Being 66 and recently experiencing two 911-ambulanced stays in the local Emergency Room, I totally identify with Garrison Keillor regarding the jarring effect of unexpected body breakdown on the inner certainty that feeling young, healthy, and strong trump… Read full post »

Car crashes, heart attacks, seizures, and difficulty breathing: What do all these have in common?

They are potentially life-threatening conditions that most of us will experience during our lifetime. Trauma is the leading cause of death for all people under age 44 and the leading cause of disab… Read full post »

           i (Adult Judy)

Blank space inhabits gardens

where spiritual tiger lilies once

basked in divine light sharing

truth without words

trust without promises

trembling only before

Never after. Never after.

I was that open hear… Read full post »

One of the signature songs of the anti-war movement of the 1960s was Pete Seeger's Where Have All the Flowers Gone. The verses speak hauntingly of the death of young soldiers, the sorrow of those who grieve their loss, and ask when – or if -- we will ever learn… Read full post »

When I was young, it was fashionable to blame the "generation gap" -- the difference between the values of adults and youth – for lack of communication between parents and kids. In my case, this divergence surfaced primarily in the areas of music preference and political styles

Fo… Read full post »

Violence in our society and the effect it has on our kids is one of my favorite topics.

I have written a lot about how the media -- through television cartoons, movies, music and video games – impact social and personal values and foster tolerance for hostile and aggressive… Read full post »

Nitrous oxide: a clean, colorless, oxidizing gas with a slightly sweet odor. It is used by the food industry as a propellant to make such items as whipped cream, and by auto racers to boost engine performance.

Dental and medical professionals use it as an anesthetic; most people know it… Read full post »

One of the signature songs of the anti-war movement of the 1960s was Pete Seeger's Where Have All the Flowers Gone. The verses speak hauntingly of the death of young soldiers, the sorrow of those who grieve their loss, and ask when – or if -- we will ever learn/… Read full post »

Since the first designated Alcohol Awareness Month in 1987, the National Council on Alcohol and Drug Dependence has sponsored the program in April every year and has made impressive progress in educating our kids – and their parents -- about the dangers of alcohol experimentation.

This… Read full post »

Age, as I have come to learn, brings with it perspective. 

Personal events that once might have seemed catastrophic are now taken in stride. I find this is particularly true as I watch my kids and grandkids navigate interpersonal relationships and school and/or job uncertainties.

Read full post »

I grew up in the 1960s and was part of a youth culture that opposed war and advocated civil rights. Our banners included sexual freedom, community, and chemically induced enlightenment. Folk music carried our message and we believed ourselves unique.

I remember feeling anger and disbelief that "the es… Read full post »

When my adult sons were young, they would take baseball cards to school to "flip" – heads you win, tails you lose, and winner take all. Some days they came home in tears because they’d lost their favorite cards. Their father and I would wipe their noses and lecture them… Read full post »

Like some of his peers, 15-year-old Charles Gray inhaled Freon^®—a chemical used as a coolant—in an attempt to get high. The young Floridian reportedly had experimented once before with this chemical, but he’d had no problem.

This time he died.

"Sudden sniffi… Read full post »

As TV fans know, Gregory House is a brilliant medical doctor with a powerful addiction to prescription pain killers. Vicodin is his primary drug of choice, with a pill-popping intake that far exceeds prescribed standards for a legitimate chronic physical pain.

While otherwise maintaining an impeccab… Read full post »

Addiction is a progressive and chronic disease often characterized by periods of relapse and periods of recovery. It affects the individual and society, both necessary partners in its treatment.

The tasks of the person recovering from addiction are to become substance-free, to maintain… Read full post »

Addiction is a chronic, progressive, and sometimes fatal disorder with both genetic and environmental roots. It manifests as a compulsion that drives an individual to continue to behave in a way that is harmful to self and loved ones, despite an intense desire to halt that behavior.

It… Read full post »

"What are little boys made of?
‘Snaps and snails, and puppy-dogs' tails...
What are little girls made of?
‘Sugar and spice, and all that's nice."

                        Mother G/… Read full post »

"I never thought I would say this, but applying behavioral modification principles to my teen has helped me grow as a parent and strengthened our family. Yes, Eric is now doing better in school and is less sullen at home but the real miracle has been the return to normalcy of… Read full post »

"I just don't understand. The judge ordered Zack to begin therapy because he is chronically truant. I thought his counselor would sit him down, figure out the reasons why he hates high school so much and make him the 'A' student he was in middle school. Instead, Zack spends therapy time… Read full post »

Someone, somewhere, commits suicide every 18 minutes.

Every day approximately 80 Americans take their own lives and more than 1,900 are seen in hospital emergency rooms for self-inflicted injury.

A disproportionate number are youngsters between the ages of 12 and 17.

Stat… Read full post »

"Our family counselor suggested we work on finding ‘teachable moments' to communicate with our son, but I can't find any and neither can his dad. Every time we bring up a topic, Steve either makes fun of it or grunts one-word answers. What are we doing wrong? He wasn't like… Read full post »

Treatment professionals have only recently recognized that substance-abuse treatment programs for adolescents cannot simply be scaled-down versions of adult programs.

Adolescents are not simply "little adults."

Unlike their adult counterparts, adolescents in treatment have more… Read full post »

Your private world has fallen apart. The boss has fired you, your significant other is no longer significant, and you realize that all of these unmanageable circumstances are somehow related to your use and abuse of addictive substances. You become sick and tired of feeling sick and tired, and… Read full post »

"Robby has been in residential treatment for three weeks. Each time we visit him or have a family session his mood is different. We don't know if "Angry Robby" or "Manipulating Robby" or "Genuine Robby" will show up. His counselor says this is normal for a fifteen-year-old but I don't… Read full post »