Muir Wood therapist, David Laing

10 Parenting Tips for Raising Healthy Teen

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 […]

Glow Parties: What Parents Need to Know

They’re marketed as being teen-friendly with no alcohol or drugs and lots of positive over-18 support and supervision, but are so-called glow parties the wholesome and safe activity that they purport to be? Not according to ABC News. They report that these parties that are open to kids who are at least 16 (for a […]

Are Indoor Tanning and Teen Substance Abuse Linked?

Like the energy drinks described in a recent post, it appears that there may be a connection between teen use of indoor tanning and substance abuse, according to the latest research. A study recently published in the journal of JAMA Dermatology found that teens who often frequented indoor tanning establishments were more likely to indulge […]

What to Do if You Notice Changes in Your Son

Changes are normal for kids of all ages, and during the teen years, the changes experienced by your son can be abrupt and disconcerting. Unfortunately, these changes can be as overwhelming and difficult to understand for your son as they are for you, and your child may not know how to handle the waves of […]

Identifying the Signs of Your Son’s Drug Abuse

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 […]

Spotting Fake IDs? There’s an App for That

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 […]

OTC Medication Abuse: What Parents Need to Know

Over-the-counter (OTC) medication abuse is on the rise for teenagers and young adults. When used as intended, these medications are safe, but when abused they can be very dangerous. Unfortunately, dextromethorphan is easy to access. It can be found in more than 125 OTC products. Some commonly known medications that contain the substance include Robitussin […]

My Son Is an Addict: One Parent’s Advice

No parent’s struggle with their son’s addiction is easy to deal with or overcome. In a recent column, one mother shared her experience with the hope of helping other parents dealing with the same issue. Her son, Joshua, was a happy and bright child. It wasn’t until his teen years that a much darker side […]

Is Your Son’s Computer His Drug Dealer?

A watchdog group named Digital Citizens Alliance launched an investigation into how difficult it would be for a teenager to purchase prescription medications online. The results of the investigation were shocking enough to propel the study into the media spotlight and gain the attention of parents nationwide. A teenage boy called several online “pharmacies” to […]

20% of Parents Have Concerns Over Teen Drug Use: New Study

A national poll published by the University of Michigan Mott Children’s Hospital reported that only 33 percent of parents say they are concerned about the non-medical use of addictive prescription drugs by teens. Only 20 percent said they were worried about the misuse of prescription medications by teens in their families. Additionally, though prescription painkiller […]