A study funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and carried out by researchers at the university of Maryland, College Park, determined that "college students who regularly consume energy drinks are at a greater risk for future alcohol use disorder, cocaine use or nonmedical (misuse) of prescription stimulants" (NIDA, 2017) The study was [...]
By Benzion Twerski, Ph.D. "Don’t worry, Mom." These words sound comforting. In this brief sentence, we hear a message of reassurance and responsibility. Right? Not so fast. To the hurting, fearful mother of an at-risk adolescent, this can be an ominous message. Among the intended messages can be the following: If you would only see my [...]
By Dr. Judy Belsky When I was a small child, our neighbor just across the street, a Shomer Shabbos Jew drank. Before he drank himself into cirrhosis of the liver and an early death, his wife was alternately cherished and battered, his daughters escaped similar pain by using drugs, which in those days meant a descent [...]
By Benzion Twerski, Ph.D. The parents of a troubled teenager have all heard this expression many times. After all has been said, doing this is much more difficult. This concept needs some exploration so that the words “tough love” do not become a meaningless slogan to join the ranks of other expressions that only purport to [...]
By Benzion Twerski, Ph.D. In the treatment field, there are frequent problems with patients who refuse to take their medications or follow instructions. Non-compliance is a clinical issue, and even with medical patients, this can be a complicating psychological factor that has been long recognized. Medical education pays some attention to teaching the tricks of the [...]
By Benzion Twerski, Ph.D. If you ever read an article and said, “I knew that already,” this may be a familiar experience. Read on. Our defiant adolescents are rebelling against authority. What does this mean? How did this happen? How do we stop it? How can we prevent it? Without all the answers, I offer my [...]
You don’t remember much about that afternoon. The knock at the door, the police officer’s face. You were screaming. You don’t remember if the day was sunny or overcast, and you don’t remember your child leaving the house or where he was going. You don’t remember if you said you loved him, but you’ve got to [...]
By Benzion Twerski, Ph.D. Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all of our traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities. (Twelfth Tradition) Prominently listed among the tools of a twelve step program and usually part of its name is the principle of anonymity. Many who enter the meeting rooms have trouble pronouncing the word [...]