can be a lot more serious than forgetting if you took out the trash this morning, which happens to everyone once in a while.
Do these effects persist? We don’t know for sure, but as adolescents your brains are still developing. So is it really worth the risk?
Smoking Marijuana Can Make Driving Dangerous
The cerebellum is the section of our brain that controls balance and coordination. When THC affects the cerebellum’s function, it makes scoring a goal in soccer or hitting a home run pretty tough. THC also affects the basal ganglia, another part of the brain that’s involved in movement control.
These THC effects can cause disaster on the road. Research shows that drivers on marijuana have slower reaction times, impaired judgment, and problems responding to signals and sounds. Studies conducted in a number of localities have found that approximately 4 to 14 percent of drivers who sustained injury or death in traffic accidents tested positive for THC.
Marijuana Use Increases Heart Rate
Within a few minutes after inhaling marijuana smoke, an individual’s heart begins beating more rapidly, the bronchial passages relax and become enlarged, and blood vessels in the eyes expand, making the eyes look red. The heart rate, normally 70 to 80 beats per minute, may increase by 20 to 50 beats per minute or, in some cases, even double. This effect can be greater if other drugs are taken with marijuana.
For more information on the long term effects – click here.
Join me on Facebook and follow me on Twitter for more information and educational articles on parenting today’s teenagers.
Tags: At Risk Teens, Drug Abuse, Marijuana dangers, National Drug Facts Week, NIDA, Parenting, parenting advice, Parenting Blogs, Parenting Resources, Parenting Teens, Parenting Tips, Smoking Pot, Struggling Teens, Teen Depression, Teen Drug Use, Teen Help, Teen substance abuse, Teen Substance Use, Troubled Teens
Addiction: “Loved One in Treatment, Now What?”
by Sue Scheff on Sep 11, 2011
Breaking the cycles – stopping what you are doing that isn’t working. Loving your teen to death. Not taking the steps to help your teen, but rather you are loving them to death.
Lisa Frederikson founded Breaking the Cycles – Changing the Conversations in August 2008, following more than forty years of experience with family alcohol abuse and alcoholism, including eight-plus years of research and recovery work unraveling the effects. Her books are here today to help you and your family.
There is a great deal of 21st century brain and addiction-related research now possible thanks to advances in brain imaging technologies. These findings are exploding long-held beliefs about addiction and addiction treatment and the impacts of a loved one’s substance misuse on family members and friends. Loved One In Treatment? Now What! simplifies this research and answers questions, such as:
- What causes addiction? Why do some people become alcoholics or drug addicts and others do not?
- What is “effective” treatment? Is there a difference between treatment and recovery?
- Who among family members and friends can help a loved one get treatment? Or can they?
- What does coping with a loved one’s addiction do to family members and friends, and what is available to help them?
“Loved One In Treatment? Now What! is an outstanding, fact-filled, clear, easy-to-read and understand book aimed at helping friends and family, as well as the medical community, comprehend and approach one of the most baffling conditions that we face today.” Stan Fischman, M.D., Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
“Revolutionary…science-based answers, a checklist of next steps – a must read for anyone dealing with a loved one’s addiction.” Caroll Fowler, M.A., MFT, Addiction Specialist
“…what good is the latest research if it can’t be put to good use? This is one of the few practical guides to recovery tailored specifically for the family – highly recommended!” Gavin DeFreese, discoveringalcoholic.com
Click here to pre-order Loved One In Treatment? Now What!
If You Loved Me, You’d Stop! What You Really Need To Know When Your Loved One Drinks Too Much can help return your life to normal. You’ll learn about the most current brain research on the disease of alcoholism and facts not widely known to the general public about excessive drinking (alcohol abuse). Just 120 pages, this book covers a host of issues, including co-addictions, drunk driving, underage drinking, dual diagnosis, codependency and more. presented against the backdrop of her own experiences, author Lisa Frederiksen offers fresh hope to the more than fifty percent of American adults (and the one in four children) who have a family member who drinks too much.
“…a must-read for anyone whose life has been touched by alcoholism. You’ll never see this addiction in the same light again!” Beth Wilson, Integrative Life Coach and best-selling author of He’s Just No Good For Me: A Guide to Leaving Destructive Relationships
“Neither in my practice nor my own search for answers about alcoholism, excessive drinking and codependency have I found a book like this…” Cherie Zappas Tannenbaum, Nurse Practitioner
Click here to buy If You Loved Me, You’d Stop!
Follow Lisa on Twitter.
Join me on Facebook and follow me on Twitter for more information and educational articles on parenting today’s teenagers.
Tags: Addiction, Alcoholism, Parenting, parenting advice, Parenting Blogs, Parenting Resources, Parenting Teens, Residential Treatment, Substance Abuse, Sue Scheff, Teen Drinking, Teen Drug Use, Teen Help, Teen Help Programs, Underage Drinking
OxyContin Teen Drug Abuse: Don’t Be a Parent in Denial
by Sue Scheff on Sep 07, 2011
This is a serious and deadly drug.
It’s not just pot anymore!
It’s not the pot some parents smoked in college!
It’s not just pills that gave you a quick high or a downer!
Today’s teen drug use is worse than generations prior. Why? The access, the technology, the peer pressure, society, many reasons that all lead to one result: Parents need to take the time to not only educate their teens on they dangers of substance abuse, but also themselves.
What is Oxycontin?
OxyContin is a drug that is administered in pill form. The actual drug name is oxycodone and OxyContin is a brand name for the pills that are produced by Purdue Pharma.
OxyContin is considered a narcotic painkiller and is in a class of drugs called opiates because it contains chemicals called opioids which bind with particular opioid receptors in our brain. Other drugs that are opiates include:
- Heroin
- Codeine
- Vicodin (brand name for a drug with active ingredieant hydrocodone)
- Morphine
- Percodan (also contains oxycodone)
- Percocet (also contains oxycodone)
- Codeine
How OxyContin is Taken
OxyContin is a “time release tablet” that is intended to be taken orally. The “time release” formulation means that it gradually releases the medication over the course of 12 hours.
OxyContin is also widely abused by people who crush the tablet and either:
a) take it intranasally (sniffing or “snorting” it up their nose)
b) take it intravenously (mixing with water and then injecting it into their veins with a needle)
What OxyContin Feels Like
Accounts vary slightly on what taking OxyContin feels like because everyone is different. Most people report a sensation of euphoria and strong sense of well being. There is often a “warm and fuzzy happiness” associated with opiates.
OxyContin Experimentation Has Dangerous Consequences
What OxyContin Withdrawal Feels Like
Unfortunately the euphoric sense of well being is chemically induced and once the drug wears off, there is a sense of irritation and discomfort (often accompanied by a feeling of sadness).
Tolerance and Addiction
As the OxyContin user continues their addiction, their tolerance goes up so that the benefits are less and more of the drug is required to feel the “high.” Conversely the withdrawal symptoms become more pronounced too. The person who is in withdrawal from opiates and is accustomed to using large doses can be in unbearable pain, shaking violently, vomiting and having uncontrollable diarrhea.
What’s tragic about addiction to OxyContin and other opiates is that most users who have habitually been taking the drug for more than a few months report that instead of really feeling “high” from the drug, it is more like feeling “normal.” The drug is obsessively sought out mainly to “maintain” normalcy and prevent the onslaught of unbearable withdrawal symptoms.
The Best of Intentions Gone Awry
OxyContin may have been created with the best of intentions – to kill pain. OxyContin can benefit the person who is in chronic and long lasting pain – perhaps in recovery from a surgery or coping with an injury. That is, if this person is not prone to becoming physically and mentally dependent on the drug.
Unfortunately, OxyContin is incredibly addictive and habit forming. Users who are legitimately prescribed the drug often find themselves reliant upon it in a very short time. This can lead to addictive behaviors like doctor shopping and abusing other medications.
More commonly, users in the United States have been getting hooked on OxyContin without prescription. Many of these users are younger people of high school and college age. OxyContin being a prescription medication may cause it to seem much more innocent than a drug like heroin. Unfortunately both are opiates and produce similar “highs.”
There has been a wave of heroin addiction sweeping the United States in recent years and drugs like OxyContin are very often a gateway. Websites like this are created to raise awareness about the dangers of OxyContin.
Learn more at www.StopOxy.com and follow them on Twitter.
Join me on Facebook and follow me on Twitter for more information and educational articles on parenting today’s teenagers.
Tags: OxyContin Abuse, OxyContin Info, OxyContin Teen Drug Use, Parenting, parenting advice, Parenting Blogs, Parenting Resources, Parenting Teens, Stop OxyContin Abuse, Substance Abuse, Sue Scheff, Teen Drug Use, Teen Help, Teen Issues, Troubled Teens
Loving Your Teen To Death
by Sue Scheff on Aug 26, 2011
Don't be a parent in denial.
After watching Dr. Drew on HLN last evening, as he explained to his guest (a mother) that has a young adult struggling with alcoholism, ‘she can’t save him‘, and having that thought process is not helping him. Only he can help himself. Many parents have a misconception of Tough Love, as Dr. Drew explained. You can literally love your child to death. You can actually do more harm when you believe you are helping or saving your child.
Parent Denial: It Only Hurts Your Teen and Puts Them at Serious Risk
Parents in denial is probably one of the most common threads many teens have while they are smoking a joint or popping a pill – even downing the cough syrup. Many parents think their teen is not the bad child – it is the ones they are hanging with – or simply doesn’t exist.
Being a parent in denial doesn’t help anyone, not even the parent. Since eventually it does catch up with you and you find yourself dealing with a teen that is escalating out of control or worse, on a road to becoming an addict.
We hear these common excuses from parents when they call us for help:
- My teen is so smart! His/her IQ is superior, but they are not working up to their potential. (Also known as, underachieving)
- My teen is so beautiful/handsome – good looking – even has many friends. (Of course, the peer group has changed and you don’t know why.)
- My teen is very athletic! He/she made the varsity team at a young age, has won all sorts of awards, but now has dropped out (or kicked off a team) and has zero interest in this sport. (Major red flag).
- It’s not my kid, it is the kids he/she is hanging out with! (Really, do you understand your teen has free will and is choosing to hang with these kids?)
- It’s only pot! (Really, do you realize that marijuana today is not like generations prior. Marijuana is being laced with higher levels of PCP, as well as even heroin). It is not only pot, it is serious.
The irony of these comments are, they are calling us, Parents’ Universal Resource Experts, for help, but when we recommend resources, many fall back to their “hope and a prayer” that this is only a phase. While some teens do straighten up, most don’t – and the problems get worse.
Typical teen behavior? Maybe, but do you want to risk not getting them help if it is more than typical teen behavior?
Major misconception of parents: Almost all parents that contact us have that next Einstein or Dan Marino (the mother on Dr. Drew last night even used the most common phrase, ‘my son is highly intelligent’, which may be true, but using drugs or other substances is not too smart), but the fact they are either changing friends, smoking pot, not attending classes or school at all, wanting to drop out of school all together and just get a GED, are all signs you are heading down a very negative path. This road usually escalates before it gets better.
As a mother that dealt with a challenging teenage daughter, I know the feeling of facing the fact you can’t do this alone. My daughter was that athlete, she was popular, she was beautiful and I always said – “well, at least she never did drugs.” Boy was I wrong.
Order today!
In my book, Wit’s End! Advice and Resources for Saving Your Out-of-Control Teen, published by Health Communications, Inc, I wrote my thoughts and feelings at the time my daughter was 14 years-old. However when you reach the chapter she wrote, you soon realize that mom (myself) didn’t know it all!
When local therapy isn’t working, you exhausted all your local resources, you have now come to realize an intervention is needed. Residential therapy is a big step, both emotionally and financially.
Another major misconception among parents is they are looking for a Military School or Boot Camp to straighten up their teen.
- Military Schools are a privilege and honor to attend. Your child needs to be accepted usually with an essay of why they want to attend as well as a good GPA. If your teen is forced to attend and gets expelled, you will very likely forfeit your tuition.
- Boot Camps and Wilderness Programs are short term programs that offer short term results (if any at all). Many parents believe that 6-8 weeks is going to resolve a year or more worth of issues. These types of programs are band-aids that quickly fall off shortly after the teen arrives back home. Most Wilderness Programs recommend a Residential Therapy program following their 6-8 weeks. Consistency is key, finding the right program from start to finish has proven most beneficial.
Looking for the best residential program and/or school for your individual teen is challenging. It is critical we don’t place your teen out of their element. Finding the right balance make take time, but it is worth it and can lead to a brighter future for your child.
Learn more about residential programs by visiting http://www.HelpYourTeens.com.
Most importantly, don’t be a parent in denial – be proactive!
I will Blog more about how to find sound residential therapy as well as letting you know, you are not alone!
Join me on Facebook and Twitter for more educational articles. It is about parents helping parents – we are not alone.
Tags: At Risk Teens, Parenting, parenting advice, Parenting Blogs, Parenting Help, Parenting Teens, Struggling Teens, Substance Abuse, Sue Scheff, Teen Drug Abuse, Teen Drug Use, Teen Help, Tough Love, Troubled Teens, Wits End
Grandparents Hold A Key to Keeping Teens Drug Free
by Sue Scheff on Aug 01, 2011
Time to Talk - an initiative from Partnership for a Drug-Free America is always bring us valuable and educational information to keep our kids safe and healthy.
Today’s grandparents do much more than bake cookies. Sixty-eight percent of grandparents see a grandchild every one-to-two weeks and eighty percent of grandparents talk on the phone with their grandchildren at least once every few weeks. According to a national survey conducted in conjunction with the 2000 Census, there are 4.5 million grandparent-headed homes with children under 18 and another 6.1 million grandparents live with and share parental responsibilities for their grandchildren. In other words, grandparents are doing more “parenting” than ever.
While parents are generally recognized as the most important and long-lasting influence on children, grandparents have a close and special bond and often serve as an inspiration to their grandkids. The unique relationship between grandparent and grandchild provides an ideal opening for a discussion about the dangers of drugs and alcohol. Research shows that grandparents are looking for guidance on how to talk to their grandkids about difficult topics. In fact, according to an AARP survey, 54 percent of grandparents would find information about discussing drugs and alcohol somewhat or very useful.
The Partnership for a Drug-Free America offers the following tips for grandparents to keep their grandkids drug-free:
START: It is never too early to prevent your grandchildren from trying drugs and alcohol. Building protective factors — such as letting your grandchild know you care, plays an important role in deterring them from drugs. State your position clearly and often. One of the major reasons teens decide not to use drugs is the fear that their parents or other family members will lose respect for them.
Teens do not want to let down their families.
CONNECT: Take the opportunity to build lines of communication and do things regularly with your grandkids. Spend time together — take a walk with them, read together, play a game, go shopping, go to the movies, a baseball game or go sightseeing together. Use opportunities like family gatherings or inviting your grandchildren to stay over to show that fun doesn’t require drugs.
LISTEN: Take a more active interest in what is going on in your grandchild’s life. Listen to their cares and concerns by fostering family openness and communication. In this way, teens will feel more comfortable to open up to you when they need your advice.
Sour
ce: www.timetotalk.org | www.drugfree.org
Tags: Parenting, parenting advice, Parenting Blogs, Parenting Resources, Parenting Teens, Parenting Tips, Substance Abuse, Sue Scheff, Teen Help, Troubled Teens
Stop Medicine Abuse is Looking for the Next ‘Five Mom’ to Join!
by Sue Scheff on Jul 29, 2011
Help Stop Teen Cough Medicine Abuse
Talking to teens about drug abuse is never easy. Did you know teens that learn about the dangers of drugs from their parents are 50 percent less likely to abuse drugs? As parents, we must work together to educate our teens and create awareness about the dangers of substance abuse, including over-the-counter (OTC) cough medicine abuse.
In 2007, five moms from around the country were brought together to share information with other parents about the largely unknown trend among teens of abusing OTC cough medicines to get high. Since then, the Five Moms campaign has reached more than 24 million parents to help educate them about preventing teen cough medicine abuse, spreading awareness to parents, schools, and communities. And now they want your help! The campaign recently launched the Are You the Next Five Mom? search to look for a new Mom to join the fight against cough medicine abuse.
Are you a mom who is passionate about working with teens? Do you have experience working with teens and substance abuse? If you are interested in being a part of the Five Moms campaign, they are looking for someone who:
- Has experience or a passion for working with teens;
- Has past or previous involvement in teen programming or issues affecting teens;
- Has experience working with teens and/or substance abuse;
- Has raised awareness of cough medicine abuse in their community or is a community leader;
- Works with teens on a daily or weekly basis a coach, teacher, guidance counselor, youth group leader, etc.;
- Uses social media to reach parents and educate them about teen substance abuse;
- Is involved with community organizations that center around pre-teens and teens;
- Developed an original idea or event to educate others about cough medicine abuse; or
- Has distributed Five Moms and/or cough medicine abuse information to their children, peers, community, etc.
For more information on how to enter the Are You the Next Five Mom? search, and for the official rules and regulations, visit FiveMoms.com. To learn more about over-the-counter medicine abuse, visit StopMedicineAbuse.org.
You can join them in Facebook and follow them on Twitter.
Tags: At Risk Teens, cough syrup abuse, Parenting, parenting advice, Parenting Blogs, Parenting Resources, Parenting Teens, Stop Medicine Abuse, Sue Scheff, Teen Drug Abuse, Teen Help, Troubled Teens
![[Valid RSS]](valid-rss-rogers.png "Validate my RSS feed")