Hopestream: Parenting Kids Through Addiction & Mental Health

ABOUT THE EPISODE: Welcome to the first episode of our Hopestream family recovery series! Hearing the trials, failures, and successes of families just like yours will give insight into how other parents are navigating their child's substance misuse, as well as offering you the wisdom they picked up along the way.  This series will highlight the importance of core family issues: parent self-ca...

ABOUT THE EPISODE: When Dr. David Wiss got out of jail the second time, he was determined to change his life.  But he had no fancy treatment program to take him out of his environment, no medication, and very little therapy. Instead, his recovery was realized through a dedication to healthy eating, exercise, and sunlight. Today, David is the founder of Nutrition in Recovery - a group that speciali...

EPISODE DESCRIPTION: In this episode, I explore the integration of Motivational Interviewing (MI) into the Community Reinforcement and Family Training (CRAFT) approach for helping a child (or anyone) struggling with substance misuse. I share personal experiences, explain both methods' foundations and principles, and highlight their synergy in fostering effective communication and supporting p...

ABOUT THE EPISODE: Over the five years of doing this podcast and participating in hundreds of calls and groups in The Stream, our online community for moms, Cathy and I have seen patterns emerge and today we’re talking about a few of them. We’re sharing three things we see come up over and over which have a great impact on parents when they have a child or children who struggle with mental health...

ABOUT THE EPISODE: From the age of 12, Dr. Judy Grisel loved every drug she tried immediately. Over the next decade of intensive use, she found herself kicked out of high school and two colleges, homeless, and contracted hepatitis C from a dirty needle. At the age of 22, she was told she would die unless she stopped drugs entirely. Judy rejected the idea of abstinence, but she developed a plan to...

ABOUT THE EPISODE: When Steven Petrow's mother died in 2017, he decided to take up a practice that he'd heard about but never tried: gratitude journaling. As an award-winning journalist for the New York Times and Washington Post and author of several books, he was intimately familiar with writing. But finding joy amidst such an immense sense of loss seemed impossible and a gratitude prac...

ABOUT THE EPISODE: The tradition continues! Each year, I share a “Golden Nuggets” episode with segments from some of the best of the year. This year, you’ll hear from me, along with Kristina Kuzmič, Mary Crocker Cook, Dr. Amy Hoyt, and Jared Murray. Be sure to head to the show notes and download the PDF with links to each of the full episodes. EPISODE RESOURCES: Download the episode PDF with links...

EPISODE DESCRIPTION: In this personal episode, I sat down with my son Enzo Narciso to discuss his journey of recovery, personal growth, and transformation. Enzo shares candid insights into managing ADHD, maintaining sobriety, and working with adolescent boys struggling with substance misuse. Drawing from his own experiences of overcoming a high-risk lifestyle and addiction and having to rebuild hi...

ABOUT THE EPISODE: A significant number of parents in the Hopestream community find themselves facing three major issues with their kids: ‘unfinished’ adolescence brains, heavy use of marijuana, and ADHD. That probably shouldn’t be surprising; kids with ADHD are more likely to use substances earlier and more dangerously than neurotypical kids. Fortunately, though, my guest today has studied the in...

ABOUT THE EPISODE: Matt Lebris spent his early college years on the Dean's honor list, putting on a suit and smoking weed every morning. But after a minor traffic accident, mixing marijuana and muscle relaxers sent him to the hospital in an intense panic attack. Since then, Matt has embarked on a mission to share not only the joys of sobriety but the incredible benefits of therapeutic self-wo...

This Thanksgiving, join me for a heartfelt exploration of life's most challenging moments. When our carefully constructed and curated expectations shatter like dishes crashing from a flipped table, how can you find grace, gratitude, and grounding?   In this short solo episode, I draw from a deeply personal reflection sparked by loss and uncertainty. This episode speaks directly to anyone feel...

ABOUT THE EPISODE: Kyle Robinson first represented someone in court at the age of 18 years old. He was representing himself, defending against charges of assault, disorderly conduct and disturbing the peace – for a fight that hadn’t even happened. If that’s not foreshadowing I don’t know what is. Kyle had certainly been in a few fights before this particular arrest. The physical and emotional abus...

ABOUT THE EPISODE: In 2020, a documentary film titled "The Final Fix" introduced the public to a new treatment for opioid use disorder.  The claims of the neuroelectric therapy (NET) device are bold: opiate detox in 3-5 days with little or no withdrawal symptoms, discomfort, or cravings. Since the film’s release, I have personally known three people who acquired NET treatment for their k...

ABOUT THE EPISODE: When Nancy Landrum’s son was hospitalized with congestive heart failure, doctors didn’t expect him to live through the night. His misuse of amphetamines for more than a decade had left his heart double its normal size and generally wreaked total chaos on his life. Nancy’s parents and other family members told her that her son’s substance use was her fault. And for a while, she b...

ABOUT THE EPISODE: Kristina Kuzmič had harbored some denial about her oldest son's depression, anxiety and substance use. "Lots of kids have problems. Maybe everything will work itself out," she thought. That denial ended abruptly the night she had to call the police. Neighbors she hadn't even met yet stared from their driveways as her son was pushed into a police car, swearing...

ABOUT THE EPISODE: The chaos of Jared Murray's substance use got him expelled from the University of Alabama and banned from campus. How then, did he go on to eventually running the university's collegiate recovery program? You’ll have to listen to find out. Jared now spends every day talking with young adults and their parents about addiction, mental health and sober life at Momentum Re...

In an unplanned and heartfelt episode, I decided to share some thoughts on the importance of acceptance in the face of life's challenges. I discuss how resisting difficult experiences can hinder personal growth and highlight the beauty of transformation that comes with accepting reality. You'll also hear a story of a life saved recently by one of our members, made possible by the support...

ABOUT THE EPISODE: Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) is a highly effective but obscure treatment in psychiatry. It received its first FDA clearance for the treatment of depression in 2008 but has since proven itself to be effective for a host of other issues – depression, OCD, smoking cessation, bipolar, PTSD, cognitive impairment, and even autism. And a huge bonus? Side effects are practica...

ABOUT THE EPISODE: As a mom of four boys, I confess to knowing very little about raising girls. But my guests today have an intimate understanding of the specific emotional needs and experiences of adolescent girls, young women, and gender diverse individuals grounded in decades of therapeutic work. Dr. Marcy Russo and Sara Osborne advocate for a whole-person approach to residential treatment for...

Community Reinforcement and Family Training (aka CRAFT) is a system for helping friends and family members change the way that they interact with someone they love who has an unhealthy and/or dangerous relationship with substances.  CRAFT teaches family members how to stay connected, increase communication, and effectively encourage their loved one toward treatment, while taking care of themselves...

ABOUT THE EPISODE: Even before he became a teenager, it seemed to Dr. Steedy Kontos that he was good at anything he tried to do - especially sports.  He shined in football, baseball, basketball, wrestling and track, and recruiters were starting to take notice. It seemed he was well on his way to becoming a professional athlete. But Steedy had also begun experimenting with marijuana and alcohol at...

ABOUT THE EPISODE: Listeners of Hopestream get to hear from lots of amazing doctors, therapists, specialists, and academics. We can't underestimate how valuable their insights are, but we also need to listen to the voices of young people who have misused substances and come out the other side. That's why our recent guest speakers session for members of Hopestream Community featured an AM...

ABOUT THE EPISODE: For those who haven't seen their child's life endangered by the misuse of substances, calling the experience "trauma" may sound like an exaggeration. But my guest today says that the effects on the body and mind are almost identical.     Dr. Amy Hoyt has been working in the field of trauma for 10 years, with studies ranging from genocide to addiction. But her...

Parents sometimes fall into patterns that can unintentionally prolong their child's struggle with substance use. In this eye-opening solo episode, Brenda Zane reveals ten common parenting pitfalls that might be keeping your family stuck on the Roller Coaster Ride. I emphasize that recognizing these behaviors doesn't make someone a bad parent but rather, presents opportunities for growth...

ABOUT THE EPISODE: Everyone knows the experience of internal dialogue and conflict about who we are and how we will respond to the world around us. It can feel as if there are parts of us at war with each other. For kids using substances, these parts can become extremely polarized – for instance, part of them wants nothing more than to use, and another genuinely desires self-control.  My guest tod...