Hope. Help. Healing.
The Hopestream podcast offers empathy and guidance for parents of children struggling with substance misuse. Hear the latest information from experts, listen in on coaching sessions, and learn how to respond strategically, react calmly, and connect with your child during this difficult period.
Find Hopestream episode playlists, grouped by topic, here or search below by keyword, guest or episode number
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Episode 214
Parenting Through a Child's Substance Use With Clarity, Compassion And Your Own Therapist, with Patrick Balsley
Patrick Balsley's substance use began with alcohol in middle school and ended 11 years later with heroin- and cocaine-induced psychosis. But instead of talking to Patrick about who he used to be, today I'm talking to him about the incredible things he's been doing with his life since then and what he's learned while helping so many other families in their pursuit of recovery.
Episode 213
The Difficult Realities of Using The Invitation To Change With A Child Struggling With Drugs or Alcohol, with Brenda Zane
Because I sit at a vantage point of seeing many parents working to understand and implement the Invitation To Change Approach (ITC) with their child who struggles with substance misuse, I see things others don't. I hear the frustrations and the celebrations, and I know that while an approach like the ITC is very powerful and effective, it isn't a magic wand.
Episode 212
Un-Addiction: A Mind-Changing Conversation on How We Think About Addiction and Risk, with Nzinga Harrison, M.D.
In the two years since our favorite addiction doctor, Nzinga Harrison, M.D. was last on the show, she’s organized much of her extensive knowledge about the roots of substance use disorders into a new book: Un-addiction: 6 Mind-Changing Conversations That Could Save a Life. The framework is comprehensive and data-driven, but also plainly written and easy to understand. In this conversation, Dr. Harrison lays out these six conversations and also shares her personal parenting challenges, proving even addiction specialists are human when it comes to our own kids.
Episode 211
There Is No Such Thing As Drug and Alcohol Treatment For Adolescents, with Robert Schwebel and Lynn Smith
When Dr. Robert Schwebel was approached by a local treatment agency about developing a drug program for adolescents, he was not interested. He decided to meet with the agency about the proposal, but also to share hard truths that he thought would encourage them to find someone else: Don't promise drug free kids overnight. Help them learn to make good decisions rather than telling them what to do. Incorporate life counseling. Rather than rejecting him, the program agreed to Robert’s suggestions and hired him.
Episode 210
Debunking Myths and Connecting Dots Between Mental Health, Substance Use, and Gender Identity, with Jordan Held
As a private practice therapist, Jordan Held has deep expertise in gender and sexual minority youth with complex histories of PTSD and trauma. Many have been in substance use treatment programs as well. In this episode, we discuss why some young people are going "stealth", the post-pandemic spread of school avoidance, why kids don't even consider marijuana a drug any more, and how parenting without shame creates bonds of trust that leave families stronger in difficult times.
Episode 209
Why Your Attachment Style Matters When Parenting a Child Who Misuses Drugs or Alcohol, with Jack Hinman, Psy.D.
If you could stand outside your own life, watching your family relationships play out like a movie, what patterns of behavior might you notice about yourself? If you could see those patterns right now, wouldn’t it be much easier to improve them? In this episode with Jack Hinman, we work to understand ourselves and our family dynamics more deeply through the lens of attachment theory.
Episode 208
Revealing What Exactly Educational and Therapeutic Consultants Do (and don’t do), with Joanna Lilley
When my son began using drugs and alcohol, I did what a lot of parents do: I dove headfirst into a world I didn't know existed, trying to evaluate all the possible programs and places he might go to get help. But there's so much to learn about the treatment world, and the knowledge is extremely specialized, making it almost impossible to sift through it effectively without a guide. On today's show, I spoke with someone who is that guide for families.
Episode 207
Coaching Episode: Dealing With Anger and Disappointment When You Learn Your Child Is Misusing Drugs and Alcohol, with Rose
Rose has three children, so she's not new to being a mom. But when her son spent six months trying every drug he could find, she stepped into a foreign world of substance misuse and increasing risk. She dealt with the utter shock and disbelief her child had been using substances at all, let alone to the degree she came to realize.
Episode 206
Navigating Your Child's Substance Misuse: Six Crucial Mindset Shifts for Intentional Parenting, with Cathy Cioth
Hopestream co-founder, Cathy Cioth, is back for another episode to discuss six critical mindset shifts we both believe parents need to consider when they have a child struggling with substance misuse. We share how these important pivots in our thinking impacted our families and why, even though both of us have kids in recovery, we still vigilantly adhere to them.
Episode 205
Trading Control & Punishment for Respect & Emotional Intelligence,
with Ann Coleman
After watching her brother's life cut short by substance use, Ann Coleman was intimately familiar with its dangers. So when her son - who already suffered from anxiety and depression - started using marijuana, hallucinogens and opiates, her trauma and instincts of fear and control kicked in hard. Looking back, Ann recognizes that at the time she believed her son was solely to blame for the unraveling of the relationship. Now, she knows better.
Episode 204
Pivot Points - Recovery Is For Those Who Do It, with Matt Nannis
When young people in recovery return to use, we often hear phrases like “failure to launch,” “regression,” or the suggestion that “recovery is only for those who want it.” Today’s guest, Matt Nannis, says it’s time to abandon these concepts altogether. Matt says the problem with concepts like “failure to launch” is they imply some fixed destination along a set path. And while he found great value in the rubric of AA, he now believes the all-or-nothing mindset implied by “regression” just isn't anchored in reality.
Episode 203
Insights From Honest Conversations With Treatment Programs, Consultants, and Real World Parents, with Brenda Zane
I recently sat down with over 20 treatment program owners, directors, therapists, educational consultants, and 20+ parents who are or have been on the journey with their kids, and I'm sharing the insights I gleaned in today's episode.
Episode 202
Decoding Today’s Adolescent Substance Use Treatment Landscape, with Trish Ruggles
At some point along your child's road to recovery, you will almost certainly need to make some difficult decisions about treatment. If they’re an adolescent, this becomes an even more complicated decision. My guest on today's episode is Trish Ruggles, a licensed clinical professional counselor and therapeutic educational consultant with 15 years of experience. She has intimate, on-the-ground knowledge of the wide spectrum of mental health and substance use treatment and works with families to match the right treatment setting with a young person’s therapeutic and academic needs.
Episode 201
Coaching Episode: Using Self-Care and Motivation as Tools in Teen Harm Reduction
Kelly’s son began smoking marijuana all day, every day after a serious trauma two years ago. Therapy and harm reduction strategies have led them to an arrangement where he is allowed to smoke occasionally, but only in the garage. Her son is smoking much less now, and in combination with therapy, reports he’s stopped using substances as a primary coping mechanism. But Kelly is reaching the end of her rope, finding it difficult to get enough sleep. Her interactions with her son have become more judgmental than compassionate, and Kelly worries about driving him away.
Episode 200
Filling the void: Six Emotional Nutrients Your Child (and you) Need, with Noel Koons
In the words of today's guest, Noel Koons, "We all dent our children." Though it may seem like so many other families have everything perfectly together, Noel assures us that isn't true – and with more than 13 years of clinical mental health experience counseling families and individuals, he should know.
Episode 199
Hopestream Golden Nuggets of 2023
I release 52 episodes of Hopestream every year, and every year there are a few conversations that just stick. Months later I’ll find myself reflecting on how a specific story or perspective has the potential to change the way we think and act as parents of kids working toward recovery. I think of these important moments as this year's “golden nuggets.”
Episode 198
The Greatest Gift I Can Give You If Your Child Is Misusing Drugs and Alcohol, with Brenda Zane
Friend, we made it to the end of 2023. This is my final solo episode of the year and after much thought and debate, I decided to share a gift I'd like to give you, some words of hope and strength for wherever you are in The Journey.
Episode 197
Exposing the Hard Truths: Insurance Claims Denials for Substance Use Treatment, with Mark DeBofsky
When parents are in the thick of it with a high-risk child, they’re so overwhelmed it's hard to think about something as frustrating and time-consuming as insurance. But my guest today reminds us the earlier you get started and the more thorough your documentation, the more likely you are to receive coverage for the resources and services your child needs.
Episode 196
Recovery Reframes Parenting: Second Chances for a Father and Son Navigating Early Recovery
On today's coaching episode, we welcome Brad, from our community for guys, The Woods. Brad is facing a lot of unknowns. He wants his son to have every opportunity for success, but what does helpful parenting look like with a child in early recovery? How does a dad know when to step in and when to hold back and let his son just figure things out on his own? To add to the complexities, Brad’s son is potentially coming home to visit soon, which is exciting and also nerve wracking.
Episode 195
Real Talk: Transparency and Accountability in Teen Conversations, with Dr. Janet Edgette
So many kids who turn to substances are brilliant. Often that brilliance gets wielded in a variety of unhealthy ways and can wreck the power balance of an entire household. Perhaps you've felt telltale signs like being held hostage with gaslighting and emotional blackmail. Perhaps you woke up one day to realize you've been walking on eggshells, allowing your child to control the interactions in your own house for months. If so, this episode is for you.
Episode 194
Coaching A Mom Pushed To Her Limits, with Olivia
Olivia’s son began experimenting with marijuana at the age of 13 and soon moved on to high-potency THC concentrates. He became more aggressive, his anger more volatile, and by the age of 15 was experiencing THC-induced psychotic breaks. He’s since been diagnosed with OCD, PTSD, ODD, marijuana use disorder, anxiety, and depression. In this episode you’ll hear how Olivia and I zero in on a break for her as a way to start emerging from the trauma she and her son have experienced.
Episode 193
Learn From My Mistakes If Your Child Is Struggling With Substance Use, with Julie Merberg
When Julie Merberg returned home from a work trip to find a scale and a pile of baggies on the table, she knew her son's involvement with substances was getting out of control.As with so many of us, Julie and her husband tried to change their son’s behavior with punishment and control but found that it only made him more oppositional and defiant. Three years later, Julie's son has embraced a life of recovery, and they both work to share the wisdom they've gained while getting there.
Episode 192
Why Parents of LGBTQ+ Kids Need Their Own “Coming In” Process, with Matt Seelos
The experience of coming out as an LGBTQ+ youth varies wildly across the country and world. In some families and communities, it’s celebrated. In others, condemned. But my guest, Matt Seelos, on this episode of Hopestream says that we often forget about the “coming in” process needed for parents and families of those youth.
Episode 191
The Lifeboat Episode; Six Essential Provisions For Parenting Kids Through Drug Use or Addiction, with Cathy Cioth
Navigating life with a young person who’s misusing substances and struggling with mental health can feel like a ride in a very stormy sea. Parents need to be well equipped for the journey but often aren’t sure what mandatory, life-saving provisions to bring along. In this episode you’ll hear my and Cathy’s recommendations based on our lived experience.
Episode 190
Craving Spring: How a Greek Myth Fueled a Mother’s Quest To Save Her Daughter, with Ann Batchelder
When Ann Batchelder discovered her daughter’s suicidal thoughts, bulimia and substance misuse, she desperately sought wisdom in places many of us do: therapy, 12-step programs, and spiritual teachings. But it was an ancient Greek myth that gave her the greatest solace and understanding of parenting a wayward child. As Ann “did the work” to preserve mindfulness and realism about what she could control, she also began writing about her family's experiences.
Episode 189
Filling The Sober, Fun And Social Gap In Early Recovery, with Eve Goldberg
The time period of early recovery - between a treatment program and responsible, independent living - is an incredibly tricky one to navigate. My guest today says this is especially true in New York City, where marijuana smoke drifts down streets lined with thousands of alluring bars. Eve Goldberg knew that fragile gap because it’s where she lost her son Issac. And she decided to do something big and bold to change early recovery for other young adults.
Episode 188
Ten Recovery Eye-Openers For Parenting a Child Through Substance Misuse or Addiction, with Brenda Zane
After 187 episodes where I've talked with experts, people in recovery, parents, siblings, and my son who's in recovery, I wanted to distill down 10 of the top eye-opening recovery insights I've gathered on this journey. I also share related episodes for these so you can dive deeper into the ones that resonate most. And don’t miss the cheat sheet that goes along with this episode!
Episode 187
The Role of Mindfulness in Recovery from Eating Disorders and Substance Use, with Maureen and Josh White
My guest today is the founder of Red Mountain, Josh White, who is also a clinical mental health counselor, and certified group psychotherapist. In this episode, we discuss the incredible power meditation and mindfulness practice can give young people in recovery - stepping outside cravings and impulses, observing them, interrogating them, and allowing them to pass.
Episode 186
The Other Side of Addiction: A Compilation of Guests Who Made it Out
I’m sharing a curated collection of some of my favorite interview clips with people in recovery to celebrate National Recovery Month. All of these guests have been to the darkest places – jail, suicide attempts, overdoses. And yet, all have completely changed their lives, with several now working to help others in the field of recovery.
Episode 185
Close To Home: Personal Details and Insights From His Addiction and Recovery with Brenda’s Son, Enzo Narciso
For years, listeners of Hopestream have heard stories about my own family’s experiences with substance misuse and recovery. Today, after 184 episodes, I’m thrilled to finally introduce you to my son, Enzo. I’m inspired by how he’s built a meaningful life free of substance misuse and for the time and energy he now dedicates to helping kids struggling with their own path to recovery. It’s a personal and insightful episode I hope you’ll enjoy.
Episode 184
The Pivotal Role of Identity and Self-Worth in Addiction & Recovery, with Matt Elliott
I was recently contacted by today’s guest, Matt Elliott, a client of mine from my life in the corporate world. Until he got in touch, I hadn’t seen or spoken to Matt in five years. I had no idea that he had his own recovery story to share. In this episode, we talk about the traumas Matt put his family through as a young man, the role substances played in his perception of his own value as a human being, how his recovery played out, and what his younger self needed to hear at the time.
Episode 183
Fathering With Accountability and Grace When Your Teen Struggles with Addiction, with Steve Andrews
Today, I have the privilege of introducing our new host of The Woods, our community specifically for dads, stepdads, and male co-parents. After Steve Andrews and his wife got sober through Alcoholics Anonymous as a young couple, their sons never saw them drink or use substances. They warned their kids of the alcoholism and mental health issues on both sides of the family, but when one of them began misusing DXM, Kratom, alcohol, and marijuana in middle school, the couple found themselves in an increasingly volatile situation.
Episode 182
Ten Simple and Effective Phrases That Help Diffuse Difficult Conversations, With Brenda Zane
When you have a complex child, all your conversations and relationships might feel more strained. If you're like me, you sometimes find yourself at a complete loss for words and struggle with how to diffuse or launch your communication in a helpful and productive way. If this sounds like you, you're in luck as I'm sharing ten very simple and highly effective phrases you can use when you're stuck for words or your words aren't currently working.
Episode 181
The Secret Menu; Reframing The Experience of Parenting and Addiction, with Brenda Zane
Sometimes you can gain a different understanding of things by looking at them through a new lens. Today's bite-size episode does that for you as the parent of a young person who struggle with substances - in the form of a short story.
Episode 180
Accepting the Invitation To Change: Two Parents Confront Fentanyl’s Hold On Their Daughter, with Eleanor & Dave
Eleanor and Dave raised their children in Silicon Valley, where they had a nice house, a beautiful community, and access to California's best schools. But as many parents recognize, economic stability is not necessarily a shield against substance misuse. In the span of one short year, Eleanor and Dave watched their daughter spiral from a university student to homeless, living in her car and using fentanyl regularly. They strategically used The Invitation To Change approach, and their engineering minds, to bring their daughter back from the grip of fentanyl.
Episode 179
Coaching Episode – Helping Your Child Progress Through Early Recovery and Begin Adulting, with Alice
After wilderness and a therapeutic boarding school, Alice’s son is now an 18-year-old holding down a heavy load including work, volunteering, meetings and school in sober living. But the everyday things that Alice used to do for him at home – laundry, groceries, appointments, picking up prescriptions – are starting to create a level of stress that is no longer buffered by substances.
Episode 178
How Parents Can Transcend Shame – and Help Their Kids Do the Same, with Patrick Hawkins
Today we tackle the difficult topic of shame and how it can affect our entire families. As parents of kids who are misusing drugs or alcohol, it’s common to experience a profound sense of failure or guilt when their lives begin to spin out of control.
Episode 177
Substance Misuse Makes Perfect Sense: Redefining Addiction and Recovery, with Adam Sud
After years of stimulant and other substance abuse, Adam Sud tried to take his own life with an overdose - which thankfully failed. In the decade that followed that pivotal event, he became a behavioral wellness nutrition expert, international speaker, and the founder and CEO of a nonprofit that studies how nutrition impacts mental health and addiction. Adam is full of truths that are sometimes hard to hear but are invaluable to help parents understand what their kids are going through, how to be an active part of their recovery, and, importantly, how not to sabotage it.
Episode 176
Six Pivotal Questions Parents Get To Make When Their Child Struggles With Substances and Addiction
Today I'm taking a break from talking about addiction, substances, mental health, all.the.things. Instead, I'm sharing six pivotal decisions you get to make as a parent that can help better your life when you have a child struggling with substances or finding their way to recovery. It's a shorty episode that will give you a few things to consider if you feel a bit untethered or like life is controlling you vs. the other way around.
Episode 175
The Intersection of Autism and Addiction, with Dr. Brandon Park
After searching for a trustworthy specialist, I’m finally covering the important topic of addiction and neurodiversity today with neuropsychologist Dr. Brandon Park, Founder and Executive Director of New Focus Academy. In this episode, Dr. Park explains why kids who are neurodiverse or who have been diagnosed with autism can find themselves especially susceptible to addictions – not just to alcohol and drugs, but also technology use and other behaviors.
Episode 174
What Are Boundaries And Why Parents Need Them When Their Child Misuses Drugs or Alcohol, with Cathy Cioth
You might hear the term "boundaries" thrown around as you work to parent your child who's misusing drugs and alcohol - but what exactly are they, and why do you need them? Hopestream Community co-founder Cathy Cioth and I deep dive into this topic today because we see parents in our communities struggle with it constantly.
Episode 173
What the Chinese Farmer Teaches Us About Parenting Kids Using Substances, with Dina Cannizzaro
In this episode, Hopestream Advisor Dina Cannizzaro is back with me to discuss the profound lessons in the story of the Chinese farmer. The parable applies to everyone’s lives, but it is especially relevant for those going through difficult times, as many parents in the Hopestream Community are. Take it from two moms who have survived their child’s extreme substance misuse: you never know what good may come from tragedy and misfortune.
Episode 172
A Mother & Son Walk Us Through Addiction, Recovery and Rebuilding Family Connection, With Cindy & Colin
By the time Cindy learned to establish boundaries with her son Colin, he had already endured brain injuries and intubations as a result of his alcohol abuse. When Colin finally called her from jail one night, she knew that she shouldn’t bail him out despite her instincts. She expressed sympathy but didn't offer to rescue him - again. Since that day, Cindy and Colin have both experienced profound personal growth and in this episode you’ll hear how mother and son found their way out of a very dark place to a new life filled with health and healing.
Episode 171
An Unexpectedly Humorous Take on Substance Misuse, Borderline Personality, Trauma and Tragic Loss, with Jess Kupferman
On this episode of Hopestream, the show comes full circle to its roots. My guest, Jess Kupferman, is the CEO of She Podcasts, a membership-based group of all-women podcasters that played an important role in creating this show.
What I didn’t know when I launched the podcast was that Jess lost her daughter to a heroin overdose at the same time I was going through our family struggles with my son. One of the most fascinating things about Jess is the way she has learned to process this trauma with a sharp sense of humor rarely seen in addiction and recovery spaces.
Episode 170
A Tribute To Bill Guy, A Role Model For Parents Who Love A Child Struggling With Drugs and Alcohol
It's a very special Hopestream episode today in memory of a dear friend and host of The Woods Community, Bill Guy. Bill passed away June 2nd and he leaves a big gap in the world - we were fortunate to have had him as a generous and brave leader for our community in it's infancy. If you want to hear the voice of someone who led by example and epitomized the approach of love, education, empathy, boundaries and self-care when your child is misusing substances, you won't find anyone more pure than Bill.
Episode 169
Is It Ok To Use A CALM Approach With A Child Who Misuses Drugs and Alcohol? With Brenda Zane
It's a shorty episode today, tackling the question of whether a calm approach can work when you have a child misusing substances. I share my perspective on why I believe parents often think they need to use aggressive, confrontational tactics to get their children to change and invite you into an experiment to test the theory.
Episode 168
Deprogramming Our “Family Of Origin” Triggers For More Effective Parenting, with Dr. Crystal Collier
Figuring out how to parent a teen or young adult experimenting with substances is hard enough on its own. But there’s often an additional layer of confusion about how this all happened: Didn’t we provide a stable home life for our kids? Didn’t they have access to everything they needed? What did I miss to prevent this?
Today’s guest is Dr. Crystal Collier, an award-winning therapist working with adolescents and adults suffering from mental illness, behavioral problems, and substance use disorders. We dive into Family of Origin (FOO) triggers and how we can deprogram them in our families.
Episode 167
Johnny’s Ambassadors: How One Mother’s Loss Started a Youth Marijuana Awareness Movement, With Laura Stack
My guest today is Laura Stack, founder of Johnny’s Ambassadors and a mother who lives in Colorado – ground zero for the nation’s marijuana legalization. Laura watched her son go from a straight-A student with no mental illness to marijuana-induced psychosis after obtaining his medical marijuana card.
Episode 166
Bonus Episode: A Mother's Day Card For All The Mommas
It's Mother's Day, 2023, and for those with kids who struggle, who are in treatment, or who lost their struggle, it can be hard. It can also be joyous and amazing, kind of a mixed bag. So this is your Mother's Day card from me.
Sending so much love your way.
Episode 165
Back Pocket Parenting; Getting Un-Enmeshed From A Child Who Misuses Drugs and Alcohol, with Cathy Cioth
Parents often don’t realize they’re deeply and unhealthfully embedded in their child’s life- especially when that child struggles with their relationship to substances. The official term for this dysfunction is called enmeshment, but since Cathy and I aren’t therapists, we liken it to back-pocket parenting. If you find yourself intertwined in your child’s life to the degree that they’re not doing age-appropriate things for themselves, or you don’t know where they end and you begin, this is your episode.
Episode 164
A Way From Darkness: Yoga As a Key To Lasting Recovery, With Taylor Hunt
My guest on this episode, Taylor Hunt, was only a few months sober when he began praying about finding the missing piece of himself as he pursued recovery. When it was finally offered to him (in a most unusual way), he rejected it repeatedly. You’ll hear Taylor tell the incredible story of how he finally came to accept the practice that would save his life and give purpose to hundreds of others in recovery: Ashtanga yoga.
Episode 163
Jessica Lahey, NYT Best Selling Author on The Addiction Inoculation, Inviting Failure and The Ultimate Challenge For Parents
Jessica Lahey has been surrounded by addiction her whole life. As a person now in long-term recovery, she grew up around alcoholism, came to her own reckoning with dinking, has taught every grade from 6-12, worked with adolescents in residential treatment, and written two New York Times best-selling books, The Gift of Failure and The Addiction Inoculation.
Episode 162
The High Cost of High-Potency Marijuana For Adolescents, with Dr. Libby Stuyt
When voters in Colorado legalized marijuana in 2000, they did so with good intentions: as compassionate health care for people with serious conditions. After all, the FDA approved THC-based medicines like Marinol at doses of 20mg.
Then concentrates hit the market.
In Colorado and other states today, an 18-year-old with a medical marijuana card can legally purchase more than 50 times the daily dose of THC originally prescribed as medicine. And my guest for this episode, Dr. Libby Stuyt, says she is seeing the consequences.
Episode 161
Replacing Addiction Shame with Addiction Energy and the Importance of Parent Boundaries, With Dr. Wes Robins
My guest for this episode is Dr. Wes Robins, founder, and CEO of Eternal Strength, which focuses on “radical youth work.” This work breaks down the perception of counselors or therapists as authority figures, focusing on relationships rather than behavior modification. Over the course of his life, Wes has progressed from his own addiction to cocaine and methamphetamine to a doctoral thesis in Consciousness and Society, making him a unique lens through which to view teens and young adults in recovery.
Episode 160
The Influence Paradox: How Giving Up Control Can Give You Sway, with Dr. Emily Kline
You’ve probably heard me (and many of my guests) talk about letting go of the idea that you can control your teen or young adult child. This is so hard to do, and my guest on this episode says parents often miss an important paradox: The more we let go of controlling behavior (which often doesn’t work anyway), the more opportunity we have to gain real influence – especially with skills like Motivational Interviewing.
Episode 159
The Question Parents Really Need To Ask Their Kids Who Struggle With Substance Misuse and Addiction, and Some Big News! with Brenda Zane
In today’s episode, I announce some big news for my organization and also share the question I've come to believe parents really need to ask to help their kids heal and move away from misusing substances. This question is hard to ask and many parents don't want to go there, but it's necessary and doable with the right support.
Episode 158
Adultolescence: Preparing Young Adults Who Struggle With Skills For Wellness and Independence, With Greg Ostler
My guest today is Greg Ostler, Clinical Director at Skyterra Young Adult Wellness Retreat. Greg shares how young women in recovery often don’t have environments conducive to learning healthy routines, essential skills, and the importance of self-care. Skyterra couples this practical knowledge with communication and conflict resolution skills that allow young women to transition into healthy, responsible adulthood.
Episode 157
Addiction Psychologist By Day, Parenting A Child Through Addiction By Night, with Julie
At the time Julie’s teenage son began misusing drugs, she had been a clinical psychologist specializing in addiction for more than 15 years. After all this time working with families, Julie was now one of “the parents.” This personal experience layered onto her academic expertise gives her a unique, holistic perspective that can benefit us all. Join us for this incredibly vulnerable and enlightening conversation
Episode 156
Coaching Episode: Learning to Let Go with Tracey
In today’s coaching episode, my guest Tracey tells us how her 26-year-old son finally accepted treatment just a few months ago, after more than a decade of alcohol misuse. Tracey is still learning how to strike that balance between support and control and how to let go of the downward spiral of anxiety about her son’s relapse that so many can relate to.
Episode 155
Recovery Story: From Drug-Induced Psychosis And Homelessness To A Stable Life At Age 22
In this episode, I’m speaking with Spencer, a 22-year-old who is now one year in recovery, has a full-time job, and maintains a healthy relationship with his family. Spencer began experimenting with alcohol and marijuana at age 14, eventually moving on to regular doses of hallucinogens that began to disconnect him from reality. His journey includes adolescent treatment, multiple relapses, homelessness, drug-induced psychosis, and a new life.
Episode 154
Eight Free And Impactful Ways of Being That Allow Your Child to Change Their Relationship With Drugs And Alcohol, with Brenda Zane
In this episode, I share the reason behind my passion for helping parents navigate this stressful season of life and share eight important, free, and available ways of being for you that will help your child become more motivated to change their relationship with substances.
Episode 153
Psychological Evaluations: A Tool to Help Gain Insight To Your Child’s Challenges And Strengths, With Dr. Alison Lafollette
For many parents, having their teen or young adult child undergo psychological evaluation can feel incredibly stressful. They worry that even talking to their son or daughter about the process can make it seem like they think their child is broken, or maybe even that they're crazy. Dr. Alison LaFollette, a psychologist based in Salt Lake City with over a decade of experience conducting psychological and neuropsychological assessments joins me to share how parents can gain insight and find their child’s strength using this tool.
Episode 152
Writing H.O.M.E. – A New Roadmap for Parents With Kids in Treatment, with Solutions Parenting Support
The experience of parenting a child in, or transitioning out of, treatment almost always feels like uncharted territory. And for each of us as individuals, it usually is. But what if there was a way to zoom out and find patterns within thousands of family experiences? With that insight, we might be able to predict situations we find ourselves in and prepare appropriately. Tune in to hear from the authors of a new book that does exactly that.
Episode 151
The Incredible Influence of Parents When Your Child Struggles with Substance Misuse or Addiction, with Cathy Cioth
A common feeling parents express when they have a child struggling with substance misuse or addiction is helplessness. The good news is there are ways to wield great influence in your home, with your child who struggles, and in your relationships in general. In this candid conversation with my business partner Cathy, we talk about how parents can begin to take back some control and positively influence what's happening. I
Episode 150
Happiness and Joy Are Not the Same (and Why It Matters For Parents), with Alex Stavros, CEO of Embark Behavioral Health
In addition to his decade of work with Embark, CEO Alex Stavros brings some unique personal experiences to this fascinating conversation. As a child, his family uprooted their lives in Minnesota to serve people living in abject poverty in the slums of Peru. This upbringing gave him some much-needed perspective on happiness, joy, and how each applies to the lives of families struggling with substance misuse issues.
Episode 149
Coaching Episode: The Purpose of Self-Care and Importance of Acknowledging Progress When Your Child Chooses Sobriety
In this coaching episode, Alana, whose oldest daughter is now 11 months sober, is optimistic about her daughter’s progress but still tries to “fix” things and has a tendency to nag. We explore ways Alana can use self-care and some simple tactics to refocus on herself now that her daughter is in a better place.
Episode 148
The Intersection of Adoption and Substance Use, with Eric Fawson, LCSW
Numerous studies show that adopted children are significantly more likely to develop substance use disorders. Is this true? If so, why? And how can parents of adopted children support and guide them through those tendencies?
Episode 147
Straight From My Heart; You Don't Get To Tap Out On Yourself, with Brenda Zane
In this episode, I share from my heart some things I've been thinking about that haven’t fit into any other episode. I decided to bump the show I had planned as the first in Season Four of Hopestream to share a few heartfelt thoughts with you as we head into a new year.
Episode 146
the annual Golden Nuggets episode; 2022 edition
It's that time of year! This episode has become an annual tradition here at Hopestream, where I open up the vault from 2022, reflect on the year, over 50 episodes, so many guests, and pluck out a few of the golden nuggets that were shared.
It’s ridiculously hard because it feels like I’m picking my favorite children, but it’s meaningful in that I see common threads and themes that emerge through the various conversations.
Episode 145
how adventure therapy can offer young adults life-long tools for mental health & resilience, with Andrew Taylor
In this episode, I’m talking with the founder of Pure Life Adventure Therapy, Andrew Taylor. He shares how Adventure Therapy is different from Wilderness Therapy and how it specifically supports young adults who are experiencing isolation, anxiety, and depression. While it’s not designed to support young people in active addiction or those who are newly sober, it’s a powerful combination of nature, fun, and deep therapy.
Episode 144
prepare for landing: tools for a more realistic transition home from treatment with Jen Murphy and Hilary Moses of Solutions Parenting Support
In this episode, I’m joined by experts Jen Murphy and Hilary Moses of Solutions Parenting Support.
Learn why it can be easy to fall into the trap of thinking “all is lost” when the tools you’ve gained during treatment feel so challenging to implement in a new setting. You’ll also discover why the “container” of treatment is so effective and how you can borrow from what worked well and embrace the bumpy ride to lasting change.
Episode 143
coaching episode: tuning into your values can boost confidence & lower anxiety when your boundaries and patience are challenged
In this coaching episode, you’ll hear from a mom whose son is about to turn eighteen, has relapsed in the last few months, and has significant mental health challenges. Ellen shares her frustration with feeling a lack of respect from her son, and is lacking confidence in her decision-making. Together, we explore how the exercise of beginning with a value can drive confidence and peace into the way she communicates and holds boundaries with her son in the future.
Episode 142
letting go of expectations and dealing with grief when your child is misusing drugs or alcohol, with Cathy Cioth
As parents, we do a disservice to our kids when we intentionally or subconsciously layer expectations on them around who they should be, how they should be, what they should accomplish, and what we think they should want. We might project onto them things we experienced in our own family growing up, and in this episode Cathy and I dig into why it's sometimes easier to focus on our kids than on ourselves.
Episode 141
we have to talk about it: understanding the link between mental health, substance use, and suicide, with Anne Moss Rogers
In this episode, you’ll hear from mom, author, and mental health advocate, Anne Moss Rogers as she shares her story of the loss of her own son to suicide, along with her passion for equipping parents with the tools they need to support their kids in the middle of their pain.
Episode 140
four strategies for getting more of the behavior you want and less of what you don't when your teen or young adult child misuses drugs or alcohol, with Brenda Zane
In this episode, I dive into a key component of encouraging more positive behavior through the use of consequences. You probably already know consequences can be confusing and hard to get right when your child misuses substances and struggles with mental health issues. They're sometimes hard to be consistent with and often backfire.
Episode 139
coaching episode: 17 days sober: using CRAFT skills to help mom navigate her son’s first unexpected weekend home from treatment
In this coaching episode, I’m talking with Marie, a mom from The Stream Community. The weekend is approaching and her son is unexpectedly home from treatment. Listen as we explore how Marie can initiate some hard conversations to reduce her anxiety and increase the chance of her son choosing support and sobriety over the weekend.
Episode 138
how parents can create conditions for change using compassion and self-care when a child is misusing drugs or alcohol, with Dina Cannizzaro
Listen to Dina’s story about how far she and her son Parker have come now that he’s been in active recovery for six years. You’ll also learn how she had to repair relationships she let suffer (including her other children) as she became all-consumed in her fear and efforts to support her son.
Episode 137
a battle-tested dad shares why the support of other men is critical, not optional if your child misuses drugs or alcohol, with Bill Guy
It is an incredibly exciting week as we get to announce the opening of The Woods, our men’s community for those who identify as dads parenting teens who are struggling with substance misuse. I am honored to introduce you to Bill Guy, who is leading this new tribe of courageous men. He’s been in your shoes, and tragically lost a son to an overdose. Learn why he is so passionate about creating a safe space for dads who need support as they learn how to support their kids in new ways.
Episode 136
co-author of Beyond Addiction Carrie Wilkens, Ph.D., breaks down how parents can help their kids positively change their relationship with drugs and alcohol
Join Carrie Wilkens - one of the authors of Beyond Addiction and me for this inspiring conversation. We unpack common stigmas around addiction, understand why using CRAFT and The Invitation To Change approach is not condoning substance use, and why staying curious and building connection is the key to motivating your child to make positive changes.
Episode 135
community required, treatment optional for lasting recovery; finding the freedom and joy of “normal” with Jo Colette
In this episode, I’ve invited Jo Colette, a mother, wife, and brilliant tattoo artist to share her journey from addiction to several drugs including IV heroin, to sobriety, and then to active recovery. Jo describes the pain of growing up in an emotionally unsafe home and her desperate struggle to find a place to belong. These insights will help parents see why misusing drugs and alcohol is often a very practical solution for struggling teens.
Episode 134
coaching episode: finding healthy ways to let go of expectations and nagging while affirming your child's choices
One of the hardest things to surrender in parenting is our own dreams for our kids and accepting what they’re choosing for their lives as they gain independence. In this very relatable coaching episode, Karolina shares how a combination of complex learning difficulties, feeling socially isolated, and the pandemic all created a perfect storm for her son to have escalating behavioral and substance use issues. I offer her a challenge to detach in a healthy way, avoid jumping to worst-case scenarios, and still leave the door open for her son to accept support on his terms.
Episode 133
long-term recovery requires discipline to focus on the present and appreciate the blessings it brings, with Jeremy Melloul
In this special episode, I’ve invited Jeremy Melloul, owner of MOLT Clothing company back on the show. Jeremy joined me on episode 90 to share his story of early exposure and addiction that very nearly took his life a few times and what intercepted that risky path for his life.
We covered so much ground in that episode that I thought it would be great to check in with Jeremy and see how things are going. We talk about what recovery looks like on a daily basis, how he has to fight to overcome his desire to isolate, and the wisdom he’s gained along the road.
Episode 132
four key insights from my conversation with Dr. Gabor Maté and The Myth of Normal, with Brenda Zane
In a follow-up to episode 131 where I had a conversation with Dr. Gabor Maté about his new book, The Myth of Normal, I'm diving into four key insights I gleaned from the book and from our time together. While there are many more, these four elements of Gabor's overall message in the book and his work as a whole stood out, and I felt it was important to share them with you. These insights are ones that parents with kids struggling with substance use will find especially relevant as they navigate the wild ride.
Episode 131
Dr. Gabor Maté on The Myth of Normal; the roots of our kids’ struggles, pressure on today’s parents, the need for community, and a path to healing
Are you ready for a deeply personal and thought-provoking hour? Dr. Gabor Maté is well known for his unflinching look at childhood trauma and how it manifests in our lives, and he does not disappoint in this raw, honest, and candid conversation. I'm even the recipient of an impromptu therapy session looking at my parenting and childhood patterns, an essential piece of work to do when our kids and underlying family dynamics struggle. We cover critical topics like; caregiver stress, the sensitive child, parental guilt, a new view of ADD, ADHD and ODD diagnosis and a lot more.
Episode 130
nine things we never talk about (out loud) when our kids misuse drugs or alcohol, with Cathy Cioth
There are some thoughts, questions, and situations we face as parents of kids who are misusing substances that make us question our parenting, our sanity and even our humanity. Because these tricky topics don't often make it into the conversation, we're tackling them today as a way to air issues you may be wrestling with - but doing it in a safe, private place.
Episode 129
her lived experience with addiction helped create an urban model for holistic, community-based young adult treatment, with The Dorm’s Amanda Fialk
One of the biggest challenges young people who are misusing drugs and alcohol face is identifying the plan for transitioning back to the “real world” post-treatment. Young people can become vulnerable because they feel they don’t belong anywhere as they start to rebuild a new and different life that doesn’t involve substances.
In this episode, I’m joined by Amanda Fialk, the Chief Clinical Officer of the Dorm, a safe place for young adults to find community and gain skills and tools to become independent as they seek to find their place in the world after treatment for substance use and mental health challenges.
Episode 128
decades of addiction leads to decades of recovery; a more holistic & compassionate treatment approach with Isaiah House Founder, Mark LaPalme
I’m finally sitting down with Mark LaPalme, founder of Isaiah House who celebrates 23 years of sobriety and has been instrumental in helping thousands of people find recovery. Listen to discover what pain led Mark to begin self-medicating at age 11, what kept him deeply addicted to both substances and the lifestyle that goes with it, and what support he found to leave that life behind. You’ll also hear the story behind how Isaiah House is helping bring NET (neuro electric therapy) to people through an FDA trial for opioid addiction treatment.
Episode 127
the importance of digging deep into the “why” when your child is misusing drugs or alcohol, with advocate Tonia Ahern
Have you ever felt overwhelmed when you realize just how many layers there are to the substance use or addiction that’s derailing your son or daughter? When we get curious and focus on asking questions, it’s incredible what we can learn about our kids. For so many, an unrecognized mental health diagnosis, learning difference or bullying may be at the root of their pain and substance use.
Episode 126
Don't Get Derailed by Change, Plan For It When You Have A Teen or Young Adult Child Who Struggles with Substances or Addiction, with Brenda Zane
If there is one thing you can count on when your child is misusing substances or struggling with addiction and the mental health issues that come with it - it's change. Change is a constant, and you can either have your world capsized by it, or you can be intentional about planning for it to lessen its impact on you and your family.
Based on lessons learned from my own experience and that of the hundreds of families I work with, this episode will help you prepare emotionally and practically when things go right and when things go wrong.
Episode 125
coaching episode: responding to disrespect, holding boundaries, and reducing the overwhelm of big next steps
In this coaching episode, I am joined by Jamie, a long-time member of The Stream Community. She shares the impact of her son's pre-term birth and how other learning and health challenges have complicated his academic success, social life, and drug use. We discuss how her ex-husband’s own addiction has impacted her son and his attempts at sobriety. Additionally, she thoughtfully unpacks the difficulty (and gift) of kids who are highly empathic and we discuss the unacceptable level of disrespect her son often displays.
Episode 124
Creating Impact From Tragedy with MAPDA’s Janet Janes
My guest today is Janet Janes, a warrior mama and founder of MAPDA (Mothers Against Prescription Drug Abuse). She is bravely telling the story of the loss of her son to one methadone pill in hopes of saving others from this unimaginable loss.
We also talk about how grief can absolutely undo us and make us strangers to ourselves. This episode is a reminder that when we have the courage to deal with the shame of finding ourselves here, there is help and hope waiting for us- and our children.
Episode 123
Three Keys To A Positive Approach For Parenting A Child Misusing Drugs Or Alcohol; Courage, Confidence, And Compassion, With Brenda Zane
Research has shown that a positive, non-confrontational approach to helping our kids make positive changes in their lives is the most effective when they’re misusing substances. In this episode, I share three keys to shifting your words, actions, and mindset in a more positive direction using courage, confidence, and compassion. I also share a tip for those times when you revert to old, confrontational ways to help keep things moving in a positive direction.
Episode 122
Coaching Episode: Creative Options to Reduce Anxiety and Build Confidence & Independence Post-High School and Residential Treatment
There are many stages of recovery, but one of the hardest to prepare for is when your child transitions home after treatment. Then factor in your semi-recovering child becoming a legal adult (but still needs support), COVID, bullying, an eating disorder, and insincere friends and you’ve got a perfect storm of challenges.
This is precisely the season Lynn, a member of the Stream Community, shares in this coaching episode.
The Stream is the online space that gives moms connection, hope, and healing when their child is struggling with substance misuse, addiction, and mental health challenges.
Episode 121 Parenting in the Real World: 5 Moms Share The Key Lessons Learned From Parenting Kids Who Are Misusing Drugs & Alcohol
No matter where you are on the journey with a child misusing substances, chances are you've faced two very dangerous lies: 1. that you've failed as a parent, and/or 2. that you're absolutely alone in the fight for your child.
In this episode I have the honor of introducing five incredible women who, together in The Stream Community, have faced these lies and additional terrifying moments in parenting. They were generous enough to tell their stories which are all individually unique, yet known and understood by one another. These moms also share their biggest ah-ha moments with you, which you won't want to miss.
Episode 120 A Better Way to Parent a Child Struggling With Substance Use or Addiction: The Compassion Antidote, With Cathy Taughinbaugh
In this episode, I’m joined by author, and certified parent and life coach, Cathy Taughinbaugh, an expert in helping parents connect with their kids through an approach that is driven by compassion and positivity. If you’re tired of blaming, shaming, and lashing out in response to your child’s addiction, this conversation is going to encourage you and remind you that there is another way to address the problems and the pain.
Episode 119 Three Ideas For Combating Parenting Burnout And Empathy Fatigue When Your Child is Misusing Drugs or Alcohol, with Brenda Zane
We’re getting real this week about the mental and physical burnout and empathy fatigue we can feel as parents when we're trying our hardest with our kids who are struggling with substance use. It's not often talked about but it's real, so we'll dive into what it can feel like and I share 3 things you can start doing today to turn it around.
Episode 118 Insights, Wisdom And Coping Strategies For Parents Of Kids Struggling With Substance Use From A Mom Who's Been There, Twice, With Cathy Cioth, Director of The Stream Community
How does a parent cope when you have not one, but two kids struggling with substance misuse and all the issues that surround it? This episode provides inspiration and hope if you're trying to navigate this experience with your child from a mom who watched her family implode when her 17 and 19-year-old kids simultaneously spiraled out of control with drugs and alcohol.
Episode 117 Navigating Life Post-Treatment: Boundaries With A College Age Son, Fielding Lots Of Advice And Re-Focusing On Self Care
This important coaching episode covers a lot of ground with a mom who is doing so much right, yet she questions her actions and is looking for guidance, reassurance and knowledge. She's gotten lots of advice from others, is listening to her mom-intuition, and also has a heightened sense of urgency from her nephew's recent fatal fentanyl poisoning. She wonders if she should be doing more to push her son back to treatment, as he seems to be doing ok, even though he’s returned to using substances at college.
Episode 116 A Harm Reduction Approach To Risky Behavior In Teens And Young Adults, With Dee Dee Stout
When your teen or young adult son or daughter refuses (or can't seem to embrace) abstinence, what do you do? Harm reduction is an approach that can help navigate your child to safer territory and...it's confusing. Dee Dee Stout is someone Psychology Today includes in their list of "the top 10 harm reduction names you should know" so I was thrilled she agreed to come back for a second episode of Hopestream. We do a deep dive into this tricky subject that parents need to understand as a way of working toward “any positive change.”
Episode 115 Watch Out For The Near Enemies of Love and Compassion, And A Tip To Thrive Through The Difficult Graduation Season, With Brenda Zane
The concept of near enemies is helpful to understand when you’re working to parent from an intentional place and avoid unhealthy patterns with your son or daughter. In this episode, you’ll learn what a near enemy is and hear two common ones that show up when parenting a child with substance use issues. I also provide a tried and true tip for getting through graduation season without losing your mind and offer two ways you can make it to July with your emotions intact and be even healthier and happier than you were in May.
Episode 114 Answers To Common CRAFT Questions Parents Have When Their Child Is Struggling With Addiction or Experimenting With Drugs, With Erica Lubetkin, LMHC
CRAFT (Community Reinforcement and Family Training) is an evidence-based approach to motivating and inviting someone to make changes in their behavior. It's proven to be an effective way for parents to help their kids who are misusing drugs or alcohol and is easily accessible to learn and put into practice. In this episode, I invited CRAFT-certified therapist Erica Lubetkin, LMHC to join me to answer common questions parents have about using CRAFT in the real world.
Episode 113 Clinging To Hope: An Epic Saga Of Addiction, Medical Innovation, Loss, Recovery, Hope and Unconditional Love, with Pattie Vargas and Rebekah Mutch
Sometimes there's a story so unbelievable it's hard to know where to start when telling it. This is one of those. My guests are mother and daughter and they trusted me with sharing their family's journey to hell plus the miraculous twist that no one saw coming. It's a binge-worthy episode that merits its own NETFLIX series. You'll come away awestruck by the determination of the Scottish surgeon who developed NeuroElectric Therapy (NET), the power of a mother's fierce love, the human ability to triumph over addiction, and the realization that parents should never - ever - stop clinging to hope.
Episode 112 Coaching episode #6: With An Almost 18-Year-Old Who's Smoking Pot Daily, Mom Wants to Know, Am I Doing Enough?
It's a question asked by so many parents, "Am I doing enough?" In this coaching episode Susan shares how her almost 18-year-old son isn't in legal trouble, is doing fairly well in school, works, and also smokes pot daily, which has her worried. She wonders if she'll regret it down the road if she doesn't engage him in formal treatment before he turns 18.
Episode 111 What Parents Need to Know About Trauma Informed and Responsive Transport and Interventions, with Heather Hayes
You've likely seen the A&E show "Intervention" where families work with a professional team to encourage a loved one to go to drug or alcohol treatment, and wondered how much of that is reality vs. Hollywood show. In this episode, you'll hear from Heather Hayes who's been an interventionist on the show, is a Master's Level Licensed Counselor, Board Certified Interventionist (CIP) and Certified Arise Interventionist. She brings 40 years of experience in the field of addiction and mental health to this very important conversation. This episode will be helpful if you've questioned what it could be like to take the step of an intervention or of hiring someone to transport your son or daughter to treatment.
Episode 110 Dr. Anna Lembke, Author Of Dopamine Nation On Addiction, The Pain/Pleasure Balance And A Counterintuitive, Drug-Free Way To Find Homeostasis
If you've ever wondered what dopamine has to do with the way we interact with decision making, pain-relief, pleasure-seeking, addiction and basic human functioning, you're going to want to tune into this episode. I got to sit down with Dr. Anna Lembke, author of Dopamine Nation; Finding Balance In The Age of Indulgence, to talk about all of this and more.
Episode 109 Finding Ways To Reduce Your Suffering When Parenting A Child Misusing or Addicted to Drugs or Alcohol, with Brenda Zane
The emotional distress a parent feels when their child is struggling with or addicted to drugs or alcohol is incomprehensible to the average person. It can begin to debilitate you in ways that impact your day-to-day ability to cope, your health, career, friendships, and family relationships. In this episode I share a recent experience where I used some emotional self-regulation tools to dodge the ‘second arrow’ coming my way and give you 10+ simple and practical ideas for reducing your suffering.
Episode 108 Surviving The Perfect Storm Of Challenging Kids, Aging And Menopause; This One's For The Mommas, with Dr. Robin Sinclair, ND
It's a cruel twist that just as we moms enter the perimenopause and menopausal phase of life, our kids are at the age when they may be experimenting with or addicted to drugs or alcohol. This combo is the perfect storm of hormones, uncertainty and emotions, and we're often not well equipped to manage it well. You’ll hear from my very own doctor why it’s critical to care for your body if you’re struggling with weight gain, poor sleep, migraines, mood swings and brain fog, and what you can do to get back to feeling more normal.
Episode 107 Teasing Apart The Complexities Of Gender Identity, Neurodiversity, Substance Use And Mental Health In Young People, With Sean Garcia, LMFT
If there's a perfect storm of complexity and confusion for parents of adolescents and young adults it's the intersection of a mental health condition, neurodiversity, substance use, and gender identity. It's overwhelming to know which aspect of these to address first, or do you address them all at once? My guest, Sean Garcia, a trans-identified therapist who specializes in these areas answers many questions you may have.
Episode 106 Nine Dangerous and Negative Thought Patterns, And What To Do Instead, for Parents With Kids Misusing Drugs or Alcohol, With Brenda Zane
In this episode I cover nine of the most common unhelpful and unhealthy thinking patterns parents fall into and talk about ways to shift those to a more productive place. If you tend to catastrophize, judge, doubt, criticize or ruminate about your life or your child's life, this is your episode. You'll walk away being more aware of how to recognize these unhealthy patterns and learn ways to change your thinking.
Episode 105 Coaching Episode #5: How To Cope And Find Contentment With A Son Home From Treatment, Unmotivated, Anti-Everything, And Disconnected From The Family
In this coaching episode, you'll hear the frustration, confusion and sadness a mom experiences when her 16-year-old son returns from wilderness and residential treatment only to hate where he lives, return to smoking pot, barely makes an effort at school, and doesn't want to be part of the family. On the other hand, he's independent, has a job, accepts natural consequences, and is very resourceful.
Episode 104 What Parents Need To Know About Substance Use and Trauma; What It Is And Isn't, And Why We Can't Ignore It, With Steve Sawyer
Just hearing the word "trauma" can cause a parent's stomach to turn in knots and create feelings of guilt and regret. We believe we should be able to spare our kids from trauma and might push this aspect aside when seeking solutions or resources. Steve Sawyer is an expert in trauma and adolescents and joined me for a deeply educational and enlightening conversation, and why as parents, we need to understand what trauma is, what it isn’t and how best to help our kids heal.
Episode 103 Using Rituals To Withstand Distress, Build Resilience And Counteract Triggers When Your Child is Misusing Drugs Or Alcohol (and a little pep talk) with Brenda Zane
There's never a shortage of discomfort, distress, or triggers when you have a son or daughter who's misusing drugs or alcohol. You can live in a constant state of unrest and feel as if you have no control over anything. In this snack-sized episode, I share how parents can use simple rituals to withstand the varying levels of chaos, unpredictability, and frequent triggers in their day-to-day lives.
Episode 102 Coaching Episode #4: Positivity And A Resilient Spirit: Key Ingredients For The Mom Of An 18-Year-Old On The Upswing From His Opiate Addiction
In this coaching/inspiration episode, you'll meet a mom who's been through an unimaginable struggle with her son and who has one of the most positive and resilient spirits I've ever seen. You'll hear how she's navigated her son's addiction to opiates while raising two other kids, maintaining her marriage oh, and holding down two jobs. It's an episode that will lift you up if you're feeling like you can't keep going and was an absolute pleasure to record with this incredible woman.
Episode 101 Truly Conscious Parenting, What It Means To Do Your Work and The Question He Never Gets Asked, with Dr. Brad Reedy
Dr. Brad Reedy is a household name in the world of adolescent mental health and substance use treatment, is founder of a well-respected wilderness therapy program, Evoke, author of two books on parenting, and podcast host of over 450 episodes of Finding You, so sitting down and chatting was quite an honor.
Episode 100 After 99 Episodes Here's What I Know For Sure About Parenting Kids With Substance Use and Addiction Issues, With Brenda Zane
Through the 99 episodes I've created since January of 2020, there are 11 insights and truths that have risen to the top over and over - transformational findings I believe to be instrumental in helping you as a parent of one of these special kids, and in helping your child as well. In this episode, I share those 11 key observations and resources for learning more about them.
Episode 99 Reframing the ADHD Diagnosis and Understanding Why People Self-Medicate with Marijuana, with Dr. Ned Hallowell
Dr. Ned Hallowell, prolific author (most recently ADHD 2.0) and renowned ADD specialist joined me for this highly informative conversation all about teens and young adults, ADD, and why it's vital to get the right treatment. He also shares why it’s common for our kids to self-medicate with marijuana and the danger that poses. A must-listen if you have a teen or young adult child who’s struggling with this diagnosis, or who hasn’t yet been diagnosed.
Episode 98 Coaching Episode #3: Finding Points of Control When Life Feels Chaotic; Post-Residential Struggle, Marijuana Use, Mental Health Concerns And A Very Tired Mom
In this coaching episode you'll get to hear how Mandy is dealing with a high-risk teenager who's been to residential treatment and is now home, returning to old habits and friends, and is newly on probation...add in two other kids, her job for the city they live in, COVID and working to keep her marriage healthy and it becomes a lot. Mandi explores how she’s made progress in areas like rescuing and is looking for ways to take control life feels like it’s spinning.
Episode 97 Micro-Dosing Positivity And Eliciting Change Talk With Your Child Who's Misusing Drugs Or Alcohol, with Brenda Zane
Finding positivity and giving your son or daughter positive reinforcement can be difficult when things are chaotic and life feels out of your control. I share a concept called micro-dosing positivity which can work regardless of where your child is in their substance use. I also share the importance of listening for ‘change talk’, and give 3 ways you can elicit this kind of dialog to invite your son or daughter to change their behavior.
Episode 96 Using A CRAFT Informed Response When Your Child Has A Relapse With Drugs or Alcohol, with Erica Lubetkin, LMHC, NCC
Relapse is one of the most dreaded and painful experiences to watch your child go through, and this episode will be incredibly helpful if you want to find new and more positive approaches to the challenge. Erica Lubetkin is a therapist who is certified in CRAFT (Community Reinforcement and Family Training) and shares her insights and ideas on how parents can be better equipped to deal with a lapse or full relapse with their teen or young adult child.
Episode 95 For The Dads: Your Presence, Experience, And Actions Matter When Your Child Is Misusing Drugs Or Alcohol, with Andy Goldstrom
Calling all the dads…this one’s for you. Dads go through their own unique challenges when their son or daughter is struggling with mental health and substance misuse, and I had the chance to talk all about it with experienced dad turned podcaster and parent coach, Andy Goldstrom. You'll hear how Andy navigated a busy career and his marriage while working to find help and resources for his daughter. As he tells it, he didn't start off so well but over time, and with a coach, he learned what his daughter truly needed.
Episode 94 Golden Nuggets from 2021: The Best of The Episodes You Need To Hear if Your Child Struggles With Substance Use or Addiction
It's a wrap! 2021 held so many amazing, and frustrating, things for us all, so to send the year out with a bang, I gathered up some of the most downloaded episodes of Hopestream and have put together a compilation for you. These 10 episode snippets will give you a good foundation for themes of 2021 and may just pique your interest to learn more by listening to the whole episode.
Episode 93 Four Common Beliefs Parents Have About Fentanyl That Put Their Child At Risk For Overdose
In this extremely important episode I cover what's actually going on with fentanyl and the disproportionate impact it's having on people under the age of 30. I talk about four common beliefs parents have about this substance and why that could be the very thing that ends their child's life. Please share this episode widely with your friends and family - it’s that important.
Episode 92 Coaching Episode #2: Dealing With Manipulation, Parenting Paralysis, and Feeling Guilty About Holding Boundaries
In this episode, I have the honor of coaching Cheryl as she deals with manipulation from her son who is in a residential treatment program, and her struggles with guilt around holding boundaries in her family. She also talks about "parenting paralysis" which happens when she's feeling overwhelmed, unsure and stuck. You'll hear Cheryl's lightbulb moment and how being part of a community has transformed her life, attitude, and ability to navigate this challenging season with confidence and hope.
Episode 91 Ryan Hampton Reveals the Truth From Inside the Purdue Pharma Bankruptcy In His New Book, Unsettled
Ryan Hampton is one of those people who instantly exudes his passion and energy for helping people impacted by addiction. In this episode, I sat down with Ryan to talk about his newest book, Unsettled: How the Purdue Pharma Bankruptcy Failed the Victims of the American Overdose Crisis, and how his experience inside the trial impacted him personally. It’s information and a vantage point only Ryan can provide, and vitally important for igniting the action needed to help curb our country’s epidemic of addiction.
Episode 90 From Heroin Needle To Sewing Needle, Giving Back Through Recovery with Jeremy Melloul, MOLT Clothing
If you've ever wondered if recovery is a real thing, you absolutely must hear Jeremy Melloul's incredible story of recovery and giving back. You'll hear how a young man from an ambitious immigrant family found the relief of alcohol at age 11 before traveling a long and painful journey of addiction, eventually living off of Twizzlers, peanut butter cups, and heroin. But the story doesn’t even come close to ending there.
Episode 89 Demystifying Co-Occurring Mental Heath and Substance Use Disorders, Answers to All Your Questions with Maryann Badenoch, The Partnership To End Addiction
When a parent hears "co-occurring disorder" from a therapeutic professional it can be scary, daunting and extremely confusing. Because co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders are more common than not, I invited one of the field's leading professionals to join me for a conversation to demystify this diagnosis and help parents find their footing.
Episode 88 Preparing For And Enjoying Holidays and Special Occasions With Complex Family Situations, with Lisa Pepper-Satkin
Holidays and special occasions can go from being magical, fun times with family to days we approach with apprehension and even dread when complicated family dynamics are at play. These feelings couldn't be more present than for parents who have kids struggling with substance use and addiction, who are currently away from home in a treatment program, or are newly sober and trying to stay that way. If holidays and special occasions have you feeling anxious or like you’re walking on eggshells, this is your episode.
Episode 87 Coaching Episode #1: Navigating The Transition To Home Life After Treatment
In this episode have the honor of coaching Casie around the various challenges she and her husband face now that their 19-year-old son is home from treatment and living with them. It's a tricky time of transition with a young adult who has been away at wilderness therapy, residential treatment, transitional living, and sober living...whew!
Episode 86 Owen Fielding of NET Recovery: The Drug-Free, Non-Traditional Treatment That Bypasses Withdrawal Torture and Restores Choice For Those Trapped In Addiction
For anyone trapped in the cycle of addiction - using substances, detoxing, trying to remain abstinent, then relapsing back to more use and more attempts at withdrawal, hearing there's a way to remove cravings without having to suffer the agony of withdrawal would almost be too good to be true. Listen in to hear how NET, the treatment you’ve never heard of, is primed to change everything we know about treatment for addiction.
Episode 85 Creating A Connected, Calm Life When The Chaos Is Real; Getting Out of Distraction and Into Alignment, with Lane Kennedy
If you use words like, "chaotic, busy, stressed out, or anxious" to describe yourself or your life, this is your episode. And for anyone with a child or someone you love who's struggling with substance use, this chaos is real and damaging to our bodies and minds. Lane Kennedy is known as a modern-day calm maker or calm coach and shares her experiences of working with busy, stressed-out women, talks about her own journey out of addiction to alcohol, and offers some sound and achievable suggestions for us to try when life gets overwhelming and we feel like we're losing it.
Episode 84 Recovering From COVID, Podcast Changes, Healing Power of Community, Documentaries and Books; The Casserole Episode, with Brenda Zane
What to call an episode that covers lots of ground and has a variety of things included? The casserole episode! This short, solo episode will give you some personal updates, exciting changes coming for Hopestream, a bit about the healing power of community, book and documentary info, and more - basically a podcast casserole.
Episode 83 The Final Fix: An Unflinching Documentary Investigating a Radical, 49-Year Old Technology That Could Change Everything We Know About Addiction, Treatment and Recovery, with Norman Stone
Get notified when The Final Fix is available in the U.S. www.brendazane.com/finalfix
Of all the alternative therapies currently used for treating addiction, N.E.T. (neuro-electric therapy) makes the boldest claims. Without any use of medication, it promises to bring its patients off their drugs of addiction in 5-7 days, with little or no withdrawal symptoms and no future cravings. Could that possibly be true? And if so, why isn't it available everywhere as we continue to lose over 250 per day to drug overdoses?
Episode 82 Things to Do While Your Child Is In Treatment, For The First or 20th Time, With Brenda Zane
It's a really common question parents have, "my son/daughter just went to treatment...now what?" If this is a place you find yourself, this episode will give you some assurance, guidance and thoughts about what to do during this time of change. There can be so many mixed emotions from relief to sadness and even guilt...whether it's the first time your child is in treatment, or even if you've been down the treatment road many times.
Episode 81 Human Flourishing & Unconventional Recovery; Finding Personal Fulfillment & Challenging the Status Quo in Addiction Treatment, with Tripp Johnson
If your son graduated from high school, was a nationally ranked tennis player, went to West Point, became an Army Ranger, served in Afghanistan, and went to law school, you might think all was good. But for Tripp Johnson, who achieved all of these markers of external success, life wasn't all good. Tripp’s story takes us from sourcing drugs off the Dark Web to law school, a yoga mat, and ultimately, creating a whole-person focused treatment program for guys struggling with substance use.
Episode 80 What Does It Mean To Be In Recovery? Why It's Confusing For Parents and What We Should Focus On To Help Our Kids Make Positive Change, with Brenda Zane
In honor of September being National Recovery Month, I'm sharing an episode all about the confusing topic of "recovery." For parents in particular this can be a difficult concept if our kids have a different idea than us of what recovery means. Is it total abstinence? Is it safer use? How do you know if your child is “in recovery?” If you’ve asked yourself these questions, this is your episode.
Episode 79 Insurance Coverage for Substance Use, Addiction and Mental Health; Parity, Denials And Tips For Getting Treatment Covered, With Virginia Holleman
When Virginia Holleman's son finally entered in-patient treatment for his substance use, she thought things would get easier, especially since her company-sponsored insurance covered his treatment. Or so she thought. This episode will be extremely helpful if you're a parent considering treatment for your son or daughter, or if they're currently in a program and you’re struggling to get insurance coverage. Virginia will explain the Federal Parity Act, what it means, how it's relevant to your situation, and what you can do to have the best chance at getting your child's treatment covered.
Episode 78 The Importance of Grief and Grieving, And Why We Get It Wrong Most Of The Time, with Leslie Barber
Leslie Barber knows grief all too well after suddenly losing her husband to cancer, and has shifted her career to helping others understand all-things grief. In this episode, she shares thoughts for parents who are grieving the "normal" things that go along with raising teens when they veer off course and helps us understand what ambiguous and anticipatory grief is and why it's so relevant to parents of kids struggling with substance use.
Episode 77 Self-Compassion, Laziness, Or Self-Sabotage? Being The Right Kind of Good To Yourself When Your Child Struggles with Drugs or Alcohol, With Brenda Zane
If you're working on being a little more self-compassionate and practicing self-care, there may be times when you ask yourself, "am I just being lazy?" You might also find there are times when your so-called self-compassion might feel more like self-sabotage. SO confusing. You end up feeling guilty for not feeling guilty, or vice versa. This episode will break down what self-compassion actually is, what it isn't, and importantly, how to tell the difference between healthy self-compassion and laziness or self-sabotage.
Episode 76 Hope for Weary Parents; From Living In A Park To Helping Re-Build Lives, with Mark Pepper, LMHC
Parents of adult children who are living in active addiction are true warriors and have an extra special place in my heart. This episode will provide all parents with hope and knowledge that people can and do recover - even if they're 39 years old, living in a park and eating from garbage cans. You will definitely want to hear what Mark has to say about things his parents and family did that moved him toward - things you can do no matter the age of your son or daughter or how long they've been using substances.
Episode 75 Substance Use, Self-Harm, Anxiety, Poor Mental Health: Dangers of Teens Striving For Perfection and Achievement, With Stanford's Denise Pope, Ph.D.
Young people today are doing things like combining non-prescribed stimulants (ADHD meds) and opioids in order to get good (perfect) grades, stellar college placement exam scores, and acceptance to "the school" that will supposedly set them up for a life full of achievement and money. Oh, and at the same time they're volunteering, curating the impeccable Instagram feed and playing elite level sports. At some point, something's gotta give, and often it's our kids' mental and physical health and wellbeing.
Episode 74 Rethinking Drinking When Our Kids Struggle With Substances; Why and How You Might Consider a Change, with Casey Davidson
This episode explores the sometimes uncomfortable topic of parents' drinking when they have a son or daughter struggling with substances, and provides non-judgmental information and ideas on how to make a change if you decide it's right for you. After exploring this topic personally, I decided to cut alcohol from my diet during COVID. In this episode, I share the impact it had on my life, the reasons why it's important to examine the role of alcohol in the parenting process, and tips for making change.
Episode 73 A Ninja Parenting Tool For Dramatically More Calm And Productive Conversations With A Child Who’s Misusing Drugs or Alcohol, With Brenda Zane
If you've found yourself walking on eggshells because the conversations you need to have with your son or daughter usually end up in a defensive showdown or a series of negotiations and mind-tricks, this is your episode.
Episode 72 A 2021 Reality Report From Inside The Walls Of Teen Mental Health And Substance Use Treatment: Are The Kids Ok? With Derek Bowles, Crossroads Academy
After his massively popular Hopestream episode (#2) on teens, residential treatment, and natural highs, I invited Derek Bowles, co-founder of Crossroads Academy, back to the podcast to share what he's seeing with kids today.
Episode 71 Unapologetic, Radical Self-Care To Make Life Better When Your Child is Misusing Drugs or Alcohol; a Lighter Episode, With Brenda Zane
This is a lighter-than-usual episode to get you thinking about ways you can apply radical self-care and take control of events, people and things that cause friction in your life. If you have a child who's misusing substances, you probably spend too little time on yourself and have more than enough friction, so now's the time to change all that.
Episode 70 Watching From The Sidelines; A Sibling's Vantage Point On His Brother's Risky Lifestyle, Drug Use And Recovery, With Marco Narciso
The siblings. What's happening to our other kids when we have one struggling with lifestyle choices, substance use, or mental health issues? How are they being impacted? What do they know? What should they know, and when? I figured the best way to answer these questions would be to talk with my son, who watched his older brother go through "it" and share his thoughts; what he saw, how he felt, and the impact it's had on his life.
Episode 69 Shattering The Youth Treatment Mold And Getting Real About Drugs, Alcohol and Mental Health, With Wes Robins & Zac Sweat of Eternal Strength (E)
Wes Robins and Zac Sweat are insanely passionate about helping young people heal and have opened a unique therapeutic youth center outside of Atlanta, GA to do just that. Eternal Strength Therapeutic Youth Center is an outpatient program - without a program - where each client is met with a tailor-made set of activities, therapies and healing practices that work best for them and their family. It’s an open container, safe place for teens and young adults to get outpatient treatment that doesn’t look or feel anything like traditional ‘treatment.’
Episode 67 In The Grip: A Slice of Life With a Child Struggling With Substance Use
I believe it's important to humanize the faceless statistics you see in the news about those struggling with substance use and addiction - the people are real, the families are real, and each has its own distinct story. The impact is massive and is made up of millions of individual tragedies. This account of a 30 day period when my son experienced two overdoses in 2017 will drop you directly into our lives, hospital rooms, and conversations as we deal with the reality of what substance use is doing in millions of families.
Episode 66 The 5 Stages of Why and How Your Child Decides to Change and What To Do at Each Stage, with Brenda Zane
If you watch your child do harmful things and they don't see them as a problem, they waffle with ambivalence about what they're doing, start and stop behaviors over and over and also struggle with relapse, this is your episode. This episode will walk you through the Stages of Change Model, how to tell what stage your child is in, and what you can do as a parent to meet them where they are. It's practical and direct, and just the right length for a summer dog walk or errand trip.
Episode 65 What Are CRAFT and Harm Reduction and Can They Work With Young People Who Are Misusing Drugs and Alcohol? with Dee-Dee Stout (E)
Dee-Dee Stout is a force to be reckoned with in the world of substance use treatment and specifically in the area of harm reduction. She’s in long-term recovery herself and is an author, coach, speaker, and professor. In this episode, Dee-Dee shares much knowledge and wisdom from her work with families and organizations related to CRAFT, motivational interviewing and harm reduction. It’s a must-listen for parents who aren’t finding success with traditional treatment approaches, or who are just looking for ways to improve communication in their home.
Episode 64 When Life Feels Unfair: Staying Away From Victim Mentality When Your Child is Misusing Drugs or Alcohol, with Brenda Zane
There's no doubt that life can feel very unfair when your days and nights become consumed with your child's substance use issues, whether they're just experimenting or in active addiction. We wonder what it would be like to not have a large portion of our hearts and heads filled with worry, doubt, concern and resentment. This short, personal episode may help you reframe these feelings, while not discounting them or making you feel guilty for having them. You'll discover ways to honor the difficulties in your life while also keeping them in their place and finding joy and peace through the chaos.
Episode 63 Your Child Isn’t The Patient: The Parent's Role When A Teen Or Young Adult Is Misusing Drugs Or Alcohol, With Rebekah Tayebi
Rebekah Tayebi has been working with families in a variety of therapeutic settings for 18 years and has valuable insights for parents when they have a child who needs help with mental health issues or substance use. An important one is that your child isn't and shouldn't be identified as the "patient" or client. It's a candid, insightful conversation that will give you such a great perspective on how you as a parent have incredible influence, and how your way of being is incredibly important for your child's healing.
Episode 62 Parents Traumatized By Their Child's Substance Use; Restoring Your Health Through Trauma Release Exercise with Ericka Thomas
You may not realize how much trauma your body is holding onto from the stress, anxiety, and fear you experience if your son or daughter is misusing substances or having mental health challenges. Telltale signals include depression, anxiety, gut health challenges, appetite and weight change, and poor sleep. This episode takes a deep dive into what's happening when you endure months, years, or even decades of trauma when your child is at risk and suffering serious health challenges, and what you can do to release it from your body.
Episode 61 Insider Perspective, Insights and Harsh Realities Parents Need to Hear From a Therapeutic Educational Consultant, with Jennifer Taylor
Parents have so many questions when their teen or young adult kids are starting to veer off the path of ‘normal’ healthy growth and development. They may suspect substance use, emotional issues, trauma, or may have no idea why their child is struggling. Therapeutic educational consultants are professionals whose job is to take input from families, specialists, doctors, and therapists to assess and develop a plan for kids who need help getting through rough times - or times of crisis. This is a direct, not-sugar coated conversation and parts of it may be hard to hear, but is so important for parents to understand what may be going on.
Episode 60 Dear Friends and Family, This Is What I Need You To Know; A Shareable Episode To Open Conversations with Brenda Zane
It can be really hard to tell friends, family members, and co-workers about your situation if you have a child who's misusing substances - first, you're too exhausted to talk about it, also, they probably won't really understand the nuances and depth of the confusion, fear, and helplessness you feel. Knowing this is a difficult conversation to have, I created this episode as one you can share with those people in your life who need to know what's going on but you're having a hard time getting the words out.
Episode 59 How Can a Therapist Help Parents When Their Child is Misusing Drugs Or Alcohol? Every Question You Secretly Want To Ask, with Laura Richer, LMHCA CHt
Sometimes as parents we get so laser-focused on our kids and their problems that we forget we might benefit from some help of our own. There are often family dynamics that need to be dealt with while a child is struggling with substance use, or while they're in treatment. We need to understand our own traumas, areas of enmeshment, ways we might be contributing to the issues...and none of these are easy to sort out on your own. That's where a therapist can step in.
Episode 58 Four Counterintuitive Things To DTry When You're Overwhelmed By Your Child's Substance Use or Emotional Challenges with Brenda Zane
In this solo episode, I share four counterintuitive things that can help when you get to the point where you don't know what to do and are paralyzed and feeling helpless. Getting yourself unstuck and encouraged is an important part of helping your son or daughter, so take a short break, dog walk or drive around the neighborhood and soak up some love and hope from today's show.
Episode 57 The Xanax Episode: A Critical Conversation About the Dangers of Benzodiazepine Abuse and Addiction with Dr. Nzinga Harrison
Our favorite psychiatrist and addiction medicine doc from The Marijuana Episode (#46), Dr. Nzinga Harrison, is back for another vitally important conversation, this time focusing on benzodiazepines and Xanax in particular. Parents who have a son or daughter who's experimenting with substances must listen to this eye-opening and informative episode where Dr. Harrison and I discuss all-things-Xanax. You’ll learn why so many young people are putting themselves at risk for addiction and potentially fatal overdoses and withdrawal from this benzodiazepine.
Episode 56 Uprooting Addiction, Healing From The Ground Up: A Film That Explores The Connection Between Trauma And Addiction, with Hope Payson and Daryl McGraw
In this important and uplifting film, six people from Connecticut with vastly different cultural and socio-economic backgrounds explore the childhood traumas at the roots of their addictions. For this episode, I talked with Hope Payson, the film's co-producer, and Daryl McGraw, one of the retreat participants who has been substance-free since 2007 after overcoming the battles of a violent childhood, addiction and incarceration. This is a MUST-listen episode for parents who are working toward understanding the root of their son or daughter’s substance use or emotional issues.
Episode 55 How To Help Your Other Kids Deal With Their Sibling's Drug or Alcohol Use, with Nicole Kosanke, Ph.D. and Krissy Pozatek
This episode will be incredibly helpful if your substance-using child's behavior is negatively impacting the other kids in (and out) of your home. They're the ones left in the dust and shadow of a child who's misusing substances - the siblings. I spoke with two of the foremost experts in family relationships, systems and dynamics - Krissy Pozatek, author of The Parallel Process, and Dr. Nicole Kosanke, director of family services at CMC and co-author of the must-read book, Beyond Addiction.
Episode 54 What To Do With The Guilt And Regret When Your Child Is Experimenting With Or Addicted To Drugs Or Alcohol, with Brenda Zane
There are some common emotions parents feel when they have a child who's misusing drugs or alcohol, and two of those are guilt and regret. We punish ourselves for things we did or didn't do, choices we made in the past and actions we took in our lives. This episode will provide you with a way to use these feelings of guilt and regret to actually improve your current situation and your future.
Episode 53 Everything You Need to Know About Medications Like Suboxone, Vivitrol and Methadone for Treating Opioid Addiction, With Lauren Hoffman, Ph.D.
Who's confused about using medication to treat opioid addiction? If your hand is in the air this is your episode! For parents who have an adolescent or young adult child struggling with opioid use, medication could be a viable option but there's confusion around it and information can be hard to find. In a deep-dive conversation, Dr. Lauren Hoffman with the Recovery Research Institute and I covered a lot of ground to answer all your questions about this important topic.
Episode 52 Why Your Child’s Substance Use Makes Perfect Sense And Four Helpful Strategies When They’re Not Open To Change, with Brenda Zane
This episode will give you an alternative view to your child's substance use that might create more space for empathy and an understanding of why they continue in high-risk behaviors. I'll also share four helpful things you can do when your child isn't showing signs of wanting to change and you're pulling your hair out.
Episode 51 Getting Kids Un-Stuck From Failure to Launch Mode, with Mark McConville, Ph.D., author
If you're nodding your head at the term "failure to launch" this is the episode for you. Dr. Mark McConville is a psychologist and author of THE book "Failure to Launch, Why Your 20-Something Hasn't Grown Up and What To Do About It." His work over the course of 30 years has shown him that there are some common themes and traits that cause kids to stall or skid out as they move toward becoming independent, healthy, and well-adjusted young adults.
Episode 50 The Hidden Goldmine of Help For Parents of Kids With Substance Use Disorder, with The Partnership to End Addiction's Denise Mariano
As the mom of a son who struggled with addiction, including eight relapses, Denise can empathize with parents at every step on the spectrum of having a child who's misusing drugs and alcohol. She’s the Director of Family Support and Advocacy at The Partnership to End Addiction where she and her team help tens of thousands of families each year with services like a parent help-line, online learning curriculum, in-depth guides and kits, parent-coaching and online parent support groups. And did I mention it's all FREE?
Episode 49 Three Formulas to Neutralize Negativity and Foster Motivation in Teens With Substance Use Issues, with Brenda Zane
Parents who are baffled and frustrated by the amount of negativity in their home and resulting lack of motivation in their kids with substance use issues will get some simple, useable takeaways from this bite-sized episode. I share three formulas you can remember as you work your way through difficult days and experiences with a son or daughter who's misusing drugs or alcohol. It's the perfect episode for a quick dog walk, errand running or when you want to grab a cup of coffee and get your mind off work for 18 minutes!
Episode 48 The Wild Recovery Story Helping Make Sober High School and Option For Teens
For students who want a shot at sobriety - whether they've been to treatment or not - there are very few options when it comes to high school. Finding a place where the cool kids aren't using drugs or alcohol can sound like a fantasy but at recovery high schools, the culture promotes and celebrates being sober, not just at school, but full-time. Learn about what a recovery high school is and hear the story of Seth Welch who has helped make this fantasy a reality for teens in Seattle, WA.
Episode 47 A Quick Way To Gain Control When Crisis Hits with Brenda Zane
You've probably been there - that moment when something unexpected or horrible happens and you feel yourself reacting in a highly emotional way. It might be finding the stash of weed or empty vodka bottles, or you get the call from the police about your daughter's shoplifting escapade - whatever it is, it sets you into panic mode and you're not sure what to do. In this episode I share a simple 5-step process you can follow to go from freak-out to in-control, taking as much time as you need or have.
Episode 46 The Marijuana Episode: The Real Deal About Teens, Weed and Addiction with Dr. Nzinga Harrison
If there's one topic that worries and frustrates parents everywhere, it's marijuana. Cannabis, weed, MJ, whatever you want to call it, when your teen or young adult child is using it, or using it too much, it's hard to know what to do. This episode is a MUST-LISTEN for parents who are concerned about their child's marijuana use because Dr. Nzinga Harrsion breaks down the real deal for you, giving you plain English explanations and actual words to use with your son or daughter to open a conversation about weed.
Episode 45 Adolescent Substance Use and Recovery In The LGBTQ+ Community with Beck Gee-Cohen
Parenting a teen or young adult through substance use or addiction is a massive challenge, but layering on the complexity of a child who is questioning their sexual identity or openly part of the LGBTQ+ community can make it even more difficult. This episode is a must-listen for parents who are wondering how to approach their child with questions around sexuality and identity, or who have an openly gay or transgender child who’s also struggling with substance misuse or addiction. It’s complex, it’s confusing and it’s crucial to have this conversation.
Episode 44 A Simple Parenting Tool That Helped Save My Sanity and Influenced My Addicted Son, with Brenda Zane
When I found the CRAFT method of parenting a child in addiction, I was skeptical because it seemed too simple - but sometimes simple is what you need. This episode will introduce you to one of the tools in the CRAFT method toolbox which is incredibly simple to incorporate into your day to day life and can significantly improve the overall tone and relationship with your son or daughter.
Episode 43 Why Do They Do What They Do? Answers On Addiction From One Who’s Lived It, with Stacy Eakman, President, Eakman Construction
In this 2-part season opener, you’ll hear a mind-blowing story of an all-American baseball star who goes from imagining a Major League Baseball career to being broke, addicted to heroin and cocaine, and stealing anything he could from his loving and caring parents. Stacy Eakman, president of Eakman Construction in Seattle, WA generously answers the tough questions parents often have about their kids’ substance use. He’s a straight shooter, doesn’t spare us the truth (even when it hurts), and is an inspiration to anyone who believes their life isn’t worth anything because of their past and their addiction.
Episode 42 Golden Nuggets from 2020: A Wrap-Up of Wisdom, Insights and Emotion from 41 Episodes with Brenda Zane
Welcome to a wrap of 2020! This episode features snippets from 11 guests who, over the course of 2020 shared their knowledge, wisdom and stories for us to learn from. It's a long one so grab a cup of something warm and cozy and listen in to these amazing golden nuggets from Hopestream's first season.
Episode 41 How Do You Set Boundaries and Live With Natural Consequences When Your Child is Abusing Drugs or Alcohol? Real Talk with Julie Jarvis, Ph.D.
If you've spent any time learning ways to parent a child (adolescent or adult) who's experimenting with drugs or alcohol, or who's in active addiction, you've likely heard about the concept of setting and holding boundaries, and about letting natural consequences happen when your child makes a bad decision. But how do you actually do those things when it’s confusing and hard? In this episode, I do a deep dive on these two strategies with Julie Jarvis, Ph.D. - a brilliant and compassionate psychologist who has seen just about everything when it comes to addiction and substance use.
Episode 40 Re-Building Communication With a Child Misusing Drugs or Alcohol: Words Matter, with Brenda Zane
If the communication with your son or daughter who's misusing drugs or alcohol has broken down significantly (meaning there’s more yelling and drama than actual talking,) or if you're just trying to understand them better and are getting shut down with your attempts at talking, this is your episode.
When our kids are stressing us out and living a dangerous lifestyle, we tend to focus all our communication on their problems and on trying to get them to change. Unfortunately, without some careful intention, we can actually shut down the chance that we'll have a healthy, productive conversation at all. This episode will give you the practical tools, words and questions to use to re-build a dialog with your child.
Episode 39 Launched & Unraveled: What To Do When Substance Use or Emotional Issues Disrupt College Plans with Joanna Lilley
The transition from high school to college is never easy and some teens get to this phase in life and stall or "bomb out" with emotional challenges like anxiety and depression, or use substances to cope with the stress and demands of college life.
Episode 38 How Heavy is Your Glass? Perspective and Coping Skills for Parents of Teens Struggling with Drugs or Alcohol, with Brenda Zane
There are tens of thousands of moms and dads carrying an unimaginable weight every day, trying to figure out how to move ahead when their son or daughter is misusing substances to cope with life. Using a simple story and analogy of holding a glass of water, this episode will provide parents with a powerful way to recognize and approach the stress level in their life. This episode will be a welcome dose of reality and hope for you if your student is unraveling as they leave high school, struggle in college or are just stalled altogether.
Episode 37 Ayurveda to Balance Mind and Body: A More Holistic Approach to Stress Reduction and Addiction Recovery with Jessica Ferrol, LMFC, MA, AyuD
Ayurveda is considered by many scholars to be the oldest healing science. In Sanskrit, Ayurveda means “The Science of Life.” Ayurvedic knowledge originated in India more than 5,000 years ago and is often called the “Mother of All Healing.” In the U.S., treatment for substance misuse and addiction is often centered around the medical-disease model, but the Ayurvedic model reframes this, focusing on the importance of balance within the body. In this special episode, I speak with Jessica Ferrol, an Ayurvedic physician, yoga therapist, licensed mental health counselor, Hakomi practitioner and herbalist who works with people who are working on making changes in their lives, including those healing from addiction.
Episode 36 Tending The Garden of You: Surviving COVID, Complex Kids, and Holidays with Brenda Zane
Uncertainty, unpredictability, fear, anxiety, fatigue, dread...life right now is likely a mixture of all these things and maybe more. As the parent of a child with substance use issues who's also navigating COVID and looking ahead to celebrating holidays, you may be wondering how you can keep it all together. The elements of life you know and love have changed, things you used to be able to count on aren't there anymore, and there's a feeling of underlying anxiety about the future.
Episode 35 Systemic Barriers, Generational Trauma, and Culturally Affirming Care; a Conversation About Race And Substance Use With Dr. Ayana Jordan
Dr. Ayana Jordan is a passionate advocate for racial and ethnic minority groups dealing with substance use. She's an MD/Ph.D. addiction medicine practitioner and associate professor at the Yale School of Medicine, but more importantly, she's someone who works tirelessly to bring culturally informed, gold-standard addiction treatment to racial and ethnic minority populations.
Episode 34 Things You Can Let Go Of When Your Child Is Misusing Drugs or Alcohol with Brenda Zane
Parents who are trying to help a child misusing drugs or alcohol are usually overwhelmed, stressed out and frazzled from trying to keep up with their normal life and deal with the chaos and uncertainty that's invaded their home. Add a global health pandemic, massive social unrest and an election of historic proportions and it can feel like a tidal wave has crashed over your world and you're about to slip under. This episode will be helpful if you're looking for ways to offload some of "life" while you focus on helping your child and yourself.
Episode 33 City Girl Gone Mom's Danielle Schaffer On A Brother Stolen by Addiction and Thriving Despite Generational Trauma
Danielle Schaffer is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to her business and her family, but not even this determined, dynamic, Italian "momshell" who hails from New York City could save her baby brother from the grip of addiction. As founder of the insanely popular blog and Instagram account, City Girl Gone Mom, and host of The Mom Confidential podcast, Danielle puts her mind to something and then makes it happen. But sadly, when it comes to addiction, even when you love someone to the ends of the earth, you can't always save them.
Episode 32 10 Ways to More Successfully Survive the Process of Helping a Child Misusing Drugs or Alcohol, with Brenda Zane
If you've started the process of looking for options to help your son or daughter with substance use issues, you know it can be overwhelming, intimidating, and exhausting. If you're just starting out and thinking about making that first call or sending the first email, you may soon find yourself wading through website after website, at 2 in the morning, wondering how you know you're even doing the right thing. This episode is a practical guide for parents when you're embarking on the arduous journey of finding resources, programs, therapists, treatment centers, or any type of help for your child who's misusing substances.
Episode 31 Life Changing Grants and Scholarships for Wilderness Therapy: a Conversation With Sky's the Limit Fund's Rochelle Bochner and Lani Dorff
Parents are often hit with sticker shock when they start researching treatment options for their adolescent or young adult children, especially if Wilderness Therapy is on that list. With costs reaching $500 per day, it can mean families have to forego treatment only because of financial constraints.
Episode 30 Gaslighting and How Your Child with Substance Use Disorder Can Make You Believe You're Crazy with Brenda Zane
"It didn't happen that way"
"You're way too sensitive, get over it"
"You're confused, I didn't say that"
and 10,000 other ways our teen and young adult kids twist and turn reality until we wonder if maybe we're the ones who need psychotherapy and treatment. It's called gaslighting and it's something you may be all too familiar with if your child is misusing substances.
Episode 29 College and Sobriety - Can Kids Recovering from Addiction Stay Sober on Campus? with Keith Murphy, Rutgers University
Parents of kids in recovery from substance use disorder may not think college is a good or even realistic option - who would be crazy enough to send their child who struggles with alcohol or drugs to a place where those things tend to be rampant and "normal?" This episode will be a beacon of hope for those parents who want their kids to continue on to higher education but are skeptical of the idea and don't know where to start in the process.
Episode 28 Coaches, Mentors and A Whole Lot of Tenacity: Wrapping Families With the Support They Need to Heal from Addiction with Lori Thompson
Families who have a child or children with substance use disorder often have struggles other families don't ever experience or know about. Having a coach and mentor to come alongside you is invaluable when it comes to navigating the tricky family dynamics involved. My guest in this episode brings a wealth of hands-on experience working with teens, young adults and parents as they work to overcome addiction and restore relationships.
Episode 27 How to Navigate Life and Conversations When Your World is Falling Apart with Brenda Zane
If you've ever been in a conversation where you were thinking, "I'd love to have those kinds of problems" this is an episode you need to hear. For those of us who have kids with a life-threatening disease like addiction, it can be hard to navigate relationships with people who have what we think of as "normal" problems. We retreat and isolate to avoid them or we might blow up or blame our friends and family for worrying about things we perceive to be trivial. This can make things tricky and usually involves tears. If this sounds familiar, listen in for 20 minutes of tips and ideas on how to navigate this difficult season in life.
Episode 26 Knowing When to Intervene: Recognizing When Your Teen Needs Help Even if Drugs Aren't the Problem with Annika
You may be a parent who's noticing changes in your teen or young adult that worry you, but drugs or alcohol don't seem to be the problem. Their behavior is off, they're acting uncharacteristically and definitely not thriving like someone their age should. What do you do? Listen to this honest and helpful episode from a mom who’s been there, trusted her gut, and acted on it to intervene and help her son.
Episode 25 Hazeldon's Dr. Joseph Lee; Overcoming Addiction in Young Adults With Humility, Empathy and Grace
Dr. Joseph Lee is the Medical Director for Hazelden Betty Ford's Youth Continuum and, as I learned in this powerful, hopeful episode, one of the most genuine and caring people in the field of addiction recovery. Dr. Lee generously shared his thoughts and perspectives from his vast history and experience ranging from the streets of Baltimore to now working with one of the country's most iconic and well-respected treatment programs, Hazeldon Betty Ford.
Episode 24 (Bonus) Think Overdose Isn’t Relevant to You? Think Again, with Brenda Zane
August 31 is Int'l. Overdose Awareness Day and this informative bonus episode will highlight why drug overdose is closer than you think, why it's on the increase during COVID, and some simple things you can do to save a life, even if you don't know anyone who's addicted.
Episode 23 Can (and should) I Be Happy When My Child Is Battling Addiction with Brenda Zane
Having a child at-risk with emotional or substance use issues can consume every part of you. It’s a daily struggle that often robs parents of even the smallest joys in life. This episode is for you if you’re wondering if and how you can ever be happy - and is that even ok when your child is so sick?
Episode 22 Building Emotionally Healthy Teens Through Boundaries, Letting Go and Creating a Safe Container with Krissy Pozatek, MSW
"When parents are parents, kids can be kids" sounds easy right? Yet it's not easy to know how to be a parent who sets clear boundaries and creates a safe container for kids to grow, mature and feel all the feelings life throws at them in a healthy way. Luckily, Krissy Pozatek, MSW, joined me for an enlightening conversation on doing just that.
Episode 21 Focus on What You Can Control: 7 Tips For Surviving When You Feel Powerless to the Chaos with Brenda Zane
We've all seen the Venn diagrams showing us to focus on what we can control. But how does that specifically apply if you've got a teen or young adult child who's abusing substances and your life is in complete chaos? In this episode, I share from the seat of wisdom - 7 very real and practical things you can do to regain some control and sense of agency over your life even if you have an at-risk child.
Episode 20 Safely Navigating the Ocean of Treatment Options for Your Teen with Jenney Wilder of AllKindsofTherapy.com
One of the scariest parts of having a child who needs treatment outside of the home is finding the right place, program and people for their unique needs. And Google is NOT the answer (usually.) My guest on this week's episode has built a best-in-class, data-driven website that lets parents search for and compare treatment programs, consultants and resources without having to enter the land of Google.
Episode 19 When Addiction Takes Over: Grieving Your Living Child and Normal Life with Brenda Zane
Parents with kids in active addiction often find themselves grieving and mourning the loss of what could and should have been - the life that was robbed by drugs or alcohol. But it's a unique kind of grief because your child is still technically alive, their body is with you but the child you know and raised and love is no longer there. This unimaginable kind of torture is the daily reality for many and in this episode, I share its familiar challenges and ways to survive.
Episode 18 Personality Traits That Put Teens at Risk for Substance Use and a Program That Helps with Dr. Patricia Conrod of PreVenture
What if there was an early-warning indicator that would show what kids are at higher risk for misusing substances? There actually is - and my guest on this episode found it. You won't want to miss this fascinating conversation with Dr. Patricia Conrod who founded PreVenture, a Canadian-based organization that's identifying tweens and young teens who are predisposed to a higher risk for abusing drugs and alcohol.
Episode 17 Natural Consequences: The Value of Letting Your Child with Substance Use Disorder Make Mistakes with Brenda Zane
One of the hardest things for parents to do when your child is struggling is to know when or when not to help them. When they’re little it’s easy - but as they get older it’s more complicated, especially for moms. There’s often an urge to step in and smooth the way and remove obstacles from their path so they don’t have such a hard time and feel the consequences that will follow. I am 100% guilty of this and know from my work with other moms I’m not alone.
Episode 16 Closing the Post-Treatment Gap: Showing Up for Teens When They Need it Most with Dave Herz and Willow Rubin of Wonder
Ask any parent what it's like to know your teen or young-adult child is coming home from drug treatment and you'll see a very frightened, confused, and anxious person. It's a highly vulnerable time for the child and a hopeful, yet confusing and terrifying time for parents and caregivers. Wonder, co-founded by Dave Herz and Willow Rubin is a unique program closing that gap in care, role-modeling, support, and expertise when it's needed most.
Episode 15 Ten Hard Truths You Need to Know if Your Teen is Experimenting With Drugs or Alcohol with Brenda Zane
It's a hard place to be, parenting a teen who you suspect is experimenting with alcohol or drugs, or both. This episode provides listeners with ten hard truths you need to know in this situation. Host, Brenda Zane shares her perspective and knowledge from living through many years with her son who struggled with substance use, defiance, and at-risk behavior. It's a must-listen for worried parents who aren't afraid to hear proactive, practical, yet sometimes hard things they need to do to steer their child in a positive direction.
Episode 14 Wilderness Therapy for Teens and Young Adults: A History and Considerations for Parents with Will White, DA, MSW of Summit Achievement
Wilderness Therapy, or Outdoor Behavioral Healthcare, is an option parents often consider when locally-based treatments aren't working for their teen or young adult who's struggling with emotional issues or substance use. But it can be scary and confusing if you're unfamiliar with what wilderness therapy actually is (and isn't.) This episode does a deep-dive into the origins of wilderness therapy, with someone who's been around it since it's earliest days. Will White, co-founder of Summit Achievement and Summit Traverse, and industry historian provides parents with a grounded explanation of how this therapeutic model developed and gives practical considerations for parents based in his 25+ years in the field.
Episode 13 A Guy’s Perspective: Loving Your Partner & Children's Mom Through Addiction with Andrew Baskett
This bonus Father's Day episode lets you get a look inside life from the point of view of a young man fighting for his children's mom and partner as she battled addiction. It's a story you don't often hear - and one that carries a stigma above and beyond what others feel when they love someone addicted to drugs or alcohol.
My guest, Andy Baskett, shares his exhausting battle to save his partner and mother of his 3 children as she sinks deeper into a world that takes her away from him, their twin girls and infant son.
Episode 12 Exploring Racial Disparities in Addiction Awareness, Education and Treatment with Brenda Zane
The world of addiction and treatment are not exempt from the racial disparities we're so painfully aware of at the moment (June, 2020). This episode takes a look at what's happening in Black communities in the U.S. relative to:
addiction as a percentage of the population vs white and other races
how the opioid crisis and overdose deaths are impacting the Black community
misconceptions about opioid prescribing and use
barriers to gold-standard treatment including MAT
and strategies to address opioid misuse and improve treatment outcomes
Episode 11 Discreet, Whole-Person Therapy for High-Profile & Celebrity Families with Aaron & Lin Sternlicht
Not only do they have more financial resources to really fuel and maintain their addictive behaviors, but they almost lose their opportunity to learn their lessons the hard way like most people do. So for example, if you're faced with some kind of legal troubles, you know, most young adults have to kind of go through community services, mandated treatment, or they have to go to court, they have to pave the way and go through six months of court appearances or some kind of monitoring system. Whereas, children of high net worth individuals, they don't really face those issues. And in some part, you know, the legal system kind of favors them because they don't meet the criteria that he or she's dangerous and a threat to society. So they actually completely miss out on that opportunity to learn their lessons.
Episode 10 How to Get Some Sleep When Your Child is Misusing Drugs or Alcohol with Brenda Zane
I would love to just ask you a question to think about and that is, when is the last time that you slept all night without waking up and actually felt rested in the morning? And this would be without any help, by-the-way, from medication or alcohol. I'm guessing that a lot of you can't even remember the last time that happened. And that is exactly why we are going to be talking about this today because it's just so prevalent in all of the families that I speak with - that sleep is one of the very first things to go and of course, it's understandable why that happens. Because we are worried out of our minds and it's very, very hard to sleep when you are worried.
Episode 09 You Can't Love Your Child Out of Addiction with Megan Megale of American Boy
I thought, and I still to some degree feel this way, I thought I could love Matthew through his addiction. I really did. I really thought love would conquer the fact that you know, Shea, my youngest has a terminal illness. And they were so close, so close. And I thought if he can't do it for Shea and for I, I couldn't come to terms with why. And I'd often asked him, why can't you do this? For me, why can't you do this for Shea? Why are you putting Shea through this? And I put more pressure on my son by saying words like that Brenda, then I realized the consequence of what my words drove him to do.
Episode 08 Don't Let This Kill Your Dreams and Passions with Brenda Zane
I thought, yeah, that's it. That's actually why this is so important to me because I know for myself I got to a point where I was not able to function and contribute all of the things that I have to contribute to the world. And I know the moms that I work with are exhausted and broken, and they kind of shrink into themselves. They lose jobs or they have to quit their jobs. They lose their friends. And sometimes they lose family relationships because when you're on the outside looking into a family who's struggling with this, it looks completely crazy and insane.
Episode 07 COVID-19: What To Do With Your Addicted Kid Now? with Brenda Zane
And then another thing to be thinking about is to be ready. And what I mean by be ready is that these are strange times and your child's patterns and their sort of routine as chaotic as it is, is disrupted. And they're dealing with new and different things just like we are. And that can spark new thinking. So I think it's really wise to be ready for change and change obviously could be worse, but change could also be better.
Episode 06 Personality Traits & Disorders to Keep an Eye On with Brenda Zane
The data really shows that the earlier you can identify a potential problem with your child the better - and many of the factors that predispose someone to addiction begin at a young age. When I look back at my son’s life it’s almost like he was a poster-child for someone who would be prone to addiction, so I felt like this was important to talk about.
Episode 05 Mothering in the age of opioid addiction, author of A House on Stilts, Paula Becker
"We do not know when he will come and go. Stealthily he avoids us, coming after dark leaving before dawn. But I look out the kitchen window and when my son is present, the stained glass windows of the House on Stilts glow with the light of the small lamp within like a church on Christmas Eve. This is my only solace and it is fleeting and I cling to it as I once clung to him. Sweet smelling, freshly bathed.”
Episode 04 Siblings of Kids in Addiction, Finding Sanity and Practicing Self-Care with Tina Jayes
“I think one of the most important things is you have to talk about these things as much as you can, whether it's to a therapist, whether it's to each other. When you carry this stuff around, it just is a big heavy burden and you don't even know what it is. But if it was happening to my family now, I think I would hope to talk to my younger siblings and give them some information and give them some coping tools because I think that would have been really helpful instead of acting like nothing was happening.”
Episode 03 Stop yelling and lecturing! Using science & kindness to motivate change with Dr. Carrie Wilkens
“If you expect your kid to come out of rehab and be sober for good, that's like asking your kid to play a Chopin etude and they've never played the piano. What's actually happening is your kid needs to take piano lessons with a beginning instructor. He's going to earn some learn some easy pieces and work really hard. He's probably going to learn some stuff wrong and he's kind of have to relearn it. At some stage he might have to get a different teacher because he outgrew that teacher. We have so much compassion for the learning process in other areas, yet we don't have a ton of compassion for the learning process when it comes to behavior change around addiction and substance use problems.”
Episode 02 Teens, addiction, residential care and natural highs with Derek Bowles
“What stood out to us was that just because you’re going through addiction doesn’t mean your life stops or that you can’t still have a tremendous amount of fun or love the good parts of life so adventure-based living and recreation was really important to us. And for us those things happen to be the X-Games sports, snowboarding and wakeboarding, skateboarding, rock climbing, mountain biking, certainly the gym and being physically active were a big part of what we thought could be a great way to connect with young guys as well as a way for them to be an active part of their recovery.
Episode 01 The story behind the podcast: A teen’s addiction, four rehabs, two overdoses, and hope with Brenda Zane
This episode is going to take you on the journey our family went on. It may be familiar to you or to somebody you know - it's about a family who's broken and battered from the effects of a child who's misusing substances or who's battling a full blown addiction.
There's likely a mom who's terrified and sick and feeling guilty and a sibling or two who are scared and resentful. A dad who probably feels helpless and overwhelmed. The characters are real and you're going to hear how we went from the average, uneventful upper-middle-class American family to one that was basically drowning in the terror of addiction and the lifestyle it brings with it. This story is the reason I started Hopestream and our online community, The Stream. Welcome.
The Stream is the online space that gives moms connection, hope and healing when their child is struggling with substance misuse, addiction and mental health challenges.
The Stream is the online space that gives moms connection, hope and healing when their child is struggling with substance misuse, addiction and mental health challenges.
The Stream is the online space that gives moms connection, hope and healing when their child is struggling with substance misuse, addiction and mental health challenges.
for moms impacted by a child's substance use or addiction. empowering you to help your child - through evidence-based education, radical self care and the healing power of community.
get insight to better understand your child’s behavior
When your child is misusing substances, it’s confusing, lonely, and scary. This free e-book provides you with insight and wisdom to help you better understand why your son or daughter is doing the things they are and how you can stay healthier through the experience.
