Underage Drinking | Drug Use Prevention
Teen Stress and the Substance Misuse Connection
There is a definite connection between teen stress and underage substance misuse. It has to do with the way substances work on the dopamine pleasure/reward pathways, which is what makes using drugs or alcohol pleasurable. And we all know how stress makes us feel, so using drugs or alcohol can seem to help – at…
Read MoreDelaying The First Drink: A Parent’s Guide
Delaying the first drink can make a huge difference for a child’s brain development, as well as with their avoiding a lifelong problem with alcoholism. Why? Because early use is one of the five key risk factors for developing the chronic, often relapsing brain disease of addiction (whether that be an addiction to drugs or…
Read MoreChildren on RX Drugs Become Adults with Drug Addictions
Children on RX drugs become adults with drug addictions because addiction is a developmental brain disease and the misuse of drugs during brain development (ages 12-25) is a key risk factor for developing this disease. The following is a guest post by Leslie Botha, Marketing Director for Courage to Change Addiction Recovery Ranches, in which…
Read MoreThe Effectiveness of Teaching Your Teen to Drink
Teaching your teen to drink – what does that mean? can it be successful? Often parents talk about the reasons for letting their teens drink at home. One reason that regularly comes up often is the desire to “teach” their teen to drink so that when their teen is presented with an opportunity to drink…
Read MoreConcerned About Your Child’s Drinking or Drug Use? Watch This!
Concerned about your child’s drinking or drug use is cause for alarm in and of itself. For if we are concerned, then likely there really is a problem. This may sound confusing, but think of it this way – something (whether it’s changed behaviors, changed friend groups, outrageous risk taking activities) is raising an alarm,…
Read MoreWhen Adults Send Mixed Messages About Drinking
When adults send mixed messages about drinking, it can result in unintended outcomes for teens. Here are some messages from adults that I’ve repeatedly heard regarding underage drinking, followed by the way teens often interpret the message, and in some cases, followed by a second thought for the adult. Adult: If you’re going to drink,…
Read MoreParental Drinking | Children – They’re Watching…
Parental drinking – take note – your children are watching… Parental Drinking – What’s the Big Deal? I was on a neighborhood walk the other day and rounded the corner to see a dad and his two children approaching. One was still in a backpack, and the other was on one of those bicycle-type, 3-wheelers…
Read MoreHelp Your Child Avoid Underage Drinking With These 10 Tips
Help your child avoid underage drinking – it can be one of the best things you do in your overall effort to help them avoid long-term problems with drinking. Why? Because of brain development that occurs from birth through one’s early 20s. That brain development makes a child’s brain especially vulnerable to the effects of…
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