A Parent’s Guide to Prevention (Part 4): Your Child’s Perspective Understandably, some parents of drug users think that their child might have been pressured into taking drugs by peers or drug dealers. But children say they choose to use drugs because they want to: relieve boredom feel good forget their troubles and relax have fun […]
A Parent’s Guide to Prevention (Part 3): Talking With Your Children Effectively As soon as your child begins to talk, the questions come: “Why is the grass green?” “What’s wrong with that man sitting in the park?” If you show your child that you’re ready to give answers at any time, even if the topics […]
A Parent’s Guide to Prevention (Part 2): Laying the Groundwork We, as parents, are the most important role models in our children’s lives. What we say and do about drugs matters a lot when it comes to the choices our children make. We can: set a positive example and get involved in our children’s lives; […]
A Parent’s Guide to Prevention (Part 1): Introduction When most parents talk about drugs, they voice some of their greatest fears and concerns. And their apprehension is well justified: Drug addiction can destroy your relationships and family life and can harm or even kill you. Unfortunately, as the general public began to feel that the […]
The following information appears in “Drugs: Shatter the Myths,” a free publication from the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the NIDA for Teens website. What Are Stimulants? Stimulants are drugs such as cocaine, “crack,” and amphetamines that can cause the heart to beat faster, and blood pressure and metabolism to increase. Stimulants often cause […]
Adolescent Counseling Services, a Bay Area non-profit devoted to the emotional and social well-being of youth, would like to welcome you to a four part series connecting you with the very latest in the world of teen mental health and substance abuse. We will be providing links to both informative articles as well as educational […]
About ten years ago, Robert Downey Jr.’s career and life seemed to be in shambles. After being arrested in 2000 for possession of cocaine and valium and in 2001 while wondering barefoot in Los Angeles under the influence of cocaine, Downey was fired from the hit television series, Ally McBeal. It was shortly after this […]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPF6urxIHqI&hl=en_US&fs=1] Teenage celebrities seem to constantly be in the news for the wrong reasons. Many parents fear that all of this media attention – paparazzi photos of excessive partying, drug and alcohol use leading to DUI’s, car accidents or stays in rehab may encourage their own teens to experiment. While there is no denying that […]
Encourage choice •Allow your child plenty of opportunity to become a confident decision-maker. An 8-year-old is capable of deciding if she wants to invite lots of friends to her birthday party or just a close pal or two. A 12-year-old can choose whether she wants to go out for chorus or join the school band. […]
Excerpt from “99 Tips for Talking with Your Teenager:” Tip #79- Watch for any danger signs such as alcohol on your child’s breath, the smell of marijuana, paraphernalia, severe drop in grades, extreme friendship changes. Commentary from ACS Executive Director, Dr.Philippe Rey: Seek support and guidance for yourself in dealing with the changes in a […]
