Hearing Beyond the Words | Richard Capriola on Adolescent Substance Abuse

At the end of the COVID tunnel, the thought of light is very appealing — 2020 was a whopper. The pandemic has affected us all differently. We’ve developed our own ways of navigating hurdles and managing emotional stress. Middle and high school kids faced unique challenges as they missed iconic milestones and were robbed of social lives. While drugs and alcohol have always been a concern for parents, 2020 saw a rise in addiction among adolescents looking for a coping mechanism. Author Richard Capriola brings decades of experience to the conversation and shares ideas on how parents can best support their kids. His book, “The Addicted Child,” lays out the warning signs and offers seasoned advice to help turn this trend around. Episode 43 of Modern Dadhood opens with a brief catch-up on Marc’s solo-dadding weekend and a realization that the release of this episode falls on the Friday of Mother’s Day weekend. The guys quickly formulate a plan to let their wives take over the next episode and mom it up for half an hour!The guys discuss their (quite different) experiences with their second doses of the Pfizer vaccine, which leads into a conversation about the pandemic, the light at the end, and the impacts that the past year has had on people of all ages. The guys discuss the differences between younger children and high school aged adolescents and coping mechanisms for stress, depression, and trauma—including drugs and alcohol. Marc brings up a recent episode of NHPR’s The Exchange, covering a similar topic with guest Jessica Lahey, before playing back a recent conversation with author Richard Capriola.Richard is a father one grown son who has spent much of his career counseling young people with alcohol and substance abuse issues, and recently published the book The Addicted Child, A Parent’s Guide to Adolescent Substance Abuse. Rick joins to promote his book, and we discuss topics including:•  Raising his son as a widower•  The importance of writing a simple and clear guide for parents•  The harm in labeling someone an "addict"•  When is the right time to discuss substance misuse with your kids?•  The neuroscience of adolescent substance use•  What has changed from the "Just Say No" era to now?•  Warning signs to watch out for in our kids•  The importance of listening to words and the feelings behind them•  What assessments are, and why they're important•  The impact of the pandemic on young people The episode culminates with a no-explanation-needed installment of Did I Just Say That Out Loud? in which Adam finds himself doing... some dirty work.Stay tuned for Episode 44, when our wives will take over the podcast—and do whatever the heck they want with the time![Episode Transcript] Links:Richard Capriola [website]The Addicted Child [Amazon]DrugFree.orgRed Vault AudioCaspar BabypantsSpencer AlbeeStuffed Animal [Marc's musical project] #moderndadhood #fatherhood #parenthood #parenting #parentingpodcast #dadding #dadpodcast