A teen's guide to understanding why you use--and how to stop.

Do you drink more than you should, or use other substances to numb yourself? Is your substance use affecting important aspects of your life like school, work, relationships, and family? Do you lie about drinking or using? Have you ever wondered why you use?

Many teens use substances to dull or cope with pain resulting from an underlying trauma--such as loss of a loved one, bullying, sexual assault, or verbal and physical abuse in the family. The pain inflicted by trauma can have devastating effects, often resulting in feelings of guilt, shame, and self-loathing. These feelings only serve to reinforce your substance use, tossing you into a vicious cycle of self-medicating. But there is a way out; a way to better understand and address the reasons why you use, so you can begin your journey toward recovery.

In Your Recovery, Your Life for Teens, internationally renowned addiction specialist Claudia Black presents a comprehensive program for exploring how your life experiences have influenced your substance use, and addresses the problem through guided self-reflection. You'll be equipped with a variety of skills from cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), mindfulness, and grief work, so you can calmly and confidently gain the upper hand in your battle with substances. You'll also discover tools to help you tolerate difficult feelings, release toxic shame, regulate your emotions, and come to terms with the fact that your use is interfering with your life. Most importantly, you learn how to forgive yourself and set new priorities for a healthy and fulfilling life--without drugs and alcohol.

The road to recovery can feel long and difficult; it demands extraordinary dedication and effort. It also requires a lot of help, and help is out there. With this compassionate guide, you can begin your journey knowing you're on solid ground.

Sterling was another soul lost to addiction. He was a schizophrenic plagued by the little devil man. Heroin saved him from that reality so many times. Most people aren't plagued by creatures, but what are they plagued by? What reality are they escaping? Sterling's story gives us some of the answers we seek. One thing is for certain, his story teaches us the importance of human connection and how to love. Not to love the addiction, but to love the person behind the addiction. It teaches us to the importance of helping others through dark times without judgment. This emotionally riveting story shows how good can triumph over evil in ways we never can anticipate. Expect to both cry and laugh. 'Living with the Little Devil Man introduces us to Sterling, a young man with searing blue eyes. The life Sterling was dealt: childhood cruelty, serious mental illness, and addiction, is woven into an energetic, funny, attractive young man that we come to care for as much as his adoptive mother who opened her home and family to him. Who does that? Who lets in addiction and mental illness, sleepless nights, and worry? This story is unaltered by resentment or judgment. It is a frank telling of one young life, lived with zest despite the terrible odds against him, and the woman who opens our hearts to let him in.' Dominique Simon-Levine PhD--Founder of AlliesinRecovery.net 'Reading Living with the Little Devil Man was like being on a train that I knew was going to be wrecked. I was on the train, I met all of the passengers and developed feelings for them and about them. I desperately wanted to be able to stop that train. I cried so many times while reading the book that I can...t count them. This book encompasses intimacy, compassion, and horror, but it also gives us a sense of hope, passion, and transcendence.' Eugene Isaak, J.D.--Author in Recovery 'Living with the Little Devil Man is a gripping story about the demons of addiction and the struggles with mental illness during the course of a young man s life. Living with the Little Devil Man brings out the humanistic side of it all and teaches us to love unconditionally, especially those who struggle with addiction and mental illness.' J. Bruno - Narcotics Detective 20+ yea

In his follow-up to his bestselling memoir Tweak: Growing Up On Methamphetamines, Nic Sheff reveals a brutally honest account of a young person's struggles with relapse and rehab.

In his bestselling memoir Tweak, Nic Sheff took readers on an emotionally gripping roller-coaster ride through his days as an addict. In this powerful follow-up about his continued efforts to stay clean, Nic writes candidly about eye-opening stays at rehab centers, devastating relapses, and hard-won realizations about what it means to be a young person living with addiction. By candidly revealing his own failures and small personal triumphs, Nic inspires readers to maintain hope and to remember that they are not alone in their battles. A group reading guide is included.

Nic Sheff's Tweak, We All Fall Down, and his father's memoir about him (Beautiful Boy) are the basis of the film Beautiful Boy starring Steve Carell and Timoth e Chalamet.

The opioid crisis brought increased attention to the issue of addiction, but the disorder has impacted many lives since long before the current addiction crisis. This volume examines addiction from a psychological, biochemical, and medical perspective to give readers a better understanding of how addictions form, what sustains them, and ways in which people recover from them. It considers not only addiction to substances like drugs and alcohol, but behavioral addictions as well, such as internet addiction, gambling, and binge eating. Readers will also become more familiar with the latest advancements in the treatment of addiction as well as lifestyle choices that impact addiction.

What administrators are saying:

This Thrive Resilience for Teens program yielded a 66% reduction in suspensions for substance abuse, and a 40% reduction in Vape (tobacco) suspensions. Thank you for this valuable program that truly steered our most at-risk students back on the right path. We hope to partner with you and the Thrive program.

- Brett Epstein, Assistant Principal

Willis Junior High

What facilitators are saying:

Thrive gives you the opportunity to make the lesson your own, therefore the instructor is highly invested in the lesson. Once you are invested, the teens become invested and you go from a facilitator to a difference maker; and that is what I felt every time I stepped into that classroom with the kids and the teacher. The recap portion of a lesson before you start a new lesson gives a chance to properly close a lesson and introduce the new one so it just flows perfectly. I really enjoyed teaching Thrive and highly recommend this curriculum.

- LaTroy Burras (Youth Programs Coordinator ICAN)

You have truly taught me so much in life. I have learned to calm down so much and I have not been stressed out in so long. I love the way you teach. I finally feel like I have value. Thank you so much!

- R.O. (Student)

You gave me new ways to stop from erupting & crying 24/7. Thank you so much. I genuinely mean it.

- D.V (Student)

Thank you for coming to our class. I do struggle with anxiety and depression. When people shared, I could relate, even though I didn't talk, I listened and learned a lot about others and myself.

- J.C (student)

Ted Huntington

Empowering Breakthrough LLC

Ted's career path was shaped by his childhood experiences and the people who supported him. There were mental health and substance abuse challenges in his family, that led him into the foster care system for a period in his life.

It was faith, family, friends, teachers, coaches, etc. that provided him support, tools and compassion to overcome his challenges, accomplish goals, experience his dreams & passions become a reality, and, THRIVE!

Ted has made a career of helping people. He has worked as a police officer and a pastor while leading multiple task forces and coalitions. Ted is passionate have fore seeing people overcome the challenges they face in life, fulfill their purpose & dreams, and THRIVE!

For more information about Ted visit empoweringbreakthrough.com.

Following a familiar story line, Ox's journey with opioids distills this complex topic into a consumable message of prevention for adolescents growing up during a prescription drug abuse epidemic.

Humans have used cannabis for thousands of years, since Neolithic peoples sought out its medicinal benefits.

But for the past century, its use has been largely criminalized. Stigma around cannabis has made it difficult for people of all ages to get straightforward answers about how to minimize health risks related to cannabis consumption or to understand how the plant has shaped and continues to shape society today.

In Weed: Cannabis Culture in the Americas, culture writer Caitlin Donohue crafts a comprehensive and thought-provoking review of cannabis in the Western Hemisphere. Donohue's investigation spans from Vancouver, Canada, to Buenos Aires, Argentina, interviewing medical researchers, educators, activists, artists, business leaders, and other experts to explore the long relationship between cannabis and the human race, its almost universal prohibition in the twentieth century, and modern efforts to legalize the much-maligned plant in all its forms.

Humans have used cannabis for thousands of years, since Neolithic peoples sought out its medicinal benefits.

But for the past century, its use has been largely criminalized. Stigma around cannabis has made it difficult for people of all ages to get straightforward answers about how to minimize health risks related to cannabis consumption or to understand how the plant has shaped and continues to shape society today.

In Weed: Cannabis Culture in the Americas, culture writer Caitlin Donohue crafts a comprehensive and thought-provoking review of cannabis in the Western Hemisphere. Donohue's investigation spans from Vancouver, Canada, to Buenos Aires, Argentina, interviewing medical researchers, educators, activists, artists, business leaders, and other experts to explore the long relationship between cannabis and the human race, its almost universal prohibition in the twentieth century, and modern efforts to legalize the much-maligned plant in all its forms.

Help teens make informed decisions about their health and wellness with judgment-free information about addictions. From drugs and alcohol to pervasive use of electronic devices, more teens are exhibiting addictive behaviors. What's the Big Deal About Addictions? provides teens with lecture-free, reliable, and factual information about a range of addictions, from drugs and alcohol to electronic devices, social media, and other addictive activities, such as pornography, eating, gambling, and sex, among others. A practicing psychologist and a certified substance abuse counselor, Dr. Crist shares advice for teens who are having serious troubles with addiction and for teens with casual levels of use who may be concerned about their use. With teen stories and quotes included, What's the Big Deal About Addictions? speaks directly to teens about the real-life struggles with casual use and addictions they're seeing and experiencing among peers in school and in the broader community. Packed full of information to help teens make informed decisions, What's the Big Deal About Addictions? covers: Â-The difference between casual use and addictive use, and the consequences of using Â-The types of addictions, addictive behavior, and the risks associated with each Â-How to overcome an addiction and the types of treatments available Â-How to know and accept when recovering from addiction may require giving up certain friendships Â-Tips for preventing relapse or developing a secondary addiction Additional resources for help and information are provided at the back of the book.

Help teens make informed decisions about their health and wellness with judgment-free information about addictions.

From drugs and alcohol to pervasive use of electronic devices, more teens are exhibiting addictive behaviors. What's the Big Deal About Addictions? provides teens with lecture-free, reliable, and factual information about a range of addictions, from drugs and alcohol to electronic devices, social media, and other addictive activities, such as pornography, eating, gambling, and sex, among others.

A practicing psychologist and a certified substance abuse counselor, Dr. Crist shares advice for teens who are having serious troubles with addiction and for teens with casual levels of use who may be concerned about their use. With teen stories and quotes included, What's the Big Deal About Addictions? speaks directly to teens about the real-life struggles with casual use and addictions they're seeing and experiencing among peers in school and in the broader community.

Packed full of information to help teens make informed decisions, What's the Big Deal About Addictions? covers:

• The difference between casual use and addictive use, and the consequences of using
• The types of addictions, addictive behavior, and the risks associated with each
• How to overcome an addiction and the types of treatments available
• How to know and accept when recovering from addiction may require giving up certain friendships
• Tips for preventing relapse or developing a secondary addiction

Additional resources for help and information are provided at the back of the book.

As an adult book, Sam Quinones's Dreamland took the world by storm, winning the NBCC Award for General Nonfiction and hitting at least a dozen Best Book of the Year lists. Now, adapted for the first time for a young adult audience, this compelling reporting explains the roots of the current opiate crisis.

In 1929, in the blue-collar city of Portsmouth, Ohio, a company built a swimming pool the size of a football field; named Dreamland, it became the vital center of the community. Now, addiction has devastated Portsmouth, as it has hundreds of small rural towns and suburbs across America. How that happened is the riveting story of Dreamland. Quinones explains how the rise of the prescription drug OxyContin, a miraculous and extremely addictive painkiller pushed by pharmaceutical companies, paralleled the massive influx of black tar heroin--cheap, potent, and originating from one small county on Mexico's west coast, independent of any drug cartel.

Introducing a memorable cast of characters--pharmaceutical pioneers, young Mexican entrepreneurs, narcotics investigators, survivors, teens, and parents--Dreamland is a revelatory account of the massive threat facing America and its heartland.

In 2017, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services declared a public health emergency in response to the opioid-abuse crisis. This epidemic is an issue that affects many teenagers today across demographic categories. They've seen the damage that opioids can inflict on family and friends or may have used or abused opioids themselves. This informative title describes the effects of opioids on the body and how drug use can spiral into addiction. Teens are reassured that there are resources and coping strategies that can help them deal with the issue of opioid abuse in their lives.

The opioid crisis brought increased attention to the issue of addiction, but the disorder has impacted many lives since long before the current addiction crisis. This volume examines addiction from a psychological, biochemical, and medical perspective to give readers a better understanding of how addictions form, what sustains them, and ways in which people recover from them. It considers not only addiction to substances like drugs and alcohol, but behavioral addictions as well, such as internet addiction, gambling, and binge eating. Readers will also become more familiar with the latest advancements in the treatment of addiction as well as lifestyle choices that impact addiction.

In the late 1990s, pharmaceutical companies wrongly assured medical professionals that their opioid pain relievers were not addictive, leading to overprescribing and misuse of these drugs. It was not long before opioid addiction had reached epidemic status, with devastating consequences to society. In 2022, pharmaceutical companies and wholesalers settled massive lawsuits, vowing to fund treatment programs but failing to take responsibility for the crisis. The diverse viewpoints in this resource confront the opioid crisis head-on, debating its cause, its victims, who should be held accountable, and the chances of solving it.