ABOUT THE EPISODE:Roy Duprez began drinking whatever alcohol he could get his hands on at the incredibly young age of 7. He managed to stay sober for two of his high school years, but then returned to using alcohol and drugs for 12 years more years.Roy sees lots of young men with trauma-related substance misuse come through his outdoor adventure recovery program, but for him, drinking was part of an imagined lifestyle of success. He didn't drink to escape, he drank to have *even more* f...

ABOUT THE EPISODE:It's Mother's Day week, 2024. I'm personally counting my blessings because my kids are all healthy and our family is in a positive and safe place. It wasn't always this way. There were Mother's Days when I wanted to crawl even deeper under the covers and not show my face. There were Mother's Days when I didn't know where my oldest son was. Today, I want to honor those who may not be looking forward to Sunday, the ones who are feeling the weight of having a child who str...

ABOUT THE EPISODE:Jane isn't exactly sure at what age her older son began using substances regularly, but the degree of misuse seemed to come in waves. He stayed in therapy until he left for college - which is just when her younger son began having the same issues. He cycled through four high schools, attended a wilderness program, and eventually enrolled in the therapeutic boarding school where he is today.Jane's family's relationship is pretty good, thanks to the many tools she's been learn...

ABOUT THE EPISODE:It probably doesn’t surprise you that the majority of Hopestream Community members are moms. About 70% of therapists are women, as well, and women are significantly more likely than men to seek out their services.Last year, we launched The Woods, our private community for dads, stepdads, and male co-parents. And as much as we would love to help more dads who have kids struggling with substances, they don’t come flocking to our services. I wanted to dive into this imbala...

ABOUT THE EPISODE:The behavioral symptoms of young people caught up in substance misuse can be disheartening: open hostility, lying, cheating, stealing from family, and others. These symptoms can be hard to view as a result of the substances, and parents may instead blame their child for being “bad.” My guest today, Dr. Jennifer Fernandez, is a proponent of a compassionate model that sounds more complex than it is - the "biopsychosocial model." This model aims to contextualize all factor...

ABOUT THE EPISODE: Patrick Balsley's substance use began with alcohol in middle school and ended 11 years later with heroin- and cocaine-induced psychosis.  But instead of talking to Patrick about who he used to be, today I'm talking to him about the incredible things he's been doing with his life since then and what he's learned while helping so many other families in their pursuit of recovery. Patrick founded Sana Counseling and Sana House, a recovery residence for men. He sits on the...

ABOUT THE EPISODE: Because I sit at a vantage point of seeing many parents working to understand and implement the Invitation To Change Approach (ITC) with their child who struggles with substance misuse, I see things others don't. I hear the frustrations and the celebrations, and I know that while an approach like the ITC is very powerful and effective, it isn't a magic wand. Sometimes, the more difficult aspects of using a compassion and empathetic-centric approach to a very scary and...

ABOUT THE EPISODE: When Dr. Nzinga Harrison was recently approached by her son, a high school senior, about going to his first party, she consented. He was unsurprised by her followup question: “Do you think there will be drugs there?” As an addiction psychiatrist and M.D. specializing in addiction medicine, Dr. Harrison had been talking with him about substances since he was very young, so the question wasn’t awkward. “Yeah, probably,” he replied. As her stomach twisted, she realized that...

ABOUT THE EPISODE: When Dr. Robert Schwebel was approached by a local treatment agency about developing a drug program for adolescents, he was not interested. He decided to meet with the agency about the proposal, but also to share hard truths that he thought would encourage them to find someone else: Don't promise drug free kids overnight. Help them learn to make good decisions rather than telling them what to do. Incorporate life counseling. Rather than rejecting him, the program agreed to...

ABOUT THE EPISODE: Years before his gender transition, Jordan Held still remembers the day he asked his employer if he could wear the same clothing as the male faculty. The reply: "We're not ready for that yet." Whether or not your young person is questioning their sexual identity, gender, pronouns or any other aspect of themselves, you’ll get so much from this important conversation. As a teenager, he had been a good student and athlete who just wanted to be the popular girl at school. He...

ABOUT THE EPISODE: If you could stand outside your own life, watching your family relationships play out like a movie, what patterns of behavior might you notice about yourself?  If you could see those patterns now, wouldn’t it be much easier to improve them each day?  In this episode, we try to understand ourselves and our family dynamics more deeply through the lens of attachment theory. If you’re like me, you’d never heard attachment theory mentioned in recovery spaces or literature.  But...

ABOUT THE EPISODE: When my son began using drugs and alcohol, I did what a lot of parents do: I dove headfirst into a world I didn't know existed, trying to evaluate all the possible programs and places he might go to get help. But there's so much to learn about the treatment world, and the knowledge is extremely specialized, making it almost impossible to sift through it effectively without a guide. On today's show, I spoke with someone who is that guide for families. Joanna Lilley has been...

ABOUT THE EPISODE: Rose has three children, so she's not new to being a mom. But when her son spent six months trying every drug he could find, she stepped into a foreign world of substance misuse and increasing risk. She dealt with the utter shock and disbelief her child had been using substances at all, let alone to the degree she came to realize. Rose’s son was on week six of outpatient rehab when he combined most of those drugs together into a single, dangerous dose, and when we spoke...

ABOUT THE EPISODE: Hopestream co-founder, Cathy Cioth, is back for another episode to discuss six critical mindset shifts we both believe parents need to consider when they have a child struggling with substance misuse. We share how these important pivots in our thinking impacted our families and why, even though both of us have kids in recovery, we still vigilantly adhere to them.  And, as usual, we go on a tangent or two, so grab your dog, bike, walking shoes, or whatever you do when...

ABOUT THE EPISODE: After watching her brother's life cut short by substance use, Ann Coleman was intimately familiar with its dangers. So when her son - who already suffered from anxiety and depression - started using marijuana, hallucinogens and opiates, her trauma and instincts of fear and control kicked in hard. Looking back, Ann recognizes that at the time she believed her son was solely to blame for the unraveling of the relationship. Now, she knows better.  "There were things I...

ABOUT THE EPISODE: When young people in recovery return to use, we often hear phrases like “failure to launch,” “regression,” or the suggestion that “recovery is only for those who want it.” Today’s guest, Matt Nannis, says it’s time to abandon these concepts altogether. Matt’s journey from his own addiction to being the founder of the PIVOTPoint Program looked a little different than a typical recovery story. He didn’t “do the work” in treatment to stop using substances, find a more...

I recently sat down with over 20 treatment program owners, directors, therapists, educational consultants, and 20+ parents who are or have been on the journey with their kids, and I'm sharing the insights I gleaned in today's episode. From insurance nightmares to difficult transitions and THC-induced psychosis, I cover a lot of territory, bringing you a boots-on-the-ground view into what's really going on today in treatment and the struggles parents are facing when they have a child who...

At some point along your child's road to recovery, you will almost certainly need to make some difficult decisions about treatment. If they’re an adolescent, this becomes an even more complicated decision. And while I do have some personal experience with treatment, it's been 9 years since my son went to a wilderness program and residential treatment, and a lot has changed since then. My guest on today's episode is Trish Ruggles, a licensed clinical professional counselor and therapeutic...

Kelly’s son began smoking marijuana all day, every day after a serious trauma two years ago. Therapy and harm reduction strategies have led them to an arrangement where he is allowed to smoke occasionally, but only in the garage. Her son is smoking much less now, and in combination with therapy, reports he’s stopped using substances as a primary coping mechanism.   Things have mostly settled down, but Kelly is still experiencing the constant mental and emotional stress of worry about his...

In the words of today's guest, Noel Koons, "We all dent our children."  Though it may seem like so many other families have everything perfectly together, Noel assures us that isn't true – and with more than 13 years of clinical mental health experience counseling families and individuals, he should know.   In today's episode, Noel explains why these dents are inevitable: It's literally impossible for parents to meet all of their child's emotional needs, many of which rely on social...

I release about 50 episodes of Hopestream every year, and every year there are a few conversations that just stick.  Months later I’ll find myself reflecting on how a specific story or perspective has the potential to change the way we think and act as parents of kids working toward recovery.  I think of these important moments as this year's “golden nuggets.” So at the end of every year, I share these nuggets in an episode packed with some of my favorite bits of wisdom, and we’ve got great...

Friend, we made it to the end of 2023. This is my final solo episode of the year and after much thought and debate, I decided to share a gift I'd like to give you, some words of hope and strength for wherever you are in The Journey. This short episode is one you can save and play when things get tough, and I encourage you to share it with someone you know who's also going through difficulties - not just parenting challenges. Looking forward to another year of connection, hope, and healing...

Parents trying to navigate treatment with their kids are already pushed to their mental and emotional limits. When you're in it, you're so overwhelmed that it's hard to think about something as frustrating and time-consuming as insurance. But my guest today reminds us the earlier you get started and the more thorough your documentation, the more likely you are to receive coverage for the resources and services your child needs. I contacted Mark DeBofsky before I even finished reading the...

On today's coaching episode, we welcome our first dad from our community for dads, The Woods. As a father, Brad has some great things going for him. He still has a meaningful connection of supportive parenting with his ex-wife, who first introduced him to the podcast, and he’s a member of The Woods, our community for dads, which means he’s not doing this alone. His 18-year-old son is in a good place as well, currently residing in a sober living community after attending wilderness therapy and...