Underage Drinking | Drug Use Prevention
Resources for Parents of Children with Substance Use and Mental Disorders
Resources for parents of children with substance use and other mental disorders can be a huge help. Providing resources from a scientific, brain centered approach is even better. Why? Because substance use and other mental disorders change brain health and function. The brain is the organ that controls everything a person thinks, feels, says and…
Read MoreWant to Prevent Addiction? Assess Your Risk Factors
Want to prevent addiction? Of course you do – even if it’s not your own. Maybe it’s your child or friend or significant other’s substance use you’re worried about. So the obvious question then is, “How?” [But before I continue, there’s been a great deal of research and advanced understandings about the term addiction (drug…
Read MoreUnderage Drinking – How Teens Can Develop an Alcohol Use Disorder Before Age 21
Underage drinking is one of the key risk factors for developing an alcohol use disorder. Alcohol use disorder is the umbrella term for drinking patterns that include binge drinking, heavy drinking, alcohol abuse and alcoholism. It is often considered a right of passage; something most teens and young adults under 21 go through. As such, the…
Read MoreTeens and Marijuana Use – What Parents Should Do
Teens and marijuana use can be a slippery slope. Many teens believe that marijuana is safer than alcohol or other drugs. Many will say, “it is harmless because it is natural,” “it is not addictive,” or “it does not affect my thinking or my grades.” Some teens argue it’s safe because it can be prescribed…
Read MoreMixed Messages On Teen Drinking
What happens when adults/parents send mixed messages on teen drinking? While their intent is clear — keep teens safe — the way a teen hears a parent or an adult’s message can have an adverse result. Yet, saying nothing doesn’t work, either. To help parents/adults with some of these very important conversations, I’ve provided three…
Read MoreSecondhand Drinking Prevention
Secondhand Drinking Prevention occurs when we understand what secondhand drinking is, what it does to a person’s physical and emotional health, and how it contributes to a person’s risk factors for developing a drinking problem. [Please note that the concepts in this post apply equally to Secondhand Drugging Prevention, as drug misuse works similarly in…
Read MoreBrain Development and Substance Use
Brain development – the growth of the brain from the time we are in utero until we mature (early-to-mid 20s) – is one of the lesser-known factors that has a dramatic influence on how our brains wire and map. And this influence and the resulting brain wiring and mapping have a dramatic influence on how…
Read MoreUnderage Drinking Prevention
Underage drinking prevention is one of the most important things we can do as parents, caregivers, educators, and the community at large. Why? Because drinking (and other drug use) problems often begin in adolescence. According to The National Child Traumatic Stress Network, Studies show that the earlier an individual starts smoking, drinking or using other…
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