Norma Norris 
The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) reports it is common for individuals with substance abuse problems to also have a mental health disorder. Mental health disorders and substance abuse share similar symptoms. Commonly shared symptoms include: decline in work/school performance, changes in appetite or sleep patterns, moodiness, dramatic weight loss or weight gain, loss … Read more
Underage Drinking May Lead to Alcohol Use Disorder More and more teens are developing Alcohol Use Disorder. Do you remember what it was like to be a teenager? Peer pressure, curiosity, and an urge to rebel are common factors that can lead to underage drinking. And recently, as remote learning and social distancing have become … Read more
Preventing Inhalant Use Disorder in Teens Inhalant use disorder is a rampant problem, especially among young people. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2020 saw a 64% increase in inhalant use for 8th graders. Many healthcare professionals attribute this unprecedented rise in inhalant abuse to the pandemic. Regardless of why teens have turned … Read more
Misuse in Adderall among teens is a rising trend, as students are taking Adderall without a prescription. Living the life of a teen or a college student, our surroundings can be tempting. We are in school systems that want our A-game. Exams, homework, presentations, and endless hours of studying is exhausting. We must manage our … Read more
Life Skills Training Vs. Reality Tour Botvin LifeSkills Training (LST), like Reality Tour, is an evidence-based curriculum for substance abuse prevention. Both programs have been proven to provide adolescents with the social skills necessary to withstand peer pressure, but there are some key differences. Let’s look at each program’s main components. Botvin’s Life Skills Training … Read more
Urine testing your kids is a decision that parents should take seriously. Experts agree that testing teens for the wrong reasons can damage trust. However, under the right circumstances, drug tests can be a tool to prevent substance abuse or to help children recovering from addiction. As a parent, it is crucial that you educate … Read more
Everything Is Going To Be Okay? My chair rolls sluggishly across the living room carpet in the spring of 2020. It is not the picture that was in my head a few months ago. In those intern scenarios I was free-wheeling at a desk cozily cubicled next to a whirring copy machine. I would … Read more
Some parents at home with their adolescent or teen during quarantine are beginning to realize something is going on with their child besides anxiety about the pandemic and social distancing. A clue may lie in the vaping epidemic that has snared millions of youth with an e-cigarette or nicotine vaping addiction. Vaping … Read more
Today’s adolescent hasn’t known a time when drugs were not a threat to the well-being of youth. After attending the nonprofit CANDLE, Inc.’s Reality Tour Drug Prevention Program, a 12 year-old wrote a thank you to the volunteers for “Helping us with a problem so scary it shouldn’t exist.” Youth attending Reality Tour are appreciative … Read more