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

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An underage drinking prevention program was recently run in a rural area of Minnesota, as well as more urban areas of Florida. Though the program was exactly the same, the two areas saw very different results.

"...at the end of the study, year-end surveys showed no difference in alcohol use among the teens [in urban areas] who took part in the project and those who did not... One particular problem surfaced during the community component of the project. The organizers struggled to rally some community members around the cause, often having to explain why they should be concerned about adolescent alcohol use."

One positive find of the urban study was that family interventions had a more significant impact than any other aspect of the program. Researchers also found that young people's ability to buy alcohol was reduced by 64 percent in neighborhoods where community teams asked stores not to sell alcohol to underage kids. Read more at HealthNewsDigest.com.

Underage drinking can lead to a variety of problems, including academic failures and trouble with the law. If your teen is drinking and would benefit from a safe, structured, sober environment, then SunHawk Academy in Utah is a good options. SunHawk offers a private boarding school programs with accredited academics, counseling and therapy, and daily 12-step meetings.

Labels: prevention, interventions, underage_drinking

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