Brief Strategic Family Therapy Helps Parents, Teens Cut Substance Use TeensBy The Right StepAugust 30, 2015Parents affected by serious drug or alcohol problems can experience a serious decline in their parenting skills and ability to maintain a stable household environment. Potential consequences of this decline include a carrying over of problematic substance use to a daughter or son. In a study published in November 2014 in the journal Addictive Behaviors,…
Teens and Steroid Abuse TeensBy The Right StepAugust 29, 2015Steroid use among teens is a major problem because of the negative health consequences that can result. Among all drugs abused by teens, steroids are not the most popular, but they can be extremely damaging. Boys are more likely than girls to use them, but all teens are susceptible to the temptation to use these…
You Caught Your Teen Smoking, Now What? TeensBy The Right StepAugust 27, 2015People still smoke, which is hard to believe given everything we know about the health hazards. Among American adults, 18 percent of the population, or 42 million people, still smoke. Still, the rate of smoking has declined greatly over the last several decades and continues to go down. You don’t smoke. Your partner doesn’t smoke.…
Here’s a Quick, Easy Way to Boost Your Teen’s Self-Esteem and Build a More Fulfilling School Year Teen Mental Health, TeensBy The Right StepAugust 24, 2015If you have a typical teenager, chances are their self-esteem could use a lift:
What Does It Mean to Be A Teen With Borderline Personality Traits? Teen Mental Health, TeensBy The Right StepAugust 20, 2015Borderline personality disorder, also known as BPD, is a mental illness categorized as a mood disorder. Someone with BPD typically has unstable moods, difficulty with relationships and erratic behaviors. If you think these characteristics of the disorder sound like your average teenager, you aren’t wrong, and this is a big problem when it comes to…
This Groundbreaking Insight May Be Your Teen’s Best Defense Against Addiction This School Year TeensBy The Right StepAugust 18, 2015“The best thing for being sad … is to learn something,” the magician Merlin counsels his young pupil, Wart, in the fantasy classic The Once and Future King. And the latest insights from science seem to confirm that conclusion, with the implication that encouraging your teen’s studies may be their best defense against addiction and…
Adderall, Ritalin and Teens: The Cold Hard Facts About ADHD Drug Abuse Teen Drug Addiction, TeensBy The Right StepAugust 5, 2015From 2008 to 2012, the number of Americans taking prescribed medications for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, rose by almost 36 percent. Overall, the number of U.S. residents identified as ADHD sufferers is approaching 10 million, which means the pharmaceutical drugs used to treat this disorder are more widely available than ever before.
Could Participation in Sports Put Your Teen at Risk for Drug Abuse? Addiction, Teen Drug Addiction, TeensBy The Right StepJuly 23, 2015While there are many benefits for teens participating in school sports, there is also a major risk: substance abuse. Research has shown that students on sports teams, especially certain types of sports teams, are at a greater risk for abusing substances than teens who do not participate in athletics. There are some obvious benefits to…
How to Teen-Proof Summer Vacation TeensBy The Right StepJuly 17, 2015Teens love summer. School is out. They have more time to hang out with friends. And, if both parents work, they get to enjoy the freedom of unsupervised time. For many teens, this is a chance to demonstrate maturity and responsibility, but there are also risks. Unsupervised teens are more likely to experiment with drugs…
Teen Girls With Family History of Alcoholism at Higher Risk for Addiction TeensBy The Right StepMay 14, 2015Teenage girls who have first- and second-degree relatives with alcohol problems are at an increased risk for having altered brain structures that make them susceptible to problematic alcohol use even if they don’t currently drink, a new study finds.