Using Alcohol To Self-Medicate

Teen stops self-medicating with alcohol.

Teens trying to mask or suppress pain caused by trauma, loneliness, social stress, insecurity, and anxiety can turn to a behavior whose negative consequences include addiction and even death: self-medicating with alcohol. Learn about using alcohol to self-medicate and how you can help your teen overcome this dangerous behavior. What Is Self-Medication? It’s not hard…

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Protecting Your Teen from Self-Medication

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As teenagers grow and seek new experiences, parents begin to worry about the risks associated with these new experiences. Teen substance abuse can have a substantial negative impact on the lives of teens and their families, leading to addiction, co-occurring mental illness, and even death. Learn more about self-medication, substance abuse, and addiction in teens,…

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Double Trouble

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The fact that so many adolescents struggle with depression, anxiety, and other mental health concerns is fairly well known. The fact that substance use is so prevalent amongst adolescents is not exactly news, either. However, much lesser known is what happens when someone with depression or anxiety also has a substance abuse problem. This is…

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What is a Co-occurring Disorder?

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You know you suffer from depression, you know that you also use substances. But did you know that there is a name for this? When you have a mood disorder or other mental health issue and you have a Substance Use Disorder, or SUD, then you have what is called a co-occurring disorder. More Than…

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Working on Two Fronts

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Dealing with mental health issues is difficult enough, but when you are also trying to maintain sobriety, it can feel like twice the work. When you have co-occurring disorders, such as depression and substance use, it might sometimes feel like you are fighting on two fronts.  That is not a reason to give up the…

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