Teenage use of smokable substances: Information and Inspiration to talk

Teenage use of smokable substances has been on my mind lately, and a bizarre (kismet, some would suggest) sequence of events has led me to compose this post. I am not a drug counselor or expert; I do have frequent conversations with lots of teens and their parents.

Recently, I initiated a search for a substance-use expert to deliver a data-driven talk for parents and kids about teenage use of controlled substances, and came across Dr. Jennifer Golick’s name. Within a week of discovering her work, I learned that tragically, Dr. Golick was one of the three mental health professionals who were killed in the shooting at Pathway Home, a home for veterans in Yountville.

In honor of her life and work, and because the information Dr. Golick delivered in similar talks throughout the Bay Area and beyond, I’m posting the recording of Dr. Golick's 2015 talk at Drake High School titled The Elephant in the Living Room: Having Difficult Conversations with your Teen around Cannabis Use .

I encourage anyone who shares any part of their life with tweens and teens to set aside 40 minutes to watch (or listen) to this straightforward, data-driven talk about the effects of cannabis use on teens’ developing brains (spoiler alert: today’s cannabis (including the preferred method of delivery and the culture around its use) is NOT the same as the marijuana of yesteryear). In fact, while it may produce an eyeroll  or two, watching or listening together with your teen can be a helpful catalyst to a deeper, more personal conversation. If you are the teen’s parent, it may even help you to establish or reinforce your family’s limitations on that use.

Here are a couple of teasers to pique your interest and to inspire you to watch:

  • The THC content of the marijuana teens have access to today via dab is 50-90%; the THC concentration of marijuana available from the 60’s-90’s was 2-5% and 20-30% in the early 2000’s.
  • As a result of that potency, the old adage “You can’t get addicted to pot!” is no longer true.
  • The Dunedin Study, an impressive long-term study showed that drug use before the brain reaches maturity between 18-25 causes a permanent drop in IQ not experienced by drug use after the brain reaches maturity.
  • Beginning in middle school, and continuing throughout high school, talk with kids about what they know, what they see and what they experience.
  • If you sense that there’s a problem, get help early.

I don’t allow fear to drive my actions and decisions, and I have no desire to fan any fearful flames. That said, it’s important for teens (and tweens) and the responsible adults in their lives to be well-informed. These conversations can be challenging and uncomfortable both for teens and adults, but teens can’t accurately guess the boundaries adults hold for them without adults specifically stating what they are, so don't be afraid to state those boundaries explicitly.

Here are a few resources if you’d like to read more:

If you’d like help with this, or any other conversation with your teen (or if you’re a teen, and you’d like help with this or any other conversation with the adults in your life), email me at jennifer.labovich@marinteencoach.com


 

What I do.

Typically, when I tell people that I'm a teen coach, I receive a curious raise of the eyebrows and tilt of the head, followed by questions. It's been a long time since my last blog post, so now seems like a good time to break down what I do as a teen coach. 

When I meet a new client, I focus wholly on getting to know him or her. I usually offer a warning that the first session might feel like an interview, which actually puts many new clients at ease since the burden of carrying the conversation is on me. As we talk, clients reveal areas of stress or concern (some examples are: organizing belongings (including anything from schoolwork to personal possessions); learning to cook; tending to a car; household management; developing and maintaining relationships with peers, romantic interests, parents, teachers, etc.; creating and sticking to a schedule; creating a strategy for completing projects of all kinds; approaches to decisions of varying magnitude; etc.) and this information offers a foundation for the next step in our work: identifying areas of focus and action items. Some clients are able to articulate what they'd like to work on; others need and want that information reflected back to them. Over time, I teach my clients how to identify and craft goals for themselves, and I ask them to participate in the creation of achievable action items. The part that many parents love most is that during sessions and in between sessions, I follow up with clients about their progress which provides accountability while removing stress from the parent-child relationship. Over time, my clients and I celebrate their successes and growth. We also engage in a perpetual process of identifying areas of focus which are sometimes new and sometimes recycled. I happily work with all clients who want support.

I love my work, and I love to talk about it! Email me at jennifer.labovich@marinteencoach.com if you'd like to learn more.