Joyful Courage - A Conscious Parenting Podcast

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. probl