Resources for Parents on Teen Mental Health, Substance Use, and Recovery

By Ben Spencer, Teacher and Academic Director “Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors where there were only walls.” –Joseph Campbell About a year into my own recovery—some six and a half years ago—Peter, a friend I’d met earlier on in college, approached me. We talked about how much things had changed over […]

It’s a concern that weighs heavily on the minds of parents and legislators across the country as more and more states move to legalize marijuana for more than just medicinal use: Will the drug more often fall into the hands of teens and, as a result, create higher rates of teen drug abuse? According to […]

Parents will see a number of changes in their teenage children when they hit puberty and as they grow and develop after the age of 12. Personality, mood, appearance, interests, friends—all these and more will be the subjects of those changes. However, because so many new things occur during this time, it can be hard […]

The amount and frequency that college kids drink in the United States is at an all-time high, according to the New York Post, and they blame the problem on a lack of academic requirements for higher education. According to the article, back in 1961 the average college student who attended classes full-time spent about 25 […]

Cyrus Stowe was a senior at Dallas High School when he made his documentary Out of Reach. With the goal of exploring the prescription drug abuse in his hometown, the movie has become an awareness-raising tool to help communities, parents and kids recognize that not only are prescription medications dangerous but also that their use […]

A recent study explored teenagers and their use of texting as well as how those texts can help parents identify problematic issues like drug and alcohol abuse. The study, published in the Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, found that teens who texted their friends about things like drug use or fighting were more likely to […]

As more and more states head to the polls to determine whether or not to legalize marijuana for medicinal and/or recreational use, parents are wondering how best to address the topic with their teens—especially if they support legalization. Creating boundaries in a world with increasingly fewer restrictions placed on choices that could be potentially dangerous […]

Why are teens seeking out dangerously addictive painkillers like OxyContin and Percocet and abusing these drugs? Is it purely for recreational use, or is there another motivation? According to a new study out of the University of Michigan and published in The Journal of Pain, it’s not just to get high as many may believe. […]

When it comes to your child’s online activity, you already have plenty to worry about. You have to worry about whether or not your underage youngster is talking to someone much older, someone who might not have the best intentions in mind, and you have to hope your child isn’t being cyber-bullied or visiting offensive […]

Think back to your high school or early college days. Did you ever use a fake ID to buy alcohol underage? Whether you did or didn’t engage in this trend, fake IDs are still used all too often by underage teens attempting to buy alcohol and/ or cigarettes. The good news, though, is that thanks […]

Drug cartels are always looking for new ways to sneak illegal drugs across the border, and with the increased rate of production of crystal meth in Mexico, they are getting increasingly creative. One of the newest ways has put the “drug mules,” or those who are forced or hired to carry the drugs across the […]

Teen drinking poses a serious problem across the United States, and one Illinois school has decided to take drastic measures to try to mitigate the issue. St. Viator High School has implemented random alcohol tests among students by collecting hair samples. According to a Newsroom article, St. Viator High School has been randomly drug testing […]