By Brad Waldo, Recovery Counselor When I was 17, I was admitted to an adolescent drug and alcohol treatment in Orange County. After several days, I thoroughly opened up to the help offered to me and dove headfirst into the program. I became “house leader” and was on fire for recovery. On my forty-fifth day […]

A Physician’s Perspective By David E. Smith, MD, FASAM (Past President American Society of Addiction Medicine & current Chair of Addiction Medicine, Muir Wood Adolescent & Family Services) Marijuana—or cannabis—is by far the most widely used illicit drug in the United States (SAMHSA, 2011). In the past few years, marijuana use by teens has been […]

Here’s some great advice for raising a healthy, happy teen: Be an engaged and hands-on parent to your kids. Discuss your family values and expectations about alcohol and substance use. Empower your children with facts to make good choices. Ensure they know the effects of alcohol and drugs on brain development, the law, and social/physical […]

For adults over the age of 21 in the state of Washington, marijuana is now legal for recreational use. But it is still absolutely forbidden for anyone under the age of 21 to have or use the drug, and Washington State Governor Jay Inslee is doing his part to ensure that kids are protected as […]

Researchers are always looking for identifiers that can predict substance abuse, and a new study published in the journal Substance Use & Misuse found that the single largest risk factor for Ecstasy use among 12th graders is use of other drugs. The study also noted that: About 4.4 percent of 12th graders reported use of […]

A new study published in the journal Pediatrics found that though teenagers in the United States are avoiding cigarette use in larger and larger numbers, the rates of hookah use for tobacco and other substances has been on the rise. In fact, about one in five seniors in high school report having used a hookah […]

President Barack Obama has famously opened up about his use of marijuana while in high school in Hawaii. Now that his term is coming to an end and the opinions of marijuana use are changing publicly and legislatively, he’s taking the opportunity to use his story to reach teenagers. As a cautionary tale and a […]

Teenagers who are living with autistic characteristics and/or ADHD may be more likely to abuse alcohol reports a new study at Washington University in St. Louis. For some parents, this may seem counterintuitive. Since most people on the autism spectrum struggle with social interactions and alcohol is primarily a social drug during the teen years, […]

Advertisements may not be able to overtly sell illicit substances to children on TV or in magazines, but a new study published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research says that a number of American young people in their teens and early 20s are receiving pro-marijuana messages on Twitter multiple times a day. Previous research […]

The jury is still out in determining whether or not the use of e-cigarettes can be helpful to those who are attempting to quit smoking, but because the devices still contain a hefty amount of nicotine, they are still not safe and can lead to nicotine addiction in those who are not already dependent. Teens […]

The average teen heads off to college with the goal of starting over and building a new life for himself. But a teen with addiction in his past is not average and his start at school may be threatened by a predilection for drug and alcohol abuse. Many colleges understand that teens in recovery are […]

There are so many different ways that your son’s social life can impact his use of drugs and alcohol. Lots of friends, too few friends, the wrong friends, the right friends—your son’s peer group and/or his ability to find one can significantly factor into his choices in relation to substance abuse. In fact, in some […]