Addiction specialist Dr. Joseph Lee, a spokesman for the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and medical director of the Hazelden Center for Youth and Family provided CBS News with 14 ideas about ways in which parents can act to either prevent adolescent substance abuse or effectively address it an early, more treatable stage. Several of his observations concern the need to have direct and open conversations with teens about expectations, substance use, mental health issues and family history. All of his points are apt and significant and viewing this slideshow could be a way to think about whether you have had substantive conversations with your kids about these matters, and if you haven’t, to try and identify the fears that may be blocking you. Use the link below to access the slideshow, and I would love to hear what you think…have you had these conversations? How did they go? If you haven’t had them yet, what do you think is stopping you? See the Slideshow here: http://goo.gl/D04Gai
