Clarity, Compassion, and Recovery: Diana McDowell on Student Addiction and Mental Health

In this episode of the Education Vanguard, Dr. Howard Stribbell sits down with Diana Hume McDowell from East West Prevention, a substance misuse prevention organization working with international schools. Diana shares her deeply personal journey through addiction and recovery, and how it shaped her mission to help young people make safer, healthier choices.Together, they explore the unique risk factors for third culture kids, the pressures of high achieving international school environments, and why stigma and silence around addiction still hold so much power. Diana and Howard discuss how schools can move beyond “just say no” by teaching concrete harm reduction strategies, building trusted adult relationships, and equipping parents with tools for many small, everyday conversations.This episode is a must listen for school leaders, counselors, wellbeing teams, and parents who want to approach student substance use and mental health with honesty, compassion, and practical skill building.