Zero tolerance for drugs

Clinical Psychologist Jerry Weichman, PhD, shares advice for parents on the negative effects that drugs have on children's brain development and why it's important to have a zero tolerance policy with your child using drugs
Why Parents Should Have Zero Tolerance For Kids Using Drugs
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Zero tolerance for drugs

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I say realistic rules for parents with their teens and substance abuse is what parents need to understand is that the teen's brain develops until they are 25 years old. Studies are showing that the earlier the teens are exposed to substances, the greater the likelihood they have of having an addiction throughout the rest of their life. So at this early stage in development, I think it's really imperative that parents have a zero tolerance stance. They say, "We are not going to tolerate it. We are going to randomly breathalyze and drug test you, just to make sure that you're on your track." Because most teens don't have a moderator. They don't have a yellow light. It's a red light or a green light for a teen. Experimentation is starting very early. I'm seeing it commonly in 7th and 8th grade nowadays. It's becoming a major problem in our society.

Clinical Psychologist Jerry Weichman, PhD, shares advice for parents on the negative effects that drugs have on children's brain development and why it's important to have a zero tolerance policy with your child using drugs

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Jerry Weichman, PhD

Clinical Psychologist

Dr. Jerry Weichman is a licensed psychologist and adolescent specialist as well as an author, speaker and parenting expert. His clinical practice at Hoag Hospital's Neurosciences Institute in Newport Beach, California provides a window on contemporary teen and pre-teen behavior.

“Dr. Jerry” as his adolescent patients call him, is a young PhD who really relates to teens, speaks their lingo and has felt their pain. Author of the teen survival guide, How to Deal, and noted media expert on teen issues, Dr. Jerry is focused on helping teens cope with parents, teachers, friends and academic pressure, communicating with them in a way they understand to help successfully navigate the dramas and pressures of adolescence.

Dr. Jerry's popular speeches, lectures and seminars have presented assemblies of students, teachers, parents and administrators with practical approaches on how today’s teens can overcome the trials and tribulations of growing up, from coping with bullying to meeting parental academic expectations to walking away from drugs and other self-destructive behaviors. Jerry also sits on the board of directors for the Bullying Prevention Initiative of California and just recently sat on an expert panel for a screening of the documentary Bully.

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