InterAct LifeLine Audio Journal

Addiction is often misunderstood with perceptions ranging from poor choices, moral failings or a brain disorder. Dr. Sandra Newes, clinical psychologist focuses on the treatment of both adolescents and young adults diagnosed with substance misuse and addiction, clarifies what addiction is and is not. She delves into the risk factors that all parents should know and understand in their children and prevention strategies to lower those risks.

Give Yourself the Gift of Community. Make connections to help support you as you battle addiction.If you are struggling with addiction or have an addict in your family, going it alone is never a good idea. I was fortunate in many ways that when my 14-year old daughter began her struggle, I had close friends that were there for me who had watched Laura grow up and knew I needed help. And people were there for me throughout the 15 years we battled the disease, and in the end wh...

Give Yourself the Gift of Self-CareHow to keep yourself healthy, centered, balanced & connected when you struggle with an addicted loved oneThis will be my second Christmas without my daughter Laura who struggled for 15 years with addiction but lost her life to overdose on December 21, 2017, right before the holidays. In the two years since her death, I’ve taken care of myself in some ways, but not in others. Battling addiction with a loved one or battling it as an addict takes a t...

One of the bests gifts to give yourself during the holidays, forgiveness.Why it’s important to forgive yourself, your family and friends and your addicted loved one This will be my second Christmas without my daughter Laura who struggled for 15 years with addiction but lost her life to overdose on December 21, 2017, right before the holidays. But even when Laura was with us, holidays were often stressful because I never knew what kind of tension and drama she might create for the f...

The holidays can be a dreaded time of the year if someone you love is suffering or has lost their battle with the disease of addiction. This will be my second Christmas without my daughter Laura who struggled for 15 years with addiction but lost her life to overdose on December 21, 2017, right before the holidays. It’s hard to think about gift giving during this time of year, because the holidays may be filled with regret, grief, or stress. This Audio Journal focuses on gif...

How to bring joy back into what can be a difficult time of year.The holidays are the most wonderful, but often the most dreadful time of the year if someone you love is suffering from or has lost their battle with the disease of addiction. This will be my second Christmas without my daughter Laura who struggled for 15 years with addiction but lost her life to overdose on December 21, 2017, right before the holidays. But even when Laura was with us, holidays were often stressful be...

The “When”, “Who” and “How” to get help for a struggling teen.This Audio Journal series focuses on what it takes to coach your family through the Opioid Crisis with the right game plan, a playbook, an understanding of your opponent and help from your “assistants” when it’s called for. This episode will focus on why you need a good staff around you because no game is winnable if you are the only coach calling the plays.Football coaches know that they don’t have all of the answers. ...

How to avoid mistakes that put your parenting game at risk. This Audio Journal series focuses on what it takes to coach your family through the Opioid Crisis with the right game plan, a playbook, an understanding of your opponent and help from your “assistants” when it’s called for. This episode will focus on how to avoid unforced errors that put your parenting game at risk.I watched Auburn and Alabama slug it out in the Iron Bowl with three touchdowns coming from errors made by bo...

Know the facts to help you make good decisionsThis Audio Journal series focuses on what it takes to coach your family through the Opioid Crisis with the right game plan, a parent playbook, an understanding of your opponent and help from your “assistants” when it’s called for. This episode will focus on the value of analyzing the data to understand the facts so you can make the right play calls.Nick Saban at Alabama implemented a GPS tracking system to monitor his player’s activity in pr...

Why a Focus on Prevention is so Critical If you listened to the last Audio Journal, we focused on what it takes to coach your family through the Opioid Crisis with a game plan, a playbook, an understanding of your opponent and help from your “assistants” when it’s called for. This episode will focus on what every successful college football coach knows and understand, that it’s much easier to play offense vs. always be on the defensive.Football coaches don’t start preparing during ...