According to the National Center for Drug Abuse, 62% of high school seniors have abused alcohol. Fifty percent of teens have misused a drug at least once. And drug use among eighth-graders rose 61% between 2016 and 2020.

Since Covid, we’ve seen a rise in mental health issues among teens. With these combined, our teens are now facing two epidemics. 

This is why I wanted to sit down and talk to an expert about why substance abuse related to mental health is such a problem among teens and what parents can do about it. So this week on my podcast I interviewed Richard Capriola, the author of The Addicted Child: A Parent’s Guide to Adolescent Substance Abuse.

For over a decade, Richard worked with teens with mental illness and substance abuse issues at Menninger Clinic, one of the top ten psychiatric hospitals in the country.

During our conversation, he shared the dire situation we’re facing with our teens and how parents can read the warning signs in their child for substance abuse, which he said should be caught as early as possible in order for the recovery to happen as quickly as possible.

I highly recommend you listen to our…