Experiencing personal challenges as a teen can be painful and confusing. Some kinds of struggles are invisible to others, but they still deeply affect the way you think and feel, even how you feel about yourself. In the midst of these private battles, you may truly want help, for someone who can lend a hand and…
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Information from the National Alliance on Mental Illness indicates that approximately one in five people in the United States—approximately 43.8 million people—experiences mental illness in a given year. Additional statistics demonstrate that substance abuse is on the rise, with 23.5 million Americans addicted to alcohol and drugs. These statistics are certainly alarming. But what happens…
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Adolescents face some unique challenges. Of course, the teen years aren’t all bad, but they are a formative stage of life, and growing into adulthood can bring stresses from many directions. For an alarming number of teens, these challenges can result in mental health issues and substance abuse. Approximately twenty percent of adolescents have a…
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Ingredients 1 tsp olive oil 1 onion, chopped 3 garlic cloves, chopped 3/4 cup quinoa 1 1/2 cup vegetable broth 1 tsp cumin 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper salt and pepper, to taste 1 cup corn kernels 1 cup black beans 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped 1/2 lime Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat; cook…
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Whether or not your child has struggled with substance abuse or addiction in the past, sending her off to college is a prospect you, like many parents, may find more than a little terrifying. According to a study published in the journal Addictive Behaviors, more than two-thirds of the eight million college students in 2003…
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Most parents feel like their words fall on deaf ears sometimes, but teenagers really will internalize a message if it’s presented often and clearly. This is particularly true when it comes to talking to your teens about drugs, drug abuse and addiction. Research shows that the number one reason teens refrain from using drugs is…
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Electronic cigarettes have exploded in popularity in recent years, and they now comprise a $1.5 billion market that’s expected to grow nearly 25 percent by 2018, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics Julius B. Richmond Center of Excellence. In 2015, ten percent of eighth graders, 14 percent of tenth graders and 16 percent of…
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Parenting is fraught with uncertainty. We want to keep our teens safe, but we can’t be by their side every minute of the day helping them make the right choices. While the bad news is that according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, 13 percent of eighth graders, 30 percent of tenth graders and…
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Child stars are cute as a button, but outgrowing that adorable stage is just one of the many reasons why former child stars often turn to drug and alcohol abuse and engage in other risky behaviors, according to former child celebrity Mara Wilson, who starred in Matilda and Mrs. Doubtfire. “You lose that praise. You…
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Kratom is a relatively new drug of abuse that acts on delta and mu opioid receptors in the body, which are the same ones that heroin and prescription opioid painkillers like OxyContin activate. Kratom is gaining increasing popularity in the United States, particularly in South Florida, which has a high concentration of addiction treatment centers.…
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