My guest today is Brenda Zane, and we are digging deep into teen substance abuse. 

Brenda shares about her son’s drug misuse & what got her started in this work. We talk about teens who are exploring risky behavior and teens who are using drugs regularly/daily. Brenda shares tips for having uncomfortable (and ongoing) conversations about drug use with your adolescent and how to come from a place of curiosity (not judgment). We talk about why the confrontational, punitive approach does not work & to consider drug use as a solution for a problem you don’t know about. Brenda and I also dig into how to share information about drugs with your kids & how to stay calm when you’re freaked out. Brenda finishes up teaching me about fentanyl & when overdoses don’t look like what you’d expect.  

Takeaways from the show

• Novelty seeking as part of teenage brain development
• Substance use & responding as a parent 
• Alcohol & marijuana use 
• Covid, anxiety, isolation, & devices affecting drug use 
• Experimenting vs. problematic use 
• Uncomfortable conversations & coming from a place of curiosity 
• Drug use as a solution for a problem you don’t know about 
• Confrontational, punitive approach does not work 
• Information as harm reduction 
• Information about fentanyl & overdoses

For more show notes, including transcripts, visit our website here.

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