The Story Behind the Podcast; A Teen's Addiction, Four Rehabs, Two Overdoses and Hope

ABOUT THE EPISODE:
Behind the closed doors of too many homes are families being upended by a young person's substance use.  It may be your 14-year-old son experimenting with pot for the first time, your 17-year-old daughter drinking till she blacks out or your 23-year-old who's smoking Percocet, Xanax, and fentanyl regularly.

And behind these kids are the parents. Worried, exasperated, devastated, and confused. This is your next-door neighbor, hairstylist, attorney, the PTA president, maybe he or she is you.

This pilot episode tells the story of Hopestream host Brenda Zane's family's agonizing journey through the hell of her teenage son's addiction to prescription drugs and high-risk lifestyle. She shines a light on the dark edges of what a child's addiction can do to the health and wellbeing of parents who would give any and everything to bring their child back from the abyss of substance use disorder.

From wilderness therapy at 16 to multiple fentanyl overdoses, gangs, and criminal activity, Brenda's family endured it all from inside the facade of a perfectly put-together, upper-middle-class suburban home in Seattle, WA.

But the story isn't all bad news and characters - it also includes the often-missed elements of hope, resilience, humor, and faith, all of which became crucial elements to not just surviving the trauma but thriving in the aftermath.

EPISODE RESOURCES:

• Beyond Addiction: How Science and Kindness Help People Change 
• In The Grip - the story of our son’s second overdose and road to recovery

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