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Hear From Real People Who Have Been Through It
Cory
Cory is a junior in high school who got involved with drugs a few years
ago. His girlfriend intervened and, after a lot of hard work and support
from friends and family, he is now drug-free.
How I started using. Listen Now.  Read. 
I hid my drug use from my family. Listen Now. Read.
I was flunking out, but no one suspected my drug use. Listen Now. Read.
My message to other teens. Listen Now. Read.
Brad
Brad developed a serious drug addiction problem in high school and entered
a professional treatment center for help.
I began using at age 13. Listen Now. Read.
I was dealing in the locker room .Listen Now. Read.
I used as often as possible. Listen Now. Read.
Drugs were easy to get in high school. Listen Now. Read.
I wanted to be seen as cool by everyone. Listen Now. Read.
Eventually I stopped hanging out with clean friends. Listen Now. Read.
I would use whatever I could to get away from reality. Listen Now. Read.
“Experimenting” didn’t last long. Listen Now. Read.
In the end, drugs weren’t covering up my bad feelings. Listen Now. Read.
If my parents told me not to, then I did it. Listen Now. Read.
Mom didn’t know what to do about my problem. Listen Now. Read.
It was hard for me to believe that drugs were my problem. Listen Now. Read.
I used drugs as an escape. Listen Now. Read.
How I stay clean. Listen Now. Read.
My friends had a greater influence on me than my parents. Listen Now. Read.
Coach Mitch
Coach Mitch has more than 20 years of coaching experience in the Boston,
MA area. Here, he explains the important role that parents and coaches
have to play as a “team” to help the teen be healthy and
drug-free.
I caught my student drinking at the bus stop. Listen Now. Read.
I reached out directly to the teen, his parents, and the school counselors. Listen Now. Read.
Coaches aren’t outsiders – they have an important role to play. Listen Now. Read.
Parents and coaches need to form a team to help kids stay drug-free. Listen Now. Read.
Kids know when their parent is abusing drugs or alcohol. Listen Now. Read.
There are resources available in the community. Listen Now. Read.
Every kid needs their parents to be parents. Listen Now. Read.
Parent expectations add tremendous stress to a teen's life. Listen Now. Read.
Coaches need to be aware of the dangers drugs and alcohol pose to teens. Listen Now. Read.
Hope
Hope is the mother of two recovering teenage drug addicts.
She shares her experiences and fears as the healing process continues
for her entire family.
How I found out my children were using. Listen Now. Read.
The shock of finding out that both of my children were using. Listen Now. Read.
Not my children. Listen Now. Read.
Kids are great at getting parents to back off. Listen Now. Read.
Availability of drugs is a problem. Listen Now. Read.
I was afraid of being seen as a bad parent. Listen Now. Read.
It was hard to put my emotions aside. Listen Now. Read.
Looking for help ... resources are out there. Listen Now. Read.
Parents need to be on the same page with each other to avoid enabling behavior. Listen Now. Read.
Dr. Mark Gold, M.D.
Dr. Gold, an expert in addiction medicine from Florida, discusses how
to recognize if your child has a drug or alcohol problem and how to get
help.
The best way to recognize drug use is to spend time with your child. Listen Now. Read.
Look for subtle changes in your teen’s friends, interests, sports; ask questions! Listen Now. Read.
It’s difficult to determine if there is a problem. Listen Now. Read.
Look for risk-taking behavior in your child. Listen Now. Read.
Teenage years are developmental years; drug use has no positive outcome. Listen Now. Read.
Drugs cause changes in the brain—no one knows who will become addicted. Listen Now. Read.
Signs and symptoms of addiction. Listen Now. Read.
Parents are role models for their children. Listen Now. Read.
Parent’s acceptance of drug use is dangerous. Listen Now. Read.
Parents need to check themselves for drug and alcohol abuse. Listen Now. Read.
Parenting is a lifelong process—so is preventing drug use. Listen Now. Read.
Clues for parents. Listen Now. Read.
Families need to set guidelines for drug and alcohol use. Listen Now. Read.
Steps parents can take to prevent drug use by their children. Listen Now. Read.
Rules provide support for children. Listen Now. Read.
Keep the lines of communication open with your children. Listen Now. Read.
Alison Birnbaum, LCSW
Ms. Birnbaum, a family therapist and clinical social worker in Connecticut,
discusses how you can get help for your son or daughter, as well as
the negative consequences of using drugs and the effects they can have
on you.
A child’s drug use affects the entire family. Listen Now. Read.
How to have a conversation with your teen about drug use. Listen Now. Read.
Set family rules about drug or alcohol use. Listen Now. Read.
The difficulty of addressing the teen’s use when a parent is also using. Listen Now. Read.
There is help in the community for adults. Listen Now. Read.
There are resources available for teens. Listen Now. Read.
The stigma of substance abuse is real. Listen Now. Read.
Prevention is a partnership. Listen Now. Read.
Kids: Develop yourself without drugs. Listen Now. Read.
Experiencing the edge can be safe. Listen Now. Read.
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