Adolescent Substance Use
During adolescence, young people engage in increased risk-taking, identity exploration, and experimentation. Teens experiment with clothing styles, music, hobbies, social groups, and, sometimes, substances such as nicotine, alcohol, and cannabis.
While experimentation with substances is typical in adolescence, it can become problematic when it interferes with a teen’s ability to maintain expectations at home, school, extracurriculars/hobbies, and relationships.
The following are signs that your teen’s substance use has transitioned from typical to problematic:
Lack of control: Your teen is using substances more often than intended or is using a greater quantity of a substance than intended.
Social problems: Your teen is neglecting other interests, responsibilities, and relationships in favor of using substances.
Physical dependence: Your teen requires a greater quantity of a substance in order to get the same effect and/or is experiencing withdrawal symptoms when there is a break in substance use.
Risky use: Your teen is using substances in risky settings (e.g., strangers’ homes, secluded areas late at night) and/or with risky people (e.g., adults, complete strangers).
Frequently Asked Questions
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I use harm reduction psychotherapy to address substance use in teens. In harm reduction based treatment, I aim to:
Develop an understanding of the teen’s substance use that incorporates biological, psychological, and social factors.
Identify and address drivers of problematic substance use.
Motivate behavioral change to reduce adverse consequences of substance use.
Address the teen’s personal treatment goals, which may or may not be directly associated with reducing substance use.
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It is not uncommon for parents to view their teen’s substance use as a problem long before the teen themself. Unfortunately, this can lead to reduced access to care.
The harm reduction approach aims to help teens identify personal goals and motivate behavioral change to reduce adverse consequences of substance use. Teens do not need to be committed to abstaining from substances in order to engage in therapy that seeks to reduce the interference of substance use on daily life.
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I offer Community Reinforcement and Family Training (CRAFT): an empirically-supported treatment for family members of a loved one struggling with problematic substance use. CRAFT is appropriate for parents regardless of a teen’s willingness to engage in treatment.
According to research, 7 out of 10 families who participate in CRAFT treatment are able to get their loved one to engage in substance use treatment within 3 months. The core goals of CRAFT include:
Encouraging harm reduction using positive reinforcement and natural consequences.
Increasing self-care for family members.
Improving the relationship between substance-using individuals and their family members.
Encouraging individuals to engage in substance use treatment.
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The harm reduction treatment approach can be used to address behavioral addictions, including, gambling addiction, video game addiction, and addiction to adult content.