Want to Get Through to Teens – Talk to Their Brain

Want to Get Through to Teens – Talk to Their Brain – really! In my decade of research and writing on brain development and the brain disease of addiction, understanding the whole story about puberty and the brain’s evolution [see Image 2 below] gave me the pieces that finally completed the puzzle on how/why teens…

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Homeless Youth – Breaking The Cycles

Homeless youth – breaking the cycles and what it takes. The following is a guest post by Vincent Salazar of the Malibu House of Hope Project, whose mission is “to assist and inspire homeless youth, aged 18 to 24 in Los Angeles and Ventura counties, through transitional housing, and individualized assistance, to become self-supporting and…

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Help for Underage Addictions

Help for underage addictions can take many forms. I want to bring the following to your attention Teens Addiction Anonymous – a program based on the 12 steps but one that was “created by teens, with teens, and for teens.” It’s like and different from the AA or NA 12 step programs. According to their website,…

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The 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…

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When 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,…

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