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Category: Parenting

Is a Long Term Care Program the Answer? What To Do When Your Child Or Friend Asks For Help

Long Term Alcohol Rehab Treatment Center

When a child or friend reaches out for help with an issue they are struggling with, such as depression or substance abuse, they are looking for a lifeline. Caught in an unfamiliar situation, you may not know how to help them. If someone you love reaches out for support, here are a few things you can do to help them get better including, professional assistance from a long term care program.

Listen. Don’t let a person’s plea for help fall on deaf ears. If your friend or child comes to you for help or insinuates that they need help, listen closely to what they have to say. Sometimes, they’ll be expressing these feelings for the first time, and your listening skills may determine whether or not they remain willing to communicate with you and with others. Lend an ear and give your support.

Seek professional help. Despite your best efforts, it’s likely your child or friend will need more help than you can provide. Reach out to a medical health professional, councilor, a long term care program, or someone else equipped and qualified to deal with the issue at hand. Your loved one may express that they do not want or need external help, but sometimes honoring this wish inhibits their healing. You might have to do some digging to find the appropriate support for them, and you may also need to work hard to convince them that they need this extra help, but in the end it’s the best thing you can do for them.

Become involved in treatment. Don’t “pass off” your child or friend to a professional for treatment; they need your active, ongoing support. There are lots of ways to become actively involved: drive them to treatment when they need it, ask them about their program and the actions they’re taking, or attend a therapy session if they ask for your support. Encourage their progress and check in often. People are more likely to succeed in treatment if they know their progress matters to someone else.

Do things together. Invite your loved one to participate in your daily activities or suggest new activities that you can do together that promote feelings of reward or accomplishment. Focus on small, achievable goals, such as hiking a challenging trail, completing an art project or finishing a book. Your active participation in making the little things achievable can make all the difference to your friend or child.

Stay in contact. You might have to work harder than your friend or child to keep communication constant. Don’t take it personally that they don’t reach out often or if they back away when you reach out. Struggling individuals tend to isolate themselves and often pull back from those that are closest to them in an attempt to hide their troubles. It’s up to you to reach out and let them know you care.

Get educated. It’s hard to help a friend or child when you really don’t understand the issue. Gather information from reliable, trusted sources and read up on what the person you care about is going through. You can also pass helpful information on to your friend or child so that they are in a better position to help themselves.

Step outside. The outdoors can help a person feel better and get healthier. Go for a walk. Sit in a park and get grounded. Play a sport. If your loved one needs a treatment program, wilderness therapy is a great alternative to a traditional 28-day program. Incorporating different therapy models, as well as a holistic diet, physical exercise and the healing power of nature, wilderness therapy sees exceptional results in those that participate in the program.

If your child or friend reaches out to you because they are feeling suicidal or having thoughts of suicide, or you suspect that they may be having such thoughts, act immediately. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available 24/7 at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

When a child or friend reaches out to you for help with a struggle that they are facing, there are many things you can do to support them. Simply letting them know you care and that you’re ready to help is the first step. Practicing these simple tips can aid you in steering your friend or child on the path to full recovery. To learn more about all available options, including a long term care program, such as wilderness therapy, contact Rites of Passage today at (800)794-0980.

Holding Your Teen Accountable: When Should Programs for Troubled Youth be Considered?

How to Find a Long Term Drug Treatment Program in North America

Accountability: 5 Easy Ways to Drug Test Your Child at Home

To protect their teens, parents must be mindful of the preventative measures they can employ and asses whether or not it is right for their family. For example, the option to drug test your teen at home is a decision that should not be taken lightly, but an option that can help keep teenagers safe. If this is the right choice for you, how do you reliably carry out a drug test in your own home? You might be surprised to learn that there are many dependable home drug testing options available.  In addition to drug testing, detection and prevention are also of extreme high priority. If you suspect your teen is addicted to drugs, and your drug test has confirmed that fact, programs for troubled youth such as wilderness therapy should also be considered as a next step.

Should You Drug Test Your Teen?

Regular testing can be an effective way to prevent drug use. Sometimes, even just the threat of a random drug test is enough to prevent teens from engaging in drug use. Though it’s a parent’s authority to drug test their teen, it’s important to establish whether doing so will bring about more harm than good. If your child has a history of good behavior, isn’t acting suspiciously, and you have no reason to suspect they are abusing drugs or alcohol, then drug testing may injure your relationship. It could create resentment, communication barriers, and distrust that would not exist otherwise.

For teens that have abused drugs or alcohol for quite some time, it’s often the case that the parent/child relationship has already suffered significant damage. Trust is usually broken. Drug testing can actually re-establish trust by providing your teen an opportunity to earn privileges when he or she refrains from destructive behavior. Home testing also equips teens to them to make the right choices independently in the future. For teens stuck in a vicious cycle of drug or alcohol abuse, home testing may be an obvious requirement.

A history of drug or alcohol abuse isn’t the only factor that may warrant administering home drug tests. Before determining whether suspicious behaviors indicate drug or alcohol abuse, consider the alternatives. Your teen could be going through a personal issue that requires your love and support. That said, there are some red flags to be aware of. Some of these indicators include:

  • Sudden withdrawal or isolation
  • New social group and activities
  • Cutting ties with former friends
  • Grades begin to slip
  • Defensive and confrontational behavior

Before deciding to drug test your teen, discuss it with a doctor or therapist. Parents should know that The American Academy of Pediatrics opposes home drug testing without the child’s knowledge.

How To Drug Test Your Teen

If drug testing your teen is the right choice, rather than turning to an external lab, here are five simple home options:

    1. Urine tests: The most simple and common way to test for drugs is through a urine test. These tests are easy to administer and provide almost immediate results on a range of drugs, including marijuana, cocaine, methamphetamines, opiates, and benzodiazepines. Urine tests indicate a person’s most recent drug use and when administered
    2. properly, are highly effective.
    3. Saliva tests: If urine collection is a problem, home saliva kits are available to test for the same range of drugs as urine tests.
    4. Hair tests: Hair tests offer a more in-depth breakdown, providing not only which drugs a person has used, but also the frequency and duration of their drug use. The downfall is that hair samples need to be sent to a lab for analysis, but there are many kits available that allow you to correctly collect and prepare that sample for testing.
    5. Alcohol breathalyzers: Breathalyzers test for an individual’s blood alcohol level. They are small, portable, and produce results almost immediately.
    6. Sweat patch testing: Relatively new, sweat patch testing has become an effective alternative because it is non-invasive and has an increased window of detection. Worn for up to ten days on the skin, sweat patches also act as a deterrent.

If drug testing is right for you, then it is best combined with another treatment or therapy program as part of an overall holistic approach or additional programs for troubled youth through wilderness therapy. Eventually, your teen will need to live independently, so they must be able to make healthy choices for themselves. Drug testing shouldn’t just be a “scare tactic” used to threaten a teen; it should be part of a comprehensive strategy to establish accountability and strong decision making skills. By monitoring your teen’s choices on a regular basis—in a healthy and positive way—you can parent your teen in a manner that both protects them today and ensures they are prepared for adulthood.


Parenting a Troubled Teen: Camps for Troubled Young Adults

Anger Therapy

How should you parent a teen that is having difficulty transitioning into adulthood? This grey area poses a challenge for many parents. Here is some advice on how to guide your teen through this difficult time while also holding them accountable for their choices and preparing them for responsible adulthood. In many cases, camps for troubled young adults or wilderness therapy programs can provide a much needed fresh start, and a positive environment.

Support VS Self-sufficiency: Parents Must Strike A Balance

A child’s transition from adolescence to adulthood can be a difficult time for a parent. For teens struggling with behavioral, mental health, or substance abuse issues, it can be especially hard to determine how to parent effectively. The most common struggle is to strike a balance between supporting the child through troubling times, but ensuring they can survive, and thrive, on their own. “Helicopter parenting” isn’t the solution. Hovering over and catering to your teen enables bad behavior and restricts their growth and development. But neither is the “hands off” approach ideal. Teens need help through trying times, and there is no one more responsible for providing this support than a parent.

Compromises To Hold Your Teen Accountable

At this stage, it is better to treat your teen as an adult rather than as a child. One way to do this is to make compromises with your teen so that they can develop a sense of responsibility and accountability. For instance, rather than taking the car away after a failed drug test, your teen should earn their driving privileges by participating in a 12-step meeting. Focus on the actions that can help your teen move forward, rather than on punishments or revoked privileges.

Teens Need A Non-Parent Resource

You don’t have to shoulder the difficulty of helping your teen transform into a healthy adult alone – and in fact, you shouldn’t. Frequently with teens, it’s not the message they resist, but the messenger. No matter what a parent says and how helpful they try to be, there’s a good chance that it will fall on deaf ears. As far as a defiant teen is concerned, parents know nothing. Some teens may go as far as to do the opposite of what their parents advise, just because their parents advise it. When the same message comes from a different source, like a professional therapist, doctor, or school counselor, a teen is much more likely to listen, digest information, and get help. Hearing it from a respected peer, whose behavior they can then model, is even better.

Gain A Fresh Perspective In A New Place

Some troubled teens need more than just a conversation or therapy; they need a change of scenery. Wilderness therapy is a treatment program that combines peer and instructor support. Without parents around, teens find themselves much more open and willing to change. Taken out of the status quo where strained relationships and bad habits reign supreme, teens are able to recognize the changes that they need to make and take the steps towards achieving that.

Many parents find that when their teen returns home, he or she is ready, excited and better equipped to enter adulthood. And after relationships have had a little “breathing room,” it is much easier to move forward in a positive and mutually respectful direction.

The transition from adolescence to adulthood is difficult for both parents and teens – and more so if there are behavioral, mental health, or substance abuse issues to contend with. Parents need to keep balance in mind above all else: neither helicopter parenting nor a “laissez fair” attitude will do. Most importantly, parents need to understand that teens are more receptive to messages from non-family members, such as counselors, therapists, or peers. In some circumstances, the best way to “parent” a trouble teen is to send them to wilderness therapy, where they can gain autonomy and a fresh perspective.

Wilderness therapy is an effective and positive environment and option for those seeking camps for troubled young adults. Contact Rites of Passage today at (800)794-0980 to register now.

How Programs for Troubled Young Adults can be of Assistance After Divorce

Camps for Troubled Youth in Seattle

Co-Parent a Teen After Divorce, and How Programs for Troubled Young Adults can Help

One of the most difficult situations to navigate is how to parent a troubled teen after a divorce — especially when the divorce is not amicable. With unstable and volatile relationships at play, communication lines are often broken and accountability is vague. Don’t let your teen slip through your fingers. There are options for parents to turn to, including wilderness therapy and additional programs for troubled young adults, which can provide great assistance during this transitional time in life.

With this helpful advice, you will be better equipped to parent your teen positively as a divorced parent.

Divorced Parents Need To Be On The Same Page

If your teen shares time between two homes, it’s often the case that the rules of one home are undermined in the other – this gets serious when the mixed-messaging concerns contentious issues such as drinking alcohol.

But it’s not about playing the blame game. Both parents need to establish and agree to a consistent set of basic ground rules. No doubt, both sides will need to compromise. But doing so establishes transparency and uniformity about what parents expect of their teenagers. With everyone on the same page, it makes it more difficult for teens to leverage parents against each other and manipulate them. When you have clear guidelines and restrictions, there are fewer messy arguments about what your teen is and isn’t allowed to do.

Share Responsibilities: Start With Your Strengths

Knowing who is responsible for what helps to ensure that your teen doesn’t slip through the cracks. If you think it’s your ex-spouse’s responsibility to address a certain issue with your teen and they think it’s yours, then your child won’t get the help they need.

Understand your individual strengths and build off those. It may even require saying a positive thing or two about your former partner. Be realistic about the things that your ex-partner can provide your child, and they’re likely to reciprocate in the same fashion.

Divorced Parents In Particular Need Outside Help

When parents have not amicably separated, even beginning this conversation can be tough. It might be a good idea to involve an impartial third party, or communicate through writing about what you want for your teen. If speaking directly doesn’t work, finding another way is necessary if you really want to help your teen with their issues. It might even be beneficial for all parties to participate in some kind of common therapy—whether together or separate.

Co-parenting after a divorce is challenging – and the lack of communication puts your child at greater risk. Despite how difficult it may be to communicate with a former spouse, you both want the best for your child. Divorced parents need to establish clear boundaries and accountabilities for one another and for their teen – and should not try to co-parent in isolation: an experience third party such as a counselor or therapist can facilitate clear communication and help you successfully co-parent your teen.

Rites of Passage offers wilderness therapy adventures and additional programs for troubled young adults, which can provide great assistance during this transitional time in a teens life. Contact us today at (800)794-0980 to learn more.

Transitioning Back To Reality: How To Reintegrate Post Wilderness Therapy Programs

Long Term Rehab Center in Washington

For many young adults exiting rehabilitation, treatment, or wilderness therapy programs, one of the biggest challenges they face is reintegrating back into their daily lives. Implementing the changes and progresses that they have made isn’t easy when former environments and relationships still present obstacles. In addition, proving to those affected by their former behavior that this is a lasting transformation takes time and preparation. But it doesn’t rest solely on the young adult returning home to succeed. Parents also play a significant role in the reintegration process.

Preparing To Reintegrate: Things To Know And Do

For young adults who have been on a path of destruction for a long time prior to entering a treatment program, reintegrating back into family and community life is going to be difficult. Despite making huge changes in a treatment program, young adults still face the pressures returning home and proving that the changes they claim to have made are real. Reintegration is going to be a different process for everybody, but there are a few general things everyone can do:

Understand that it’s going to take time and energy. Convincing others that positive changes are permanent won’t happen overnight. Most likely, there are some burned bridges that need to be repaired. The only way to demonstrate that one has made a real change is to put in the work and to be consistent.

Practice Role-Playing. For someone with a chemical dependency, role-playing is a helpful tool in preparing for reintegration. Knowing how to react to a situation before it happens helps to ensure that when the time comes, a young adult knows how to make the right choices.

Define friendship and establish boundaries. In most cases, the young adult returning home is going to need to cut ties with former friends. There is no place in a healthy lifestyle for negative peer groups. Understanding what a true friend is and being prepared to eliminate negative influences is crucial to successful reintegration.

Create support networks. Therapy shouldn’t end when a young adult returns home. In fact, this is a time when they need support the most. Parents should work to ensure open lines of communication and the family should reach out to community support systems to aid with the reintegration process.

Avoid old environments. To stay resilient, sometimes the best strategy is to start fresh in a positive environment. Moving to a new town, starting college, or going in a new direction can make it easier to implement the changes that a person has made in treatment.

Hit the ground running. Make changes immediately. The more opportunity a person has to slip back into a familiar environment, the more likely they are to relapse.

Supporting Reintegration

Whether a person is returning from a wilderness therapy program or rehabilitation, he or she has worked hard to reshape and realign their belief system. One of the challenges of returning home is that they now have to reshape the belief systems of friends and family. When friends and family have suffered greatly from a person’s destructive behaviors, it can be an overwhelming challenge to prove that he or she has changed for the better.

But parents also have to prove that they too won’t slip back into their unhealthy ways.

This means that former dynamics cannot continue, and this requires the parents to make personal changes. It’s most likely that the dynamics that existed prior to treatment need realigning. With the help of a therapist, a parent can be making the adjustments that they need to make while their child is away, which can make for a much more successful reintegration when they return home.

Most teens return from rehabilitation, treatment or wilderness therapy with a new perspective on life and the attitude that they are ready to take on the world. The challenge is to integrate this newfound perspective into life in a lasting way. With the right support and plan in place, a young adult can return home and begin living the life of a responsible and self-reliant young adult.

To learn more about our wilderness therapy programs, and get started today, contact Rites of Passage at (800)794-0980.

Failure To Launch: How To Help Someone Who Is Stuck In A Rut

Wilderness Therapy can help with "Failure to Launch" Syndrome

The transition into self-reliant adulthood is difficult for some. Some young adults use their safety net of family and friends in an appropriate way as they prepare themselves for independence. For others, the safety net becomes a way of life. Plans to move out stall, goals fade away, and a comfort level sets in, along with a resistance to change. As a parent, it’s a fine line between caring for a young adult who is facing a challenging time and enabling them to continue down a destructive path. For those who have “failed to launch,” a wilderness therapy program can help to guide them into responsible adulthood.

Failure To Launch: On The Rise

It is becoming increasingly common for young adults to remain living under their parents’ roofs and to rely on them as if they were still teenagers. In fact, a recent Gallup poll indicates that nearly 30% of all young American adults between the ages of 18 and 34 still live with their parents, with more than 50% under the age of 24 remaining at home. The unemployment rate for those who remain at home is more than twice that of young adults who live independently. This has come to be known as the “failure to launch” syndrome: young adults stuck in a cycle of reliance and co-dependence, with no sense of urgency in moving forward into the next stage of life. In general, these young adults are unemployed, not attending college, and uninspired to lead independent lives away from home. Understandably, this leaves many parents frustrated, as they are unaware of how to help their child transition into responsible and functional adulthood.

Money And Poor Decisions: The Main Causes Of Dependence

There are a number of roadblocks on the way to independence: student debt, a weak job market, the cost of living, or family obligations such as caring for an aging parent are some of typical reasons young adults choose to live at home. Then there are other kinds of roadblocks—the sort that are destructive and result from a history of poor choices. These include: alcohol and drug abuse, ongoing negative behavior, dropping out of school, associating with harmful peer groups, or playing video games addictively, to name a few. There are also mental health issues that may prevent a young adult from being capable of living an independent life. Short, brief stints back at home may be what a young adult needs to regroup, refocus, and land on their feet. But when the duration begins to seem permanent, it’s time for parents to intervene.

Parents can also work to reshape their role into a healthier one. Through communicating with a therapist, parents learn to define boundaries, realize the appropriate amount of co-dependency, and understand the difference between helping and hurting.

Recognize The Signs Of Failure To Launch - What does failure to launch look like?
  • Lack of motivation
  • Long hours spent sleeping or playing video games
  • Easily distressed
  • Doesn’t accept responsibility
  • Self-absorbed
  • No work ethic or career plans
  • High expectations of others but expects very little from self
  • No long-term goals and lacks purpose in life
  • Lack of basic domestic skills, like laundry and cooking
  • No desire to earn own money and expects money from parents
The Transformative Power Of Nature

Nature is an inherently healing and transformative environment. The challenges that come with living in the wilderness—setting up shelter, cooking, hiking—make the challenges that come with living life back in “reality” seem less intimidating in comparison. Grocery shopping, laundry, and applying for jobs no longer seem like crippling obstacles in comparison to walking 10 miles and setting up camp in the pouring rain.

Coupled with the guidance of professional mental health workers, the physical and mental achievements a young adult accomplishes in nature helps them to develop the confidence they need to launch. Once participants overcome their initial fear and anxiety, many are inspired to move forward into the next phase of their lives. wilderness therapy can be a powerful resource in assisting with dependency issues, contact Rites of Passage at (800)794-0980 to learn how, and more regarding our programs.

Are You An Enabler? Wilderness Therapy Breaks the Co-Dependency Cycle

Wilderness Therapy For Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder – ADHD in Washington

Signs of Co-Dependent Parenting

For many parents, the thought of having their adult child move out seems like an all too distant future. What many parents suspect, but don’t know how to fix, is that they may be contributing to their young adult’s failure to launch. It’s a blurry line between looking after the well being of one’s child and enabling them to continue down a destructive path. When helping turns to hurting, it’s time to take a step back, seek help, and create a plan to implement change. Change can come in many forms from recognizing there is an issue, to enrolling your child in a wilderness therapy program. Regardless of what measure is taken, how and when to draw the line?

Where To Draw The Line: The Child’s Abilities

There’s a fine line to draw between helping your adult child through a temporary struggle, and preventing them from becoming a responsible and functioning adult. The difference between helping and enabling is simple: you help someone when you do something for them that they cannot do on their own; you enable someone when you do something for them that they can and should do on their own, but choose not to.

Often enablers recognize the error of their ways, but for whatever reason, can’t bring themselves to stop. Many parents continue to provide for their adult children as if they were still young dependents, perhaps out of a sense of guilt or fear. However this often leads to feelings of resentment and anger over the long-term.

Look For These Signs Of Co-Dependence

It’s time to draw the line when the young adult:

  • Has a victim mentality. It’s just not their fault that they can’t get on track—everybody and everything just keeps getting in their way.
  • Never admits to being wrong. If it does appear that they may be wrong, they avoid conversation and refuse to acknowledge it.
  • Manipulates the situation. They prey upon feelings of guilt, blame, or shame in subtle ways to get what they want.
  • Refuses to relinquish control. Often persuades or manipulates others with love or affection.
  • Experiences mood swings. Yelling and screaming are often involved in getting what they want, and then once they do their attitude shifts drastically.
  • Acts overly emotional. Especially, when it comes to simple things, like cleaning up or getting a job.
  • Fails to listen respectfully. Many parents describe this as “talking to a brick wall.”
Stop Enabling: Steps Parents Can Take

Once a parent recognizes that they have enabled their child to be co-dependent, there are proactive measures they can take to change the family dynamic:

Find support groups. Connecting with people who share the same struggles helps. This could be a community meeting group like Families Anonymous or an Al-Anon Family Group. Or, it could be something like a chat room or online group.

Let go. Many parents are co-dependent themselves and they enable their children because they are afraid of letting them go. But at a certain age, this fear does more harm than good for the young adult. Parents need to accept their responsibility in the unhealthy co-dependent relationship and take the necessary steps to correct their behavior.

Establish healthy boundaries. Many parents conflate demonstrating love with giving in to a young adult’s every whim. To help rather than hinder the young person, parents should only give them what they need, at the right time, and in the right amount. For example, sometimes it may be helpful to lend a bit of money in a pinch, but constantly funding a young adult’s groceries or phone bills does not help them towards independent adulthood.

Wilderness therapy breaks the co-dependency cycle.

Wilderness therapy offers parent and child time apart to regroup, catch their breath, and re-evaluate family dynamics. Getting stuck in the cycle of an unhealthy relationship often needs drastic measures for real change to take hold. A wilderness therapy program provides the initial intervention, an opportunity to create and implement a plan for change, and provides parents with the support structures they need to continue on a positive path long after the treatment program is over.

Re-establishing a healthy parent/child relationship takes recognition, time and effort. It’s easy to slip back into old habits. First, parents need to recognize the signs of a co-dependent relationship, and admit to themselves if their enabling has hindered their child’s progress. Once the parents have taken responsibility for their actions and have implemented the right support structures, they can avoid enabling behaviors and establish new, healthy boundaries that set their child up for successfully independence.

Wilderness therapy can help break the co-dependency cycle and assist in better behavior in children through positive programs and building self confidence. To learn more, contact Rites of Passage Wilderness at (800)794-0980.

Listen Up: Why You Should Care What Music Your Child Is Listening To

Wilderness Therapy Treatment for Anxiety in North America - USA

Parents are often unaware of the type of music and music videos to which their children are exposed, particularly with the ease of downloading, use of headphones, and the accessibility to media content. This content has also become increasingly more explicit. As a result, these types of lyrics and imagery have the potential to negatively impact a youth’s behavior and emotional state.

Parents must take an active role in monitoring and managing the music that their teen is listening to.

It is difficult to regulate the music, lyrics and imagery that children and teens are exposed to. The accessibility to explicit content is unprecedented. The exposure to lyrics and images promoting violence, sexual objectification, and glamorizing substance use, can significantly impact the behaviors and attitudes of adolescents by promoting unhealthy stereotypes and endorsing negative behavior. As a parent and role model, there are many steps that you can take to help lessen the negative influence that certain music and video imagery can have on their child.

What a parent can do:

Be aware. Understand the role that music plays in your children’s life and identify their preferences as potential indicators of their state of mind and emotional struggles. Are they listening to angry, violent music because that is how they are feeling? Are the sad melancholy songs a sign that they are in emotional pain? The music that your child listens to can say something about their internal state, and by recognizing this you may be better able to reach out.

Supervise activity. Monitor the type of music they listen to and what they are purchasing. If unsure, investigate the lyrics of songs by typing them into a music lyric database online to make sure that they are suitable. It is possible to restrict access to web content and online purchases that are not age appropriate.

Become media literate. This is the ability to access, analyze, and evaluate media content. Understand what media platforms your teen is using and learn how to engage with them. Become informed on the ways in which certain applications restrict content. Parents need to respect their child’s autonomy with relation to using social media, while at the same time protecting them from harmful influences.

Have a conversation. Don’t just say, “No, you can’t listen that that.” Discuss the issue with your child or teen. A teen is always going to try to listen to or watch whatever they want, but if they understand why certain lyrics or imagery are not appropriate they will be equipped to make better choices for themselves. A discussion may also help to clarify why your teen chooses a certain type of music.

Know the guidelines. Be aware of the music industry’s Parental Advisory Label Program, which warns consumers of explicit content. When in doubt, look for the label. Know what to look for, and what the guidelines for determining explicit content are.

As a parent it is necessary to find balance between giving your child the independence to make their own choices regarding what they listen to, and safeguarding them from harmful influences. First, step out of the dark. Know what your child listens to and discuss the effects that certain imagery and lyrics can have on them and on society. It doesn’t have to be a process of strict regulation and restriction. After all, the ultimate goal is for your child or teen to make the right choices on his or her own, it just takes a little parental guidance along the way.

Negative Impact of Fad Dieting & How Weight Loss Programs for Teens is a Better Option

Obesity Health an Wellness Camp for Kids in North America

The Dangerous Impact Your Fad Dieting is Having on Your Teen

Fad diets, those that promise a quick fix and rapid weight loss, usually sound too good to be true—because they are. At best, fad diets are a temporary solution. They promise instant gratification without the ability to deliver long-term success. At their worst, fad diets contribute to serious emotional and physical health issues, especially in children and teens. Parents who are constant fad dieters need to be aware of the potentially dangerous effects that these practices are having on their children. When weight loss is involved, being safe and healthy should always be the primary consideration, and effective weight loss programs for teens may be a better option which can produce more long term results and lead to a healthier lifestyle.

What is a fad diet?

Fad diets are those diets that become quickly popular with the promise of speedy weight loss and require very little work. While a handful may provide short-term results, most fail to provide nutritional value and do not fulfill caloric intake needs. They may require or restrict particular foods, and they may involve taking additional pills or supplements. Most importantly, they are not sustainable and they do not deliver long-term success.

How to spot a fad diet.

Fad diets typically:

  • Label particular foods as “good” and “bad”
  • Make dramatic statements that are rejected by reputable scientific groups
  • Have endorsements that are based on a single study or testimony
  • Oversimplify complex research
  • Refer to studies that have not been reviewed by independent experts
  • Eliminate one or more food group
  • Try to sell a product

Fad dieting can have a dangerous impact on a child or teen’s emotional and physical wellbeing.

Fad dieting has the potential to impact the parent-child relationship and the family dynamic negatively, first, because the food choices that a parent makes for himself or herself usually are made for the child as well, and second, because children model the behavior of their parents.

Dieting in general teaches children and teens to feel shame about eating certain foods—leading to a poor self-image and unhealthy eating habits (such as binging), or an eating disorder (like bulimia or anorexia). Classifying certain foods as “good” or “bad” may help to endorse unhealthy thoughts such as, “this cupcake is bad, so I am bad if I eat it.” When a fad diet promises to deliver and then doesn’t work, the person can feel like a failure, further contributing to body image issues.

Switching to a healthy lifestyle has greater long-term physical and emotional benefits.

A meal plan that satisfies nutritional and caloric requirements is a better way to achieve long-term results. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics suggests that a healthy approach to a well balanced diet should focus on moderation, portion size, and physical activity, and should be tailored to the family’s schedule and lifestyle. A small amount of energy spent planning meals and snacks for the week can eliminate the need to resort to fast, unhealthy choices.

Shedding pounds should not be the main focus. It is most important to concentrate on the overall pattern of the family diet and the foods that are eaten. Moderation and a choice of healthy options is key, especially for children and teens.

The focus should be on feeling good and maintaining overall good health, not about losing weight. A healthy lifestyle that incorporates a holistic diet will produce lasting physical results, as well as an improved emotional state.
For this reason, weight loss programs for teens, such as the many programs offered by Rites of Passage, should be considered prior to attempting any fad dieting. Call us today at (800)794-0980 to learn more.

Teen Substance Abuse Prevention: 7 Ways of Preventing Substance Abuse

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Teens and young adults face more challenges and have more access to drugs and alcohol than ever before. Consequently, parents face more challenges in ensuring that their children grow into healthy, productive adults. Parenting is difficult; parenting well is even more difficult. Below are seven things a parent can do to ensure that their teen does not develop a substance abuse problem, and can assist as a teen substance abuse prevention.

Model good behavior. Perhaps the most important thing a parent can do for their teen is set a good example. Adolescents model their behavior on those who are important to them and those with whom they frequently interact. Parents have the opportunity to mitigate the risk factors that their teen faces by exhibiting the behaviors and attitudes that they want to see their teen develop. Take opportunities to exercise respectable characteristics. Handle adversity in a healthy and productive way, and not with negativity, stress and anxiety. Be the change you want to see in your teen.

Avoid risky behavior. Teens and young adults become particularly vulnerable when they witness parental drug or alcohol use. Using alcohol as a coping mechanism or engaging in casual drug use with prescription medication is extremely dangerous for a teen to witness. Regularly consuming alcohol to excess or smoking marijuana may have a stronger impact on a child than the parent realizes. Avoid engaging in the behavior that you do not want your teen to engage.

Develop a supportive relationship. Teens are more likely to hide substance use and information from their parents when they feel like they will be met with judgement, anger, or criticism. Foster a relationship that is built on trust and open communication. Be the adult that your teen feels like they can confide in, and offer supportive and positive advice and guidance.

Set clear boundaries. Parental permissiveness leads to substance abuse. An overly tolerant parent may think that there is nothing wrong with their teen “having a beer once in a while,” but this is a dangerous path. When a teen views his or her actions as even mildly permissible, they will challenge how far that permission extends.

Communicate expectations and consequences. Teens must clearly know what is expected of them and what the consequences will be if they break the rules. They will undoubtedly challenge the parent’s assertiveness and intent on following through, but sticking to the rules and enforcing punishments is fundamental to establishing a sense of responsibility.

Monitor and supervise. Parents should know where their child is, with whom they are spending time, and what they are doing. Knowing the crowd they keep and what activities in which they are engaged is essential.

Inform. Discuss drug and alcohol issues with your teen and inform them of the risks and consequences of substance abuse. Knowledge is power. The more your teen knows about the harmful effects, the less likely they are to abuse drugs or alcohol.

The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse reports that substance abuse is quickly becoming the most significant problem facing teens and young adults today. The risk factors that lead to substance abuse in teens and young adults are a combination of genetic and environmental influences. While the genetic factors are non-modifiable, the environmental factors can be controlled.

Ensuring that teens avoid this dangerous path requires strong parental role models committed to putting the protective factors in place that will prevent their teen from abusing drugs and alcohol. Communicate, supervise and guide, but more importantly, be the kind of person who you are asking your teen to be. All of these noted tips can aide in successful teen substance abuse prevention.