2020 Raising Healthy Families Community Education Series

Teenage Substance Abuse and Addiction: Approaches for Parents

Headlines tell us there is a prescription drug and opioid epidemic. Marijuana, now legal, is readily available. Teen alcohol rates are rising, and teen vaping has become an epidemic with apparent serious medical effects. All of these substances can alter mood and pose addiction risks. Now more than ever, parents feel powerless to address this situation. This presentation will enable parents to assess for addiction, identify the differences between normal and problematic partying, and explore parental control of substance use, along with examining parental use of the same.

Dr. Kenneth Perlmutter will address the most common questions posed by parents, teachers, coaches, and the siblings of adolescents caught up with substances. This presentation will enable parents to assess for addiction, identify the differences between normal and problematic partying, and explore parental control of substance use, along with examining parental use of the same.

What you’ll learn:

• The warning signs of substance abuse and compulsive behaviors
• The family environments that can perpetuate addictive behaviors
• To understand and create methods to differentiate between helping and enabling
• A set of family systems and personal questions to guide decision-making around substance use, and safe and sustainable limits.

PLEASE NOTE: There are two psychologists in Northern California named Kenneth Perlmutter. The Kenneth Perlmutter who will be giving this presentation is based in San Rafael and specializes in family and individual psychotherapy.