Hopestream: Parenting Kids Through Addiction & Mental Health

ABOUT THE EPISODE:
If you currently have a teen or young adult, you likely grew up in an era of marijuana liberalization and legalization. At that time, many of us learned that marijuana was not nearly as dangerous as we were led to believe by films like Reefer Madness and claims that showed our "brain on drugs.”

But those studies were based on the potency of leaf material available before marijuana became a legal, multi-billion dollar industry – and the industry has radically changed.

New, high-potency forms of marijuana (like shatter, wax, edibles and vape oils) are delivering regular doses of THC that are hundreds of times more powerful than the original recommendations for medical treatment. To make matters worse, they're increasingly available to middle and high school kids.

My guest today is Laura Stack, founder of Johnny’s Ambassadors and a mother who lives in Colorado – ground zero for the nation’s marijuana legalization. Laura watched her son go from a straight-A student with no mental illness to marijuana-induced psychosis after obtaining his medical marijuana card. He eventually, tragically, took his own life. Laura now travels the country speaking frankly with high school students about what the frightening new science says about young people and high-potency THC extracts.

In this interview, we discuss:

• Why parents are sometimes less concerned when their children try marijuana 
• Why old studies showing the medicinal benefits of marijuana are often irrelevant in the world of concentrates
• New science surrounding the use of concentrates and their connection to marijuana-induced psychosis
• How parents can help spread the word through Johnny's Ambassadors

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• Johnny’s Ambassadors Parents of Children with Cannabis-Induced Psychosis (POCCIP) support group 
• Video library of THC research and presentations
• Partnership to End Addiction Marijuana Talk Kit - how to talk to your child about marijuana
• The Link Between Youth Marijuana Use and Suicidality - research
• Frequently Asked Questions about today’s marijuana

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
Watch the podcast 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:
It's Mother's Day and for those with kids who struggle, or who lost their struggle, it can be hard. It can also be joyous and amazing, kind of a mixed bag. So this is your Mother's Day card from me.
Sending so much love your way.

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
Watch the podcast 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:
Parents often don’t realize they’re deeply and unhealthfully embedded in their child’s life- especially when that child struggles with their relationship to substances. The official term for this dysfunction is called enmeshment, but since Cathy and I aren’t therapists, we liken it to back-pocket parenting.

If you find yourself intertwined in your child’s life to the degree that they’re not doing age-appropriate things for themselves, or you don’t know where they end and you begin, this is your episode.

We talk about what enmeshment looks like, examples of our own relationships, the impact it has on a teen or young adult, and ideas for how to start to disentangle from your child using boundaries and natural consequences (and a good therapist!)

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• AutoCamp (The Stream Spring retreat venue)

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
Watch the podcast 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:
So many of us go through life feeling we’re missing something important – an idea or practice that will help mold us into our best selves. It’s possible to go our entire lives without even knowing what we’re looking for. But sometimes, the universe seems to put exactly what we need right before us.

My guest today, Taylor Hunt, was only months sober when he began praying about that missing piece. And when it was finally offered to him (in a most unusual way), he rejected it over and over again. On today’s episode, Taylor tells us the incredible story of how he finally came to accept the practice that would save his life and give purpose to hundreds of others in recovery: Ashtanga yoga.

Taylor has been in recovery for 17 years now, but when he first began yoga, he was only a few months sober, desperately trying to build a healthy life. Since then, he has become a lifelong advocate of the benefits of the practice, especially for those in recovery. 

On this episode, we discuss:

• The almost supernatural way yoga found its way into his life
• The common problem yoga can relieve for young people struggling with anxiety and substance misuse
• The positive domino effect of consistent yoga practice
• Yoga’s role in the lives of parents with kids misusing substances

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• The Partnership to End Addiction: www.drugfree.org/get-support
• The Body Keeps the Score (Bessel van der Kolk)
• www.taylorhuntyoga.com
• A Way From Darkness - Taylor's book
• Trini Foundation - Taylor's nonprofit organization
• Apply for a scholarship

This podcast is part of a nonprofit called Hopestream Community
Get our free, 4-video course, Hope Starts Here, and access to our Limited Membership here
Learn about The Stream, our private online community for moms
Find us on Instagram here
Watch the podcast 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:
Jessica Lahey has been surrounded by addiction her whole life. As a person now in long-term recovery, she grew up around alcoholism, came to her own reckoning with dinking, has taught every grade from 6-12, worked with adolescents in residential treatment, and written two New York Times best-selling books, The Gift of Failure and The Addiction Inoculation. 

Jessica’s books are a gift to parents looking for ways to set their kids up for the best possible outcome regarding substances and the ability to navigate life independently as they progress through high school and their young adulthood.

You’ll hear how Jessica went from being adamantly against substance use to realizing she had a serious drinking problem, why she wants parents to focus on progress, not product, why allowing our kids to struggle truly is a gift, and explains the data behind the mantra, “delay, delay, delay.”

It’s appointment listening, even if your child is already down the path of misusing substances. You’ll gain so much from this frank and encouraging conversation.

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• How To Raise An Adult
• Never Enough
• I’ve Taught Monsters
• On Being 40ish
• Nadine Burke Harris - The Deepest Well
• Differently Wired
• Tilt Parenting podcast
• Quiet, Susan Cain
• Jessica’s Parent Teacher Conference NYT Column
• #AmWriting podcast

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
Watch the podcast 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 voters in Colorado legalized marijuana in the year 2000, they did so with good intentions: as compassionate health care for people with serious conditions.  After all, the FDA was approving THC-based medicines like marinol at doses of 20mg.  

Then concentrates hit the market.

In Colorado today, an 18-year-old with a medical marijuana card can legally purchase more than 50 times the daily dose of THC originally prescribed as medicine.  And my guest for this episode, Dr. Libby Stuyt, says she is seeing the consequences.

Dr. Stuyt is a board-certified addiction psychiatrist, and has worked in the addiction and behavioral health field for more than 30 years.  Most of that time was spent as medical director at a Colorado inpatient program for people who had failed to progress through other treatments.  She has seen it all.

In this episode Dr. Stuyt explains how we are gaining new understanding of the potential dangers of high-potency marijuana products, especially for adolescents.  We discuss:

• How the market transformed from well-intentioned medicine to a THC free-for-all
• What parents need to understand before they ask, “Where would my kid even get marijuana?”
• Why edibles can be more dangerous than smoking
• What we’ve learned about the connection between adolescent marijuana use and opiates
• Some of the most frightening problems associated with heavy users of concentrates, including rapid-onset addiction, IQ-loss, psychosis, and hyperemesis

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• INTERNATIONAL ACADEMY ON THE SCIENCE AND IMPACT OF CANNABIS
• Johnny’s Ambassadors

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
Watch the podcast 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:
It’s nearly impossible for our kids to see us as anything but authority figures.  And, of course, we are.  We want to protect them from the world and sometimes even from the consequences of their own actions.  But teens and young adults struggling with substance misuse often need a different kind of relationship to accept responsibility for their actions and explore their behavior's roots.

My guest for this episode is Dr. Wes Robins, founder and CEO of Eternal Strength, which focuses on what he calls “radical youth work”.  This work breaks down the perception of counselors or therapists as authority figures, focusing on relationships rather than behavior modification.  Over the course of his life, Wes has progressed from his own addiction to cocaine and methamphetamine to a doctoral thesis in Consciousness and Society, making him a unique lens through which to view teens and young adults in recovery. 

On this episode we discuss:

• Why parents should shift their energies from behavioral control to support with boundaries and self-care
• Why recognizing the sovereignty and responsibility of teens and young adults is key to helping them open up
• How Wes builds mutual respect with young adults that sidesteps a hierarchical relationship – and why it’s so difficult for parents.

You can learn more about Eternal Strength here: https://www.eternalstrengthatl.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
Watch the podcast 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:
You’ve probably heard me (and many of my guests) talk about letting go of the idea that you can control your teen or young adult child.  This is so hard to do, for obvious reasons, and parents who struggle with this have some valid questions: 

Isn’t it our job to protect our kids at all costs? If I stop confronting these problems, isn’t that just avoidance? How is this different from just giving up?

My guest today says that these questions miss an important paradox: The more we let go of controlling behavior (which often doesn’t work anyway), the more opportunity we have to gain real influence – especially with skills like Motivational Interviewing.

Dr. Emily Kline received her Ph.D. from the University of Maryland, following up with clinical and post-doc training at Harvard Medical School.  She has presented to audiences all over the world on the topics of mental health and interpersonal communication. Her new book and (free!) E-course is titled The School of Hard Talks.

I’ve been seeing Emily’s name everywhere lately and I’m excited to finally bring you this conversation, in which we discuss:

• How Motivational Interviewing can help us give up control in exchange for influence
• One big reason adolescents and young adults can be self-destructive
• Some go-to phrases to facilitate low-conflict discussion and relationship building

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• School of Hard Talks online e-course

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
Watch the podcast 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:
In today’s episode, I announce some big news for my organization and also share the question I've come to believe parents really need to ask to help their kids heal and move away from misusing substances. This question is hard to ask and many parents don't want to go there, but it's necessary and doable with the right support.

I share what parents see "above the iceberg" and why that's only part of a big picture they need to have visibility to. It's a short but important message you'll want to hear if you're confounded by your child's unhealthy relationship with drugs, alcohol, or anything else that's taking away from their health and wellbeing.

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• Hopestream Community - our new nonprofit organization to support parents
• Episodes mentioned: #131 with Dr. Gabor Maté, #56 with Hope Payson and Daryl McGraw, #104 with Steve Sawyer
• The Wisdom of Trauma documentary with Dr. Gabor Maté
• Uprooting Addiction documentary with Hope Payson
• Pediatric ACEs and Related Life Events Screener (PEARLS) - for parents

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
Watch the podcast 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:
Teen girls and young women are experiencing unprecedented spikes in anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation. There are differing opinions about what’s driving this surge, but nearly everyone agrees it’s happening. These young women often struggle with their identity and role in the world, manifesting a wide range of unproductive behaviors: withdrawal, avoidance, manipulation, and misuse of substances. And of course, substance misuse complicates every problem even further.

My guest is Greg Ostler, Clinical Director at Skyterra Young Adult Wellness Retreat. Greg says young women in recovery often don’t have environments conducive to learning healthy routines, essential skills, and the importance of self-care. Skyterra couples this kind of practical knowledge with communication and conflict resolution skills that allow young women to transition into healthy, responsible adulthood. 

In this interview, we talk about:

• The five pillars of lifestyle habits that help young adults thrive
• “Adultolescence”, and why 18 is just a number
• Why it can be helpful to “blow things up” at times
• Why it’s okay to admit you don’t know what to do

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
Watch the podcast 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.