Adolescent Substance Use Disorders-Recording - Adolescent Substance Use Disorders

Video Transcription

Video Summary

The speaker introduces a presentation on adolescent substance use disorders, drawing on nearly 40 years of addiction medicine experience in family medicine, adolescent medicine, public health service, Indian Health Service, military medicine, and Arizona state roles. He emphasizes a therapeutic, non-punitive approach to teens, focused on motivational interviewing, stages of change, toxicology interpretation, and safer decision-making.<br /><br />He describes current youth drug trends using Monitoring the Future data: high levels of alcohol use and binge drinking, substantial marijuana and tobacco/vape use, and a growing fentanyl crisis. He stresses that fentanyl has transformed adolescent overdose risk, with highly potent, cheap pills widely available, including in Arizona. Many overdose deaths occur without prior substance use or mental health treatment, and risk is especially high after incarceration release.<br /><br />Key risk factors include impulsivity, ADHD, trauma, autism/neurodiversity, conduct problems, school failure, family conflict, poverty, parental substance use, homelessness, and serious mental illness. He also notes that alcohol, vaping, marijuana, and illicit drugs can contribute to disinhibition, injuries, sexual risk, and worsening psychiatric symptoms.<br /><br />The talk explains how to screen adolescents confidentially, understand state consent laws, ask about frequency, context, consequences, and progression of use, and involve families appropriately while respecting confidentiality. He outlines stages of change—precontemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, maintenance—and recommends motivational interviewing, strengths-based engagement, contingency management, and individualized treatment. Recovery supports may include therapy, school, peer, faith, community, and cultural resources.

Keywords

adolescent substance use disorders

motivational interviewing

fentanyl overdose

Monitoring the Future

youth drug trends

confidential screening

stages of change

risk factors

contingency management

recovery supports