Substance use is a symptom of emotional struggle or pain, and seeing it purely as defiance or misbehaving is missing the point. You can try all the controls, consequences and punishment you want to make your teen stop what you know is wrong and that only INCREASES their emotional distress. Plus, it drives disconnection between you so your teen won’t accept your support. Substance use is scary for parents, even if teens think it’s normal with no side effects or impact on their brain. I understand your first reaction is to remove it and stop it RFN! What your teen needs is a safe person, an advocate to get them support that addresses WHY they’re using and the emotions they’re struggling with (fear, overwhelm, anxiety, derepression, etc.). In the short term, set boundaries around where they use or keep supplies while listening more than you talk (lecture). Get my proven 3-step system to building emotional safety and genuine connection to have hard and healing conversations now. Type CONNECT below and I’ll get you free access! #mommingsohard #mommingishard #parentingadvice #parentingishard #parentingteens #raisingteens #empoweringparents