How To Help Your Other Kids Deal With Their Sibling's Drug or Alcohol Use, with Nicole Kosanke, Ph.D. and Krissy Pozatek

ABOUT THE EPISODE:They're the ones left in the dust and shadow of a child who's misusing substances - the siblings. They witness the craziness and chaos, see the manipulation of their parents, they might get blackmailed or harassed - it's scary and parents are often left wondering what this is doing to their other kids - yet are so exhausted they don't even know where to start.This episode will be incredibly helpful if your substance-using child's behavior is negatively impacting the other kids in (and out) of your home. I spoke with two of the foremost experts in family relationships, systems and dynamics - Krissy Pozatek, author of The Parallel Process, and Dr. Nicole Kosanke, director of family services at CMC and co-author of the must-read book, Beyond Addiction.You'll hear from these two about ways to approach the sibling relationship and practical things you can do to lessen the negative impact of having a brother or sister misusing drugs or alcohol including:how you can apply CRAFT skills to help your non-substance using child copewhat younger kids really need when they have a sibling misusing drugs or alcoholwhat magical thinking is and why it might be dangerous for your other kidsthings you can do to help your other kids manage their feelings wellthe role of parental authority in managing relationships within the family and making your home a safe spaceapproaches that are harmful rather than helpful when a sibling is using substanceswhat you can do about a manipulative or narcissistic childfiguring out what is age-appropriate information to share with siblingsand lots more!EPISODE RESOURCES:Nicole Kosanke, Ph.D. and Kriss Pozatek, MSWBeyond Addiction: How Science and Kindness Help People ChangeCenter for Motivation and Change (CMC)The Parallel ProcessThe Normal One: Life With a Difficult or Damaged Sibling (Safer)This podcast is part of a nonprofit called Hopestream CommunityLearn about The Stream, our private online community for momsFind us on Instagram hereWatch the podcast on YouTube hereDownload a free e-book, Worried Sick: A Compassionate Guide For Parents When Your Teen or Young Adult Child Misuses Drugs and AlcoholHopestream Community is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit organization and an Amazon Associate. We may make a small commission if you purchase from our links.