Hopestream: Parenting Kids Through Addiction & Mental Health

ABOUT THE EPISODE:
Dr. Nzinga Harrison is back for another vitally important conversation, this time focusing on benzodiazepines and Xanax in particular. Parents who have a son or daughter who's experimenting with substances must listen to this eye-opening and informative episode where Dr. Harrison and I discuss all-things-benzo's.

We cover so much territory in this discussion including  things like:

• what exactly benzodiazepines are and what they do in your body
• how long it takes to become addicted to Xanax
• what to watch for in your child as a potential sign of Xanax use
• 2 big warning signs of anxiety in a young person and how to have a conversation about it
• how benzo's and alcohol are related
• the role fentanyl plays in this conversation and why Narcan doesn't work for benzodiazepines (but why you should have & use it anyway)
• why are so many young people using Xanax in particular? 
• why Xanax’s unique formulation is perfect for panic attacks but also perfect for being addictive
• what psychiatrists think about Xanax 
• the anxiety soapbox Dr. Harrison and I are both shouting from and why we need a bigger box
• what rebound anxiety is and why Xanax produces is
• how Xanax use progresses to dangerous and addictive levels quickly
• how Xanax compares to Valium and Librium from a potency standpoint
• critical information about tapering off of and withdrawal from benzo’s

Don't miss this epic episode and share it with any parent who has an adolescent or young adult child who may be experimenting with pills.

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• Eleanor Health
• In Recovery 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:
In this important and uplifting film, six people from Connecticut with vastly different cultural and socio-economic backgrounds explore the childhood traumas at the roots of their drug addictions. 

At an innovative retreat organized by addiction and trauma counselor Hope Payson (LSCW, LADC), six people from varying walks of life – each affected by childhood trauma – come together to share their stories, emerging from darkness through community, connection, and compassion. 

For this episode, I talked with Hope, the film's co-producer, and Daryl McGraw, one of the retreat participants who has been substance-free since 2007 after overcoming the battles of a violent childhood, addiction and incarceration. 

We discussed all things about the film including:

• How your Adverse Childhood Experience score determines your vulnerability to substance use
• The way learning disabilities and other differences can impact children
• What we need to ask people struggling with substance use instead of, "what’s wrong with you?"
• How trauma plays a role in relapse and the way Daryl helps his friends who have taken steps backward in their recovery
• How Hope recognized the need to change systemic issues related to trauma and the role fentanyl plays in that
• Why she chose the metaphor of a tree to help the group in the film work through their trauma
• How looking at someone’s roots when they’re struggling in addiction or working to stay sober in recovery can give us empathy and understanding 
• What it takes to start having this (trauma) conversation with someone

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• Hope Payson, LCSW, LADC
• Daryl McGraw, President & Founder, Formerly, Inc.
• Channah VanRegenmorter, Administrator, Eleanor Health Foundation
• Uprooting Addiction: Healing From The Ground Up
• Eleanor Health Foundation
• Adverse Childhood Experiences information (CDC)
• Film trailer can be seen 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
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:
They're the ones left in the dust and shadow of a child who's misusing substances - the siblings. They witness the craziness and chaos, see the manipulation of their parents, they might get blackmailed or harassed - it's scary and parents are often left wondering what this is doing to their other kids - yet are so exhausted they don't even know where to start.

This episode will be incredibly helpful if your substance-using child's behavior is negatively impacting the other kids in (and out) of your home. I spoke with two of the foremost experts in family relationships, systems and dynamics - Krissy Pozatek, author of The Parallel Process, and Dr. Nicole Kosanke, director of family services at CMC and co-author of the must-read book, Beyond Addiction.

You'll hear from these two about ways to approach the sibling relationship and practical things you can do to lessen the negative impact of having a brother or sister misusing drugs or alcohol including:

• how you can apply CRAFT skills to help your non-substance using child cope
• what younger kids really need when they have a sibling misusing drugs or alcohol
• what magical thinking is and why it might be dangerous for your other kids
• things you can do to help your other kids manage their feelings well
• the role of parental authority in managing relationships within the family and making your home a safe space
• approaches that are harmful rather than helpful when a sibling is using substances
• what you can do about a manipulative or narcissistic child
• figuring out what is age-appropriate information to share with siblings
• and lots more!

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• Nicole Kosanke, Ph.D. and Kriss Pozatek, MSW
• Beyond Addiction: How Science and Kindness Help People Change
• Center for Motivation and Change (CMC)
• The Parallel Process
• The Normal One: Life With a Difficult or Damaged Sibling (Safer)

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:
There are some common emotions parents feel when they have a child who's misusing drugs or alcohol, and two of those are guilt and regret.  We punish ourselves for things we did or didn't do, choices we made in the past and actions we took in our lives.

Today's episode will provide you with a way to use these feelings of guilt and regret to actually improve your current situation and your future. I'll share three steps to take when you're carrying the heavy burden of the past so you don't have to drag it around anymore.

I'll talk through real-life examples of how to:

• examine the real reason why you're feeling guilty and regretting choices from the past
• give yourself grace by looking at the information you had at your disposal
• and being brutally honest about whether your actions and choices are actually the reason for your son or daughter's struggles

This will be useful information even if your child isn't misusing substances but they have issues in their life that you blame yourself for. 

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:
Who's confused about using medication to treat opioid addiction? If your hand is in the air this is your episode! I was fortunate enough to speak with Dr. Lauren Hoffman who works with Recovery Research Institute, a leading nonprofit research institute of Massachusetts General Hospital, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School, dedicated to the advancement of addiction treatment and recovery.

For parents who have an adolescent or young adult child struggling with opioid use, medication could be a viable option but there's confusion around it and information can be hard to find. In a deep-dive conversation, Dr. Hoffman and I covered a lot of ground including things like:

• how she became the person in charge of her mom's opioid use disorder at the age of 13 and how that shaped her life's mission
• a breakdown of available medications and the differences between them
• various formats of medications like pills, injections and implants
• age recommendations for using medications like Suboxone, methadone and Vivitrol
• when someone can start taking a medication like Suboxone or Vivitrol and when they shouldn't
• what the difference is between an agonist and antagonist medication and why it's important
• where and how to find a doctor to help with determining if medication is the right option 
• how long people need to take these medications
• why it's critical to ask any treatment program you're evaluating about their policy and philosophy around medication for opioid addiction
• what telescoping is and why it's important to understand it
• her controversial belief about when to consider starting medication
• her advice for parents who are worried about the potential cognitive impact from opioid medications in young people
• and lots more...

After listening to this episode you'll have a good grounding in the medication options, and an understanding of how they work to help people stay in recovery. You'll also have facts that can help break through the stigma of using medication to treat opioid use disorder.

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• Recovery Research Institute website
• Lauren Hoffman, Ph.D. email
• Pharmacotherapy article - treating opioid use disorder with medication - includes a table of medications and information about each
• SAMHSA Buprenorphine treatment locator tool
• SAMHSA: MAT Medications, Counseling, and Related Conditions

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:
This episode will give you an alternative view of your child's substance use that might create more space for empathy and an understanding of why they continue in high-risk behaviors. I share four helpful things you can do when your child isn't showing signs of wanting to change what they're doing and you're pulling your hair out.

You'll come away from this short, solo episode with a new perspective and some tools to try this week that will improve your life and could also make a significant impact in your child's life as well.

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• Episode 46: Dr. Nzinga Harrison
• Episode 41: Dr. Julie Jarvis
• Episode 20: Jenney Wilder, Founder, AllKindsofTherapy.com
• Episode 10: How to get some sleep when your child is addicted to drugs or alcohol
• Beyond Addiction: How Science and Kindness Help People Change (Foote, Wilkens)
• Partnership to End Addiction

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:
If you're nodding your head at the term "failure to launch" this is the episode for you. Dr. Mark McConville is a psychologist and author of THE book "Failure to Launch, Why Your 20-Something Hasn't Grown Up and What To Do About It." His work over the course of 30 years has shown him that there are some common themes and traits that cause kids to stall or skid out as they move toward becoming independent, healthy, and well-adjusted young adults.

Dr. McConville is the down-to-earth guy you want to explain some of the mysterious and exacerbating things our kids do (or don't do) and ways we can help them get un-stuck. We talk about things like:

• how incompetence can really be pre-competence from kids who just don’t know how to do things
• why it's so important for parents to think of themselves and act as consultants to their kids to help them move on, up and out
• what a declaration of availability is and how it can help stalled kids 
• the three fundamental ways parents can influence their kids, whether they're 4 or 24
• the age Dr. McConville says is the single most difficult to parent
• why and when it's important to create necessity with your child
• the concept that all enabling starts as support and how they look identical coming out of the gate

Whether or not your adolescent or young adult child is misusing substances, Dr. McConville's empathetic and time-tested strategies are valuable tools for all parents to have in your toolbox.

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• Dr. McConville’s website
• Failure to Launch book

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 not often that you come across a resource or a person who cares deeply about families and kids struggling with substance use disorder, so when I met Denise Mariano and learned about everything offered by The Partnership to End Addiction, I was stunned. I knew I had stumbled into a goldmine for parents and caregivers and needed to share it with the world.

As the mom of a son who struggled with addiction, including eight relapses, Denise can empathize with parents at every step on the spectrum of having a child who's misusing drugs and alcohol. She is the Director of Family Support and Advocacy at The Partnership to End Addiction where she and her team help tens of thousands of families each year with services like a parent help-line, online learning curriculum, in-depth guides and kits, parent-coaching and online parent support groups. And did I mention it's all FREE?

Listen in to this incredible story of Denise's family's journey through addiction and of her son's long-term recovery, as well as a look into the parent coaching program and what it offers parents that you may not get from other resources like Al-Anon and traditional therapy.

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• Get plugged into the parent support resources at The Partnership to End Addiction
• Free Skill-Building Course for Parents Addressing Teen Substance Use
• Treatment Roadmap step by step guide to finding the right help for your son or daughter
• Interested in volunteering as a parent coach? Learn more 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
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 who are baffled and frustrated by the amount of negativity in their home and resulting lack of motivation in their kids with substance use issues will get some simple, useable takeaways from this bite-sized episode.

Sometimes you just need a quick visual to help grasp and deal with a situation and that's what we'll talk about on this show. There's a companion PDF/image in the show notes (no email required!) that will be helpful to grab when listening - or afterward - to keep with you when things get hard.

I share three formulas you can remember as you work your way through difficult days and experiences with a son or daughter who's misusing drugs or alcohol. It's the perfect episode for a quick dog walk, errand running or when you want to grab a cup of coffee and get your mind off work for 18 minutes!

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• PDF of emoji formulas
• ⬇️  image files of emoji formulas - perfect for phone download
  • formula 1
  • formula 2
  • formula 3
• Research paper on confrontation in addiction treatment (William R. Miller, Ph.D. and William White, MA)🤓

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:
For students who want a shot at sobriety - whether they've been to treatment or not - there are very few options when it comes to high school. Finding a place where the cool kids aren't using drugs or alcohol can sound like a fantasy but at recovery high schools, the culture promotes and celebrates being sober, not just at school, but full-time.

Seth Welch, Recovery Counselor at Seattle's Interagency Recovery School, shares a very personal and inspiring story of how his life has come full circle - from using drugs and alcohol to relieve anxiety and fit in at his high school to now being part of a growing group of educators and recovery specialists who are planting sober high schools across the country.

Seth's descent into addiction didn't end until he was in his 20's, narrowly escaping death in a car accident and looking at years of jail time.  He even had help from Seattle's hometown celebrity, Macklemore, who was scared enough for his friend's life that he helped stage an intervention with Seth's family.

It's a harrowing story that should give hope to parents whose kids are off the rails and seem to have either a jail cell or grave in their near future. You'll also hear how these recovery high schools are giving young people a chance they might not otherwise get in a traditional school setting.

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• Association of Recovery Schools
• Seattle Interagency High School Recovery Campus
• Ostiguy Recovery High School (Boston)

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.