Posts Tagged ‘underage drinking/drug abuse’
Underage 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 MoreWant 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…
Read MoreDrug Addiction – Alcoholism – Can Parents Help Their Child Avoid It?
Drug addiction – alcoholism – is it possible to do something from birth and before that first drink or drug experimentation that could make a difference for your child? Most substance abuse prevention education for children doesn’t really begin until middle school or high school with some messaging in elementary school about the harm drugs…
Read MoreHomeless 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…
Read MoreHelp 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,…
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,…
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