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  Many adults reflect back on their teenage years professing that it was the time of their life. If you’re an adolescent who is newly sober, you might not agree. How can I possibly have fun with my friends if […]

Adults, especially parents, often act as enablers for an adolescent’s substance abuse. Although they mean well, adults close to adolescents who engage in self-destructive behaviors often have trouble understanding where supporting ends and enabling begins. As the professional, you have […]

Coming to terms with your child’s addiction isn’t always an easy thing to do. You might wrestle with questions or place the blame on yourself. When did the substance use start? Why did the substance use start? What could I […]

An adolescent’s successful recovery from substance abuse must include both structure and support. These things help to focus on the problem (mental illness and trauma) and the solution the adolescent is using to cope (substance abuse). Both structure and support […]

Setting a successful tone for your adolescent client’s recovery from substance abuse is crucial. It’s not uncommon for adolescents to be skeptical about treatment. Many believe that they don’t have a problem and that their parents are just overreacting. This […]

  Addiction is a family disease and a destroyer of relationships. When one person in the family is addicted to drugs or alcohol, the foundation of the family is often rocked to its core. Addiction not only interferes with normal […]

  Using drugs during adolescence and the teenage years can directly impact the development of a child’s brain. These changes are usually long-term with very slim chances of reversing the damage, potentially leading to learning deficits or health problems later […]

  Recovery begins with change. Somewhere in their life, a person in recovery has decided their habits aren’t working anymore and they need to make a change. This decision is a fundamental component of addiction recovery. Still, wanting to change […]

  Experiential therapy recreates experiences that bring subconscious feelings, urges, or behaviors into a person’s conscious awareness. It’s hard to create a formal definition of experiential therapy because so many therapeutic methods can be used. There are a lot of […]

  Dealing with children in addiction recovery can be tricky. Their motivations may lie in the wrong places, or they may have no motivation whatsoever. Many youths do not see their drug use as an issue and may be in […]