Despite his addictions to crystal meth and gin martinis, Brad Lamm managed to sustain a career, first as a television weatherman, then as a nightclub owner. He didn't seek help for his substance abuse problem until his business partner told him their working relationship was done unless he sought treatment.

Though he didnt know it at the time, Lamm had just participated in a type of intervention called ARISE (A Relational Intervention Sequence for Engagement).

Contrary to the medical model of pathology, [psychiatrist Dr. Judith] Landaus method assumes that families and communities are inherently competent and have the capacity to heal and looks for strengths within those relationships. An "intervention recovery network" within the family functions like a board of directors, a system of checks and balances so that the addict cannot manipulate people one-on-one. (Source: The Denver Post)

Lamm is writing a book about his experiences, titled "How to Change Someone You Love." In his book, he argues against the conventional belief that friends and family members are powerless to help a loved one who has an addiction. He should know. Hes living proof.

Labels: drug_abuse, interventions, families, friends

Posted By: Aspen/CRC 0 Comments

Two new studies indicate that teens who participate in family activities are less likely to drink, smoke, use drugs, or engage in risky sexual behaviors.

The first study, from the University of Minnesota, found that teenaged girls who had five or more family meals weekly and had a decreased likelihood of substance abuse. Researchers surveyed 806 teens in 1998 - when the subject were 13 years old - and again five years later. The girls who had five or more family meals a week had only half the odds of abusing cigarettes, drugs, and alcohol. However, the effect did not hold true for boys.

The second study, from Boston University, involved 5,000 teenagers and their parents. Those teens whose families spent time together in meals or "just having fun" were less likely to engage in unprotected sex. They also had a lower number of partners and incidences of unprotected sex. Parents who were "controlling and critical," however, increased their teens' chances of engaging in earlier and riskier sex.

Both studies appeared in the Journal of Adolescent Health.

Labels: parental_involvement, families, relationships

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 0 Comments

Hundreds are gathered at Chicago's Navy Pier on Monday, June 18th for a "Vigil for Lost Promise"; an event focused on honoring the potential of individuals who lost their lives to drugs.

"The highlight of Monday night's vigil ceremony [was] a special candlelight honor walk within the ballroom, featuring family members lighting candles and walking up to a special 'Wall of Remembrance' where they will post photographs of their loved ones."

The event began at 6:30pm in the Grand Ballroom and featured several guest speakers. Read more at NBC5.com.

Labels: death, families, surviors

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 0 Comments

Not being attached to school and family are predictors of alcohol abuse among adolescents, according to a study in the Journal of Counseling Psychology.

• Professors Kimberly Henry and Eugene Oetting of Colorado State University and her colleagues studied 1,064 middle school students for two years, keeping track of changes to their true or false answers to questions such as, "My family cares about what I do," "School is fun," and "My teachers like me."
• Those students who answered in a way that showed a lack of attachment to their families and schools were more likely to abuse alcohol. Another predictor of alcohol abuse was having friends who abuse alcohol.

"The study showed that the short time in junior high school is a time of Important changes for some individual adolescents," according to the report. "There are significant changes in family and school attachment and significant changes in association with alcohol-using peers. These within-person changes were accompanied by within-person changes in alcohol use."
 

Labels: alcohol_abuse, causes_of_teen_substance_abuse, families

Posted By: CRC Health Group 0 Comments