ABOUT THE EPISODE:
Long before Olivia became a single parent, she was forced to face her own trauma. The heartbreaking challenges she's faced since then have piled an incredible amount of stress onto an already complex life.

The difficult journey for Olivia's son began with his father's brain injury and substance misuse, leading to a messy divorce that would have been difficult for any child. Working full-time as a single parent, Olivia has faced her son's depression, took the blame for the divorce, and dealt with her son’s refusal to attend therapy. Without family support, Olivia has done her best to navigate the situation independently and has bolstered her team with a coach to help her navigate the storm.  

Olivia’s son began experimenting with marijuana at the age of 13 and soon moved on to high-potency THC concentrates. He became more aggressive, his anger more volatile, and by the age of 15 was experiencing THC-induced psychotic breaks. He’s since been diagnosed with OCD, PTSD, ODD, marijuana use disorder, anxiety, and depression.

Between the COVID school closures and his mental health issues, Olivia’s son hasn't been in a structured learning environment for years but says he wants to go back to school. Olivia isn't sure this is a good idea for her and her son. After nearly a decade of this struggle, she’s depleted, exhausted, and depressed.

Today, we'll talk about how these kinds of persistent and extreme issues affect parents going through the worst of it and what Olivia might do to survive as she prepares to make some big life decisions.

If you've been through the wringer with a challenging child and it feels like no one else could possibly understand your journey, Olivia's story is a reminder that the Hopestream Community is full of people who DO truly get it.

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This podcast is part of a nonprofit called Hopestream Community
Learn about The Stream, our private online community for moms
Find us on Instagram here
Find us on YouTube here
Download a free e-book, Worried Sick: A Compassionate Guide For Parents When Your Teen or Young Adult Child Misuses Drugs and Alcohol

Hopestream Community is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit organization and an Amazon Associate. We may make a small commission if you purchase from our links.

ABOUT THE EPISODE:
When Julie Merberg returned home from a work trip to find a scale and a pile of baggies on the table, she knew her son's involvement with substances was getting out of control.

In the early days of the Hopestream Community, not many people showed up to the group calls I offered to members. Julie and I were the only people who showed up the day I met her, but connecting with her one-on-one in the depths of her crisis was an incredible blessing for me and the entire community.

Foreshadowing her current work with Hopestream, Julie had already formed her own neighborhood support group of parents after her 16-year-old son began abusing Xanax and marijuana. As with so many of us, Julie and her husband tried to change their son’s behavior with punishment and control but found that it only made him more oppositional and defiant.

Three years later, Julie's son has embraced a life of recovery, and they both work to share the wisdom they've gained while getting there. In this episode, we discuss:

• The importance of trusting your gut when choosing therapy and recovery
• How untreated anxiety was driving Julie’s son to self medicate in unhealthy ways
• Why parents shouldn't expect to find "the one that works" when it comes to treatment programs
• Accepting that relapse is often part of the journey to recovery for young people
• How self-care is also a service to our families
• Why Julie thinks that the all-or-nothing 12 Step approach doesn't work well for teens

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• CMC:FFC
• Beyond Addiction book
• Free Spirit Experience
• Julie’s website
• Hazelden Betty Ford Adolescent program
• Theoppositeofaddiction.substack.com
• recoveryworksny.com

This podcast is part of a nonprofit called Hopestream Community
Learn about The Stream, our private online community for moms
Find us on Instagram here
Find us on YouTube here
Download a free e-book, Worried Sick: A Compassionate Guide For Parents When Your Teen or Young Adult Child Misuses Drugs and Alcohol

Hopestream Community is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit organization and an Amazon Associate. We may make a small commission if you purchase from our links.

ABOUT THE EPISODE:
The experience of coming out as an LGBTQ+ youth varies wildly across the country and world. In some families and communities, it’s celebrated. In others, condemned. But my guest on this episode of Hopestream says that we often forget about the “coming in” process needed for parents and families of those youth.

Matt Seelos has worked in the mental health field for 20 years. He’s currently a primary therapist at Elevations Residential Treatment Center in Utah, where he administers an alphabet soup of therapeutic practices – EMDR, DBT, CBT, and ACT among others. In addition to all of this work, Matt goes out of his way to practice compassionate therapy specifically geared toward the needs of LGBTQ+ youth.

But he also understands that the coming out process for kids requires an acceptance process for parents. He points out that while a young person has usually been internally processing the reality of their identity for months or years, parents can often feel it’s being sprung on them suddenly. Part of Matt’s job is helping parents come to terms with the loss of expectations and even grief that may accompany the coming out of their kids.

In this conversation, we cover:

• a quick primer on identity and pronouns
• how the stresses of LGBTQ+ identity in some communities can contribute to mental health and substance use issues 
• how the “coming in” process works
• how the “floating back” method helps kids process their feelings of not belonging
• the importance of curiosity over judgment

This podcast is part of a nonprofit called Hopestream Community
Learn about The Stream, our private online community for moms
Find us on Instagram here
Find us on YouTube here
Download a free e-book, Worried Sick: A Compassionate Guide For Parents When Your Teen or Young Adult Child Misuses Drugs and Alcohol

Hopestream Community is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit organization and an Amazon Associate. We may make a small commission if you purchase from our links.

ABOUT THE EPISODE:
Navigating life with a young person who’s misusing substances and struggling with mental health can feel like a ride in a very stormy sea. Parents need to be well equipped for the journey but often aren’t sure what the mandatory, life-saving provisions are to bring along. 

In this episode, Cathy Cioth, Hopestream Community co-founder, joins me to share our top six recommended provisions for parents. We identify the items we wish we’d had in our lifeboat when we started our expedition so you can be better prepared.

EPISODE RESOURCES:
Our six recommended provisions:

1. Beyond Addiction Workbook for Friends and Family Members
2. The Invitation To Change Workbook
3. A journal - Cathy’s favorite is Day One
4. A Bible or other spiritual reference, like Jesus Calling
5. A token or other physical item that grounds you and brings you peace and calm
6. A personal trainer and chef like Blue Apron or Hello Fresh

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This podcast is part of a nonprofit called Hopestream Community
Learn about The Stream, our private online community for moms
Find us on Instagram here
Find us on YouTube here
Download a free e-book, Worried Sick: A Compassionate Guide For Parents When Your Teen or Young Adult Child Misuses Drugs and Alcohol

Hopestream Community is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit organization and an Amazon Associate. We may make a small commission if you purchase from our links.

ABOUT THE EPISODE:
When Ann Batchelder discovered her daughter’s suicidal thoughts, bulimia and substance misuse, she desperately sought wisdom in the places many of us do: therapy, 12-step programs, and Buddhist teachings. 

But the ancient Greek myth of Demeter and Persephone gave her the greatest solace and understanding of parenting a wayward child. As Ann “did the work” to preserve mindfulness and realism about what she could control, she also began writing about her family's experiences.

Now, a decade after it began, her book is complete. Craving Spring: A Mother’s Quest, a Daughter’s Depression, and the Greek Myth that Brought Them Together is not just a memoir but a universal call for the renewal of families strained by the burden of substance use, mental health, and eating disorders.

In this episode, we discuss:

• the power of Demeter and Persephone’s story for mothers (and all parents) of children struggling with substances
• why it’s so difficult for parents to accept that they are going through trauma as well
• finding the focus and willingness to care for our own well-being in chaotic times
• the burden Ann was unknowingly placing on her daughter and how she changed herself
• how the immense growth and change (of both Ann and her daughter) during recovery has led to a richer, more fulfilling relationship

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• Craving Spring, A mother’s quest, a daughter’s depression, and the Greek myth that brought them together (buy here)

This podcast is part of a nonprofit called Hopestream Community
Learn about The Stream, our private online community for moms
Find us on Instagram here
Find us on YouTube here
Download a free e-book, Worried Sick: A Compassionate Guide For Parents When Your Teen or Young Adult Child Misuses Drugs and Alcohol

Hopestream Community is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit organization and an Amazon Associate. We may make a small commission if you purchase from our links.

ABOUT THE EPISODE:
The time period of recovery between a treatment program and responsible, independent living is an incredibly tricky one to navigate. My guest today says this is especially true in New York City, where marijuana smoke drifts down streets lined with thousands of alluring bars.

After her son’s overdose death in 2014, Eve Goldberg founded BigVision, a recovery peer community in NYC that provides a social club of sober young people looking to separate themselves from temptations that permeate every corner of the city. 

Whether it’s with basketball tournaments, go-karting, half marathons, or trapeze classes, BigVision creates a cool, supportive social network for young adults in all stages of recovery.

In this episode, Eve and I discuss:

• Our culture’s saturation with alcohol – even in athletics
• How the stigma surrounding recovery made it hard to find a space for BigVision’s new headquarters and activities
• The difference between therapy and therapeutic fun

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• BigVision NYC

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This podcast is part of a nonprofit called Hopestream Community
Learn about The Stream, our private online community for moms
Find us on Instagram here
Find us on YouTube here
Download a free e-book, Worried Sick: A Compassionate Guide For Parents When Your Teen or Young Adult Child Misuses Drugs and Alcohol

Hopestream Community is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit organization and an Amazon Associate. We may make a small commission if you purchase from our links.

ABOUT THE EPISODE:
For parents who are on a roller coaster ride with their kids who misuse drugs and alcohol and struggle with mental health, recovery can sometimes feel like an elusive dream. 
⁠
So, after 187 episodes where I've talked with experts, people in recovery, parents, siblings, and my son who's in recovery, I wanted to distill down 10 of the top eye-opening recovery insights I've gathered on this journey. ⁠I also share related episodes for these so you can dive deeper into the ones that resonate most. 
⁠
If you're looking for ways to stay positive and hopeful or wondering how to be helpful as your child is in the early stages of recovery, this is your episode.

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• Download the episode cheat sheet for a list of the 10 eye-openers and related podcast episodes (click here to download)

This podcast is part of a nonprofit called Hopestream Community
Learn about The Stream, our private online community for moms
Find us on Instagram here
Find us on YouTube here
Download a free e-book, Worried Sick: A Compassionate Guide For Parents When Your Teen or Young Adult Child Misuses Drugs and Alcohol

Hopestream Community is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit organization and an Amazon Associate. We may make a small commission if you purchase from our links.

ABOUT THE EPISODE:
Among the red rock cliffs of Sedona, a group of young adults sit together in the Arizona sun, meditating with their roshi - a master instructor in zen tradition. Many of the students have already been through wilderness therapy or other recovery programs. They reside at nearby Red Mountain Sedona, an independent living program where they’re learning how to integrate, alongside more traditional therapies, mindfulness practices to create a healthy, productive, and sustainable substance-free life.

My guest today is the founder of Red Mountain, Josh White, who is also a clinical mental health counselor, certified group psychotherapist, and second-ranking practitioner of Ten-Chi kenpo in the world. 

In this episode, we discuss the incredible power that meditation and mindfulness practice can give young people in recovery - stepping outside cravings and impulses, observing them, interrogating them, and allowing them to pass. This conversation will also be my first foray into the issue of eating disorders, which Josh will place in the overall context of addiction. 

Over the course of this discussion, we’ll talk about:

• How we build the muscles of mindfulness
• How young people today respond to the concept of using mindfulness in their quest for recovery from substance misuse
• The difference between meditation and mindfulness, and their individual roles in recovery
• How the isolation of covid and social media are affecting eating disorders and body issues in young people

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• Red Mountain Sedona

This podcast is part of a nonprofit called Hopestream Community
Learn about The Stream, our private online community for moms
Find us on Instagram here
Find us on YouTube here
Download a free e-book, Worried Sick: A Compassionate Guide For Parents When Your Teen or Young Adult Child Misuses Drugs and Alcohol

Hopestream Community is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit organization and an Amazon Associate. We may make a small commission if you purchase from our links.

ABOUT THE EPISODE:
Recovery Golden Nuggets episode.
I’m sharing a curated collection of some of my favorite interview clips with people in recovery to celebrate National Recovery Month.  All of these guests have been to the darkest places –  jail, suicide attempts, overdoses. And yet, all have completely changed their lives, with several now working to help others in the field of recovery.

Their direct, personal experience with addiction gives them insight and perspective that can’t be found without it. The collection is inspirational to those working toward their own recovery but also for those seeking to understand and support the recovery of loved ones.

These excerpts represent hours of inspiring interviews; some will make you want to go back and listen to the original episodes. To make it easy, I’m putting links to each episode in the show notes. If you need a dose of hope, join us as we look back over the last four years of Hopestream.

EPISODE RESOURCES:
Guests from this episode and their original episode:

• Adam Sud - episode 177
• Jeremy Melloul - episode 90 & 133
• Mark LaPalme - episode 128
• Mark Pepper - episode 76
• Rebekah Mutch - episode 113

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This podcast is part of a nonprofit called Hopestream Community
Learn about The Stream, our private online community for moms
Find us on Instagram here
Find us on YouTube here
Download a free e-book, Worried Sick: A Compassionate Guide For Parents When Your Teen or Young Adult Child Misuses Drugs and Alcohol

Hopestream Community is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit organization and an Amazon Associate. We may make a small commission if you purchase from our links.

ABOUT THE EPISODE:
For years, listeners of Hopestream have heard stories about my own family’s experiences with substance misuse and recovery. Today, after 184 episodes, I’m thrilled to finally introduce you to my son, Enzo. 

I’m inspired by how he’s built a meaningful life free of substance misuse and for the time and energy he now dedicates to helping kids struggling with their own path to recovery. This is a conversation between two people who did (mostly) everything wrong but now spend our lives trying to help others meet these challenges more prepared than we were.

For this conversation, I tried my best to step outside the situation I was so intimately involved in – all the confusion, anger, and fear – and talk to Enzo like any other guest. During the conversation, we discuss:

• The early influences of divorce and Enzo’s shifting friend group on his eventual high-risk lifestyle and substance use
• Why it’s always hard to answer what treatment program “worked” for him
• What Enzo was (and wasn’t) thinking about during his addiction
• The consistent characteristics he sees in kids in treatment, and how he connects with them
• Enzo’s near-fatal overdoses and the intense medical recovery that followed
• Why it’s so important to spend judgment-free time with kids caught up in substance use

This podcast is part of a nonprofit called Hopestream Community
Learn about The Stream, our private online community for moms
Find us on Instagram here
Find us on YouTube here
Download a free e-book, Worried Sick: A Compassionate Guide For Parents When Your Teen or Young Adult Child Misuses Drugs and Alcohol

Hopestream Community is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit organization and an Amazon Associate. We may make a small commission if you purchase from our links.