We know teenagers hate cliches. You hate tired platitudes. And supposedly-wise adages make you want to scream. But we’re going to open this blog with one of them anyway: “Kids are more likely to do what you do than do what you say.” You may be thinking, “Tell that to my parents, not to me.” And you’re right. Your parents should know this already. And if they’re engaging in addictive
You went through treatment and you’re on the road to recovery. Maybe you spent part of the summer in a residential program, or maybe you did an intensive outpatient, partial hospitalization, or day treatment program. You spent long, tough hours uncovering the issues that led you to addiction or substance abuse, and then you spent an equal or greater amount of time learning new, positing, life-affirming coping mechanisms to replace
As summer winds down, teenagers around the country head back to school. Some start in the beginning of August, while some start later, around Labor Day. In the Los Angeles area of Southern California, where Evolve offers substance abuse and addiction treatment for teens, high school tends to start in the middle weeks of August. That makes the beginning of the month transition time: families return from vacation, teenagers clock
Therapists who treat teenagers struggling with mental health problems, addiction, and/or substance abuse disorders tend to encounter resistance from their clients at some point during the therapeutic process. Typically, resistance comes from the individual in question – the teenager – but if you’re a therapist working with adolescents on these issues, be prepared: parents may offer stiff resistance during the recovery journey, too. One area where you can expect push-back
Something happens when you grow up: you stop talking to your parents about everything in your life. When you’re little, your parents are the first people you want to tell when anything at all happens. Maybe you don’t remember, or maybe you were brought up by your grandparents or an aunt, uncle, or someone else. Regardless, it’s virtually guaranteed you had an overwhelming urge to be seen and heard by
The short answer: no. Right now, at this very moment, there are thousands of teenagers across the country – and the world, for that matter – asking themselves this same question. And that’s probably a low estimate, because there are a lot of teenagers in the world. Probably way more than you realize. Let’s take a quick look at the raw population numbers, taken from the United States Census Bureau
Dangers of Secondhand Smoke First, let’s talk about cigarettes. Secondhand cigarette smoke is a huge health risk: nothing new there. That’s why restaurants, bars, and even nightclubs across the U.S. are smoke-free. If you’re a teenager reading this, you might not know it used to be perfectly legal and socially acceptable to smoke cigarettes virtually anywhere. Grocery stores, banks, department stores, airplanes—people were free to light up when and where
What is Dual Diagnosis? Do you ever have bad days? Do you have lots of bad days in a row? Do they build up until you can’t stand it any longer? Until you need a release? Until you need something to numb the pain? Everyone has a bad day now and then. Some days, you may feel like you can’t face the stress of everyday life. Other days, you may
Hall of Fame surf pioneer Thomas Victor Carroll was Born in 1961 in New South Wales, Australia. To say his career was impressive is an understatement: he won the world championships in 1983 and 1984, twenty-six world tour stages, three trophies in the legendary Pipeline Masters competition, and was the first surfer to secure a million-dollar contract with a sponsor. His deal with Quicksilver turned the idea of a career
The teenage years are filled with ups and downs. Some days you feel great, while others lead to nothing but drama, drama, drama. You feel as if you’re on a hormonal roller coaster. That roller coaster makes it almost impossible for you to tell the difference between typical teenage moodiness and an actual mental disorder without help. Find Out For Yourself The signs and symptoms listed below might prove your
