A new study of teens undergoing substance abuse treatment finds helping others helps the adolescent helper by reducing cravings for alcohol and drugs, a major precipitator of relapse. These novel findings stem from the “Helping Others” study led by Maria Pagano, PhD, associate professor of psychiatry at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. Results…
Influence of Religiosity on 12-Step Participation and Treatment Response Among Substance-Dependent Adolescents by John F. Kelly, Maria E. Pagano, Robert L. Stout, Shannon M. Johnson Objective: Religious practices among adults are associated with more 12-step participation which, in turn, is linked to better treatment outcomes. Despite recommendations for adolescents to participate in mutual-help groups, little is…
Programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous seem to work as well in teens as in adults, study finds HealthDay News — Teens undergoing treatment for alcohol or drug abuse can benefit from the 12-step program used by groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA), researchers say. While these programs are widely available, little research…
By Celia Vimont Twelve-step programs can be extremely helpful for teens who are struggling with addiction or who are on the road to becoming addicted, but they are more useful if they are adapted to the particular needs of adolescents, according to an expert on teenage addiction. “These programs were developed for adults, and teenagers…
The Pagano Lab is an adolescent addiction recovery research lab located in Cleveland, Ohio at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, Division of Child Psychiatry. Our mission is to improve the quality of life for youth, families, and communities by providing a continuum of scientific information, education, and personal experiences on…
“These aren’t throwaway kids. These are kids with huge challenges.” Joseph ErbentrautThe Huffington PostOct. 19, 2015 Teacher Traci Bowermaster arrived at the White Bear Lake Area Learning Center, an alternative high school in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area, in early 2001 with a mandate for change. White Bear Lake was designed to help teens who…
In the last two decades, Icelandic teens have embraced sobriety under a program that asks families and communities to rethink adolescent freedoms. by Sara Miller LlanaThe Christian Science Monitor Weekly/January 2, 2018 DECEMBER 29, 2017 REYKJAVIK, ICELAND —In the late 1980s, when Björgvin Ívar Guðbrandsson was a teenager, alcohol and school dances went hand-in-hand. While…