Putting the “I” in Family

Life is hard today. We are asking young people to make bigger choices even younger, we are spending more time in school and homework, taking higher-level classes, and facing more pressure and competition to get into good colleges, only to end up with higher debt levels at the end. Technology helps so much, but it…

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Learning to Balance Reality and Screen Time

Teen taking OCD test before enrolling in virtual IOP program.

We live on our phones and other devices. We text our friends, binge watch shows, play video games, and we love engaging in social media. We also need technology for learning. But is it possible to spend too much screen time? Does it harm our physical and mental health? What about our relationships in real…

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Having Real Holiday Fun

While chestnuts roast on an open fire, the added stress of the holidays can be hard to manage. Which makes it the perfect time to focus on our mental health and staying clean and sober. We want to have fun, enjoy good food, friends, and family, so this is a great time to do our…

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Remembering Me

We are naturally wired to be self-centered. Think about it, survival instincts are to first save ourselves. If we are hungry, we want food. For ourselves. If we are tired, we want to go to sleep. Whatever we want, our brain tells us to get it. That is how we survive, it is a natural…

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Do I Have to Love My Family?

They raised us, annoyed us, fed us, and also made us fed up. Not that we had a choice, but they are our family. Every family is unique as every individual is, too, and the way we interact with our families is also like no one else’s relationships with their families. But do I really…

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6 Tips for Holiday Self-Care

Family members baking cookies for holiday self care.

Is your teen or young adult who’s gone through mental health or substance use treatment stressing out about family dynamics during the holidays? Share this blog post, which has several self-care tips to support their mental health as December winds down and New Year’s Eve approaches.  The holidays can be wonderful, and it can be great to be around family. But with the extra stressors at this time of the year, even the closest-knit families can be challenged, and drama of…

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The Truth About Vaping

Vaping. Almost everyone has heard of it, and way too many people are doing it. Whether you vape as a means to kick your smoking habit, or do it instead of traditional smoking; whether it’s as a coping mechanism, or because somewhere along the line it was the “cool” thing to do–regardless of the reason,…

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Why Family is Worth the Work

Have you ever asked yourself how you got this family? Do you ever feel like you couldn’t be more different from them, that maybe you were switched at birth? Or do they just drive you crazy and you wish you could choose another family? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you…

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Why Do I Feel So Anxious?

There are plenty of things in life to be anxious about. But sometimes we feel overly anxious, or anxious about things that shouldn’t make us feel anxious. Sometimes, anxiety isn’t even something we are aware of. It makes our muscles tense, our stomach nauseated, and can even cause physical pain. It doesn’t make any sense.…

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