Posts by Bob Hicks, CRADC, CRPS

About Bob Hicks, CRADC, CRPS

Bob Hicks is currently a Certified Alcohol Drug Counselor (CADC II) and Certified Prevention Specialist with The Pathway Program in Rocklin, California. Bob started his personal recovery journey in 2012 in Greensboro, NC. After struggling with substance abuse from the age of 15, Bob entered treatment at 19 years old. Bob has worked with multiple drug and alcohol abuse programs for teens and young adults across the country. Read Full Bio

Found Drugs in Your Son or Daughter’s Room: What to do next

It’s a situation no parent wants to face, but one we hear about all too often: you’ve found drugs in your son or daughter’s room. What do you do next?

As a certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor who has been working with young adults and teenagers for many years, it’s a situation I am very familiar with. In fact, finding drugs or alcohol in a child’s room is often the reason parents reach out for help in the first place.

We’ll elaborate on each point, but just to lay it out, we believe there are a few steps parents should take relatively quickly once they find drugs in their son or daughter’s room:

If you find drugs in your child’s room, the most important things to do next are,

Take a deep breath
Gather information through observation
Have a discussion with your son or daughter
Gauge your child’s responses
Seek help from a professional specializing in substance use
Do not ignore it

Discovering that your son or daughter might be doing drugs is a situation that no parent ever wants to face.

In the next few paragraphs, I will go through each of these steps and follow up with some things to avoid as well.

1. Take a deep breath

I mean this both literally and figuratively. Discovering that your loved one may be getting high is a scary proposition. It’s a tough emotional burden to bear, especially when you don’t have all the information yet.

Our minds tend to go to the worst places when we get this kind of news. While I do not intend to downplay the seriousness of finding drugs in your son or daughter’s room, I do believe that one of the most helpful things in the very beginning is to relax and breathe.

People recover from drug abuse all the time. We see it every day (literally) in our teen substance abuse program.

So: a couple of things to keep in mind as we go through the next few steps are:

It’s not necessarily the end of the world
It doesn’t mean your child is ruined
It’s not your fault
There are few logical “next steps” that can truly streamline the process of determining if your child needs help, and if so, what kind of help

So … as much as possible, relax. Take a deep breath, and know that good, high-quality help is available and within reach.

2. Gather information

The first action step we want any parent to complete when finding drugs in a son’s room is to gather as much information as possible. While it’s tempting to jump straight to things like confrontations and drug testing your teen, much of this initial step can be done by a simple observation:

Important things to observe

What kind of drugs did you find? If you’re having trouble figuring it out, please reach out to a substance abuse counselor for help with this. Different drugs come with different inherent risks, some of which carry greater risks in the short term. Note, while we don’t condone any drug use during the adolescent and young adult years, there are some drugs that would inherently cause us greater immediate concern than others.
What quantity of drugs did you find? Though they are far from conclusive evidence, we would typically be more concerned if you found a high quantity of drugs (or paraphernalia), or if you found multiple kinds of drugs. They may be red flags that your child may have passed the experimentation phase.
Where did you find the drugs? Were they hastily stashed somewhere out of sight? Or were they hidden somewhere that took planning and effort? This can tell you how invested your child is in keeping their use a secret.
Was there any paraphernalia with the drugs? Having paraphernalia points to consistent use as well as planned future use, which is a huge red flag.
Has this happened before? If it has happened more than once, your child likely isn’t experimenting with drugs at this point. Even being caught for a second time is an indicator of a larger problem.
Is your child currently intoxicated/high? If you’re worried about their immediate health or safety, go to a hospital (especially if you do not recognize the drugs or if your child isn’t coherent enough to describe what they took). It is far better to be safe than sorry in this regard.

3. Have a discussion with your son or daughter (and ask these key questions)

There are a few key pieces of information that can be very helpful in determining next steps. Below are a few questions to ask.

One thing to note: we often talk with parents about “staying on your kid’s side.” I would remind everyone who is about to confront and / or ask their child about potential drug use to walk into the conversation willing to be loving and logical. It’ is very easy for these types of conversations to turn into fights. If you’d like help with some specific direction on what to say and how to ask, please contact a substance abuse counselor first.

That being said, if you’re confident that you can have a conversation with your teen, here are a few pieces of information that are very helpful in providing recommendations to parents for what to do next:

Where did they get the drugs? This is important not so that you can find whoever provided the drugs, but so that you can see if they sought it out, if they have a dealer already, or if their friends are providing drugs.
How much/ how often are they using? This will let you know the extent of the problem. Finding out how long they’ve been using for is also important. The longer they’ve kept their use a secret, the more concerning the issue is. For example, a young person who has kept their drug use hidden for 2 years has become very comfortable living dishonestly and is very likely to have a difficult time stopping.
Why are they using? Is it with friends, alone, for fun, to deal with emotions? Using alone is a huge red flag for substance use problems. Using to cope with any emotional issues is also a red flag, as any drug use it likely to make matters worse over any considerable period of time.
How do they perceive the harm? You may need to “read between the lines” on this one, as most drug users won’t come out and say it. Does it seem as though they view their drug use as a problem? Do they see it as destructive, or do they see it as “no big deal?” This is important to gauge, as many young people are being bombarded with false information about the harmfulness of cannabis as well as other drugs and do not think there will be consequences.
Are they willing to stop? An unwillingness to stop is an obvious red flag for a substance use issue.

4. Gauge your son or daughter’s responses

One of the biggest signals of how far a drug problem has progressed is how the user responds to being caught:

A young person who is very early on in their drug use will often come clean right away, show remorse, and accept the consequences. If they simply made a mistake, they will recognize it and cease the behavior.
A young person who has moved past the initial stages of drug use, however, will often try to rationalize and justify their drug use, often being very manipulative and dishonest throughout the process.

An important thing to remember in this part of the process is to trust your gut. In my years of working with parents, I can recall countless examples of parents reflecting back and saying “I knew that didn’t make any sense!” or, “something just seemed off with him.”

If it seems like your son or daughter’s explanations or responses don’t make sense, it’s most likely because they actually don’t! Drug users are often very adept at convincing their parents to ignore their better judgment.

Classic red flag statements for dishonesty are:

“I’m holding it for a friend”
“It was my first time using ever”
“I have anxiety and need it”
“All my friends are doing it”
“You guys are over-reacting”
“I am doing all this other stuff you guys want me to do so get off my back”
“If you let me use at home I wouldn’t have to go behind your back”
“You made me this way”
and many more

Overall, pay attention to their responses. You know your kids better than anyone, so trust your gut and use that intuition to help you in the next step.

5. Seek help from someone who specializes in substance use, preferably with young people

After you have gathered all the above information, we strongly recommend that you follow through and seek the opinion of an outside professional. We recommend this for a few reasons:

The professional will have expertise in deciphering the signs of drug use in teens and young people.
The professional won’t have the same emotional reactions to your family’s situation, which means they will have an easier time looking at the situation objectively

Your child may simply have gotten mixed up with a bad crowd or made a mistake, or they could have the beginnings of a serious problem that requires intervention in order to avoid serious consequences and mental health implications down the road.

Additionally, not every substance abuse evaluation necessarily leads to treatment.

Speaking from experience here: our recommendations range from “watch and wait” to “he needs counseling right away,” and everything in-between.

Making that distinction is not as easy as it sounds for parents. Find a professional who understands both substance use disorders and adolescent treatment. Use the information that you’ve gathered to inform said professional and have them evaluate the situation. Not only does it allow you to get a second opinion on your child’s health, but it also sends a very strong message that drug use will not be tolerated in the household.

6. Do not ignore it!

This is my final suggestion, and maybe the most important: Don’t ignore finding drugs in your son or daughter’s room. Just the simple fact that they brought it into the house suggests a pattern of continued use. Someone who has only done drugs a couple of times or only does them at parties typically won’t bring drugs into the home.

I talk with parents often who brushed off seemingly small instances only to realize later they were indicators of a much bigger problem. I encourage parents to think of it like they would if they thought their child had a bad cough: it could be nothing, or it could be a serious health problem, and anything in-between.

Consulting a professional doesn’t mean anything other than you admit it’s better to be safe than sorry. Substance abuse disorders start off seemingly mild and almost never get better without help. You wouldn’t say, “It’s just a little bit of cancer,” so do not ignore drug use with a child.

If you find drugs in your child’s room, you’re not the first. Countless families run into this every year. Relax, and take the next steps. As I mentioned earlier, it’s important to breathe, relax, and take the next logical step.

You love your child – that much is obvious. All that’s left to do is take the necessary steps to determine the appropriate course of action for your family.

How Does Social Media Influence Drug Use?

By Bob Hicks, CRADC, CRPS on July 20th, 2023 in Addiction, Adolescent and Young Adult Substance Use, Substance Abuse Recovery Tools

Social media plays an ever-growing role in our lives on a daily basis. For many of us, we use social media every day, but understand very little of how it affects us.

Social media and drug use are closely related issues for teenagers. This is because substances and social media affect the brain in similar ways. They can both cause of release of high levels of dopamine which can lead to produce addictive behaviors.

Social media has a huge impact on how we interpret others, ourselves, and the world around us. For this article, we are going to focus on social media’s relationship with dopamine and the brain’s reward system.

What is Dopamine?

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that can be released in the brain and is commonly associated with pleasure, satisfaction, enjoyment, and reward. This system is in place to reward us when we take positive healthy actions in order to ensure we keep taking those actions, and it’s also one of the primary ways that drug use affects the teen brain.

Drug Use and Social Media

The greater the reward, the greater the chance we become addicted. For most of human history, this risk has been mitigated by the fact that high-reward activities took hard work and long periods of time to achieve.

In today’s world of fast food, door dash, and internet food channels, we can access more food in an hour than our ancestors could access in a lifetime. The same is true for most other resources, and social media provides a convenient shortcut to receiving that reward.

Unearned Highs

As we discussed above, our brain’s reward system is in place to motivate us to take healthy actions. We have two routes to achieving these rewards;

We can earn these highs through action and actually putting in the work required, or
We can cheat the system and trick our brain into experiencing unearned highs.

For as long as the brain’s reward systems have been in place, humans have been finding ways to cheat the system, so to speak. Lying, stealing, cheating, fantasy, overconsumption, and manipulation are just a few of the tools we can use to try to cheat the system and experience rewards we did not earn.

The big tradeoff to our mental health becomes short-term pleasure for long-term pain (unearned highs), or short-term pain for long-term pleasure (earned highs).

Social media platforms play into this balance by offering an endless source of unearned highs, capable of tricking the brain into more dopamine “hits” than would normally be possible.

The Disadvantages

Through the internet and social media, people now have access to more information in an hour than what was available in a lifetime for previous generations.

There are many obvious advantages to this, but there are also some serious disadvantages. Social media plays a large part in a bigger cultural dilemma today which is dopamine saturation and immediate gratification by:

Using likes, subscribes, comments, and many other measures of approval to feed our desire for attention and human connection. Each “like” gives us a little hit of dopamine, each subscriber gives us a little more.
On top of that, we can live vicariously through others and get a taste of what it’s like to climb Mount Everest, be a millionaire, and get the love interest of our dreams all in a 15-minute window.

It’s no wonder so many people are glued to their phones. There are very few things in life that can provide that many quick fixes in short succession.

Dopamine: Social Media and Drug Use

This is where the connection between drug use and social media comes into play. In a world where quick fixes drive our daily lives and drugs are more available than ever before, the quick fix of drugs isn’t a huge jump from all the other quick fixes we access daily. The most common drugs used by teens all operate the same way on the brain.

Drugs affect the brain in the same way social media does, tricking our brains into huge releases of dopamine. Obviously, drugs are much more detrimental, but the payout is also significantly higher.

Effect of Social Media on Recovery

The connection that we consistently see at The Pathway Program between social media and substance use disorders is that both feed into the negative cycle of addiction in the brain, giving us quick fixes and demanding more and more as time goes on.

It is very common to see a person in recovery completely addicted to popular social media. Many of the teens and young adults we work with, come into addiction treatment with a drug abuse problem; along with an unhealthy obsession with social media.

In recovery, the young people who continue to feed into social media addiction are rarely capable of long-term recovery. The addictive cycle demands more reward, and always leads to relapse, if not broken.

What’s the Solution?

So, how does social media influence drug use? They both involve seeking unearned highs, which is a behavior that only results in further addictive behavior and mental health problems.

The solution for both issues involves finding ways to achieve self-worth, approval, positive relationships with friends and families, and positive experiences through earned highs, and to limit the negative behavior patterns of addiction and rush-seeking behavior.

Inpatient vs Outpatient Rehab: Which to Choose?

By Bob Hicks, CRADC, CRPS on June 29th, 2022 in Addiction, Alcoholism, Family Support for Addiction

Realizing that ourselves or a family member has a substance use disorder is a big step – and many times comes as a shock. The next logical question we ask is: what should we do about it? Whether you’ve already discussed your options with a professional done some research on the topic, you may have heard the terms inpatient treatment and intensive outpatient rehab pop up more than a few times.

Inpatient rehab is done in a live-in environment, where treatment groups, social activities, and 12 step meetings are closely monitored. This level of care is more appropriate for those who have found it extremely difficult to stay sober in their typical home environment. Outpatient rehab is generally done in the evenings or afternoons, where participants are free to go home and are encouraged to seek their own outside 12-step meetings. It is also often recommended for those who have been through an inpatient or residential treatment program but are looking for a bridge into their long-term recovery process.

Though there isn’t a one size fits all answer to this question, we hope to offer some helpful guidance on this topic to maximize your chances of success.

Differences between outpatient vs inpatient rehab

We often receive questions from parents and family members about what level of care is right for an individual with a substance use disorder (SUD) or potential SUD. This can be an extremely complicated decision for family members to make, and advice on the topic can often be conflicting. Below we have highlighted some average features and benefits of each type of substance use treatment:

Outpatient Substance Use Treatment	Inpatient Substance Use Treatment
6-12 weeks, on average	30-45 days, on average (some programs are up to 90 days in length)
9-15 hours or therapy per week, on average, split over 3-4 treatment days	6-8 hours of therapy per day, on average
Participants must seek their own outside 12-step meetings	6-7 in-house 12 step meetings per week, on average
Participants must provide their own transportation	Transportation to and from outside activities is provided
Participants live at home	Participants live in the treatment center
Typically followed with 6-12 week aftercare programs	Typically followed by PHP or IOP programs

The main difference between any form of outpatient or inpatient program is where the client lives while attending treatment. The other difference between these types of treatment is intensity and time spent in treatment on a weekly basis.

Keep in mind that these are averages. Individual programs can vary wildly on features, goals, and length of stay. For example, a standard outpatient will meet 1-3 days a week for 1-3 hours per session. So, it is possible that one program may only meet for 1 hour once a week, while another meets for 3 hours 3 times a week, and both are referred to as outpatient programs. Obviously, the intensity of these two programs would be vastly different, so it’s important to research each program’s treatment schedules.

When to choose Intensive Outpatient (IOP) Rehab

This is a common starting point for an individual who presents with a substance use disorder but has maintained some level of functionality in their life. It can also be appropriate for individuals who have obligations to meet and cannot afford to take time off.

Intensive Outpatient treatment is most appropriate for individuals who:

Are not demonstrating life-threatening withdrawal symptoms
Do not present with medical or psychiatric symptoms that warrant hospitalization
Are capable of staying sober without being removed from their home environment
Need help learning to stay sober in their home environment
Have demonstrated a willingness to try to stay sober and seek 12-step support outside of the treatment environment

This can be confusing for some families, as they may think that starting with the most intensive option will increase the chances of long-term success. The reasoning behind this comes down to the most crucial elements of successful treatment, client willingness and personal “ownership” over treatment.

The “best” treatment in the world will not work for someone who isn’t committed to their own recovery, and the “worst” treatment will do wonders for someone who genuinely wants to change.

We have seen countless examples of parents who catch a family member using and immediately send them to a residential program, only to have the child return home and repeat the same behaviors. After working with these families later in their recovery journey, it became clear that the individual went through inpatient treatment without fully identifying their problem.

In other words, they thought their problem was that their family members overreacted rather than identifying their own substance use as the problem. They may learn a lot of valuable information in residential treatment, but they lacked internal understanding of why they were there in the first place.

It is for this reason that even if residential treatment or inpatient is available or seems appropriate, when safe, it can be beneficial to start treatment at an outpatient level and then move to a higher level of care if necessary. If utilized correctly, this method allows a individual to begin treatment at a less intensive level, with the knowledge that if they struggle to make progress in treatment or maintain sobriety, they will need to attend a higher level of care.

If the person does not wish to leave home, miss work / school, or miss any other commitments, then those things will serve as motivation to complete treatment goals and maintain sobriety. If the participant can make progress in IOP with these motivating factors, it’s a win-win.

The individual can begin their recovery journey and move towards a healthier lifestyle while avoiding having to put life on hold while in residential. It also allows families to retain financial resources which keeps options open if further treatment becomes necessary in the future.

If, on the other hand, it becomes clear that the person does need a higher level of care, the time spent in IOP should help provide the person with a sense of ownership and willingness. The person will be going to residential with the knowledge that they are going not because their parents caught them, but because they failed to make progress in their IOP program. This gives their counselors a solid place to start when working through issues with patients.

Intensive outpatient treatment also allows the individual and their family to begin utilizing recovery tools in the home setting, which is necessary for long term success. This often overlooked portion of the early recovery process is important, regardless of their level of care.

When to choose Residential Treatment or Outpatient Rehab

Obviously, there is no cookie cutter formula for treatment, and some individuals with SUD’s need inpatient treatment immediately. Because the individual lives in the treatment center, inpatient treatment has the benefit of providing an optimal environment for individuals to focus on their recovery without the distractions of daily life.

Inpatient rehab is most appropriate for individuals who:

Are using more dangerous drugs such as strong opiates or benzodiazepines regularly. (A daily opiate user has a significant chance of overdosing during a relapse, so placing them in a residential may be necessary for safety)
Do not have a home environment is not conducive to recovery.
Have a history of relapse or haven’t had success in IOP programs in the past.
Need around the clock accountability for their whereabouts in order to avoid relapse during the first phase of early recovery.

If their ease of access to drugs and alcohol is too high in the home environment, it can be very necessary to leave the home environment entirely in order to avoid relapse. These situations are often volatile, and require case-by-case planning to ensure the individual has a safe and sober place to live once they leave the relatively safe inpatient environment.

Other factors may include the participant’s willingness to attend treatment, physical access to treatment, or history of defiant behavior (such as running away or violence).

One element of particular importance is that we do not recommend looking at inpatient and outpatient treatment as an either / or choice. Inpatient treatment allows an individual to focus entirely on recovery for a while – extremely useful for those who need it. However, these individuals will often face unexpected challenges once they leave the treatment environment.

It is still important to continue the treatment journey after leaving inpatient rehab. This is often in the form an IOP or PHP (partial hospitalization) program.

Necessary Factors for Successful Treatment

Regardless of the level of care you choose, there are number of elements to seek out in treatment options. For treatment plans to be successful, there are a few requirements, which are as follows.

The counseling programs, therapists, family members, and affected individuals should have consistent and effective communication. This can be a major hurdle for an early recovery journey. If someone is referred to residential for a higher level of care, or referred to an IOP for aftercare, communication between programs and families is essential. Without it, the transition between programs can be disorganized and ineffective.

It is important for the goals of treatment to remain consistent between programs, and this cannot happen without communication. When possible, it is preferable to keep treatment philosophies similar between programs. For example, if an inpatient program uses a 12-step or alternative peer group model, then the follow-up IOP program should also utilize a 12-step or alternative peer group model.

In conclusion

As stated before, there is no perfect answer to which level of care you should choose. If you’re currently weighing the options on outpatient rehab vs inpatient drug rehab, we recommend that you discuss your concerns and weigh your options with a medical provider or therapist in your area.

Those trained in responding to addiction will help you choose the best option for your individual situation. If you are anywhere near the Phoenix or Sacramento areas, give us a call. We would be happy to set up a no cost evaluation with you and your family member in order to help determine a course of action and begin your family’s path to recovery.

The Road So Far; The origin of our Pathway alcohol and drug rehab in northern California’s Sacramento area.

By Bob Hicks, CRADC, CRPS on August 6th, 2021 in California Substance Abuse, News & Updates

The Pathway Program in Tempe, AZ has been helping thousands of families and young adults recover and heal together for over 20 years. Our alcohol and drug rehab in northern California’s Sacramento area, however, officially only got its start late in 2019. So how did the Pathway Program find its place in Rocklin, CA all the way from Tempe, AZ? The answer is, as it usually is in our experience, families and friends reaching out to support each other when in need.

The Need for Drug and Alcohol Rehab Centers in Northern California

The beginning of Pathway’s involvement in the Placer area dates back to 2018, when a young man from Placer County, CA made the decision to begin residential treatment at our location in Tempe, AZ. The young man’s family was actively involved in our parent support group and frequently traveled to Arizona to participate. Soon, that family suggested our substance abuse treatment program to another young man’s family. Through word of mouth, we quickly had three young men from the Sacramento, California area and their families participating in substance abuse or addiction treatment. Two of the mothers expressed interest in creating further support for families in their hometown of Rocklin, CA. It became apparent that there was a need for teen and young adult centered drug and alcohol rehab centers in northern California.

Sacramento Parent Support Group for Parents of Drug Addicts and Substance Abusers

The mothers reached out to other families they knew of whose kids were struggling with substance abuse and we gathered for the first meeting of our Pathway support group for parents of teens and young adults who abuse drugs in California on August 8th, 2018.

The Pathway parent support group began meeting monthly and parents were finding much needed hope and experience. The support group grew and The Blue Goose event center allowed us to hold monthly meetings at their location in Loomis, CA. It became clear that the local community, like so many others, needed help for parents and young people. What stood out the most was that the community not only needed the support but had a strong desire to create it. Our support group soon began meeting weekly and changed locations to CrossFit Loomis in Loomis, CA. The process of opening our Pathway outpatient treatment center shortly followed.

Opening Our Pathway Sacramento Outpatient Drug Rehab Program’s First Office

Our first Pathway rehab program office opened in Loomis, CA. We moved our first full-time counselor, Kevin Cleveland, from Arizona to California in January of 2020. We began offering support groups for young people, recovery coaching, and intensive outpatient treatment. We also started working closely with local high schools such as Del Oro High School and Oak Ridge High School to support youth in the community.

Unfortunately, we were slowed down by the COVID-19 pandemic. Kevin moved back to Arizona for a few months during the summer of 2020. By August, Kevin returned to Sacramento and we returned to our mission of serving the Placer area with high-quality drug and alcohol treatment options for teens and young adults. We met with faculty and students from Del Oro, Oak Ridge, and Wood Creek High Schools and began connecting with more local organizations.

I became the Sacramento program’s second full-time counselor, in October 2020. We moved to a larger office at 3900 Rocklin Road, Rocklin, California. We have since become state certified and offer a range of drug and alcohol treatment services including intensive outpatient, recovery coaching, young adult-specific programming, substance abuse support groups, parent support groups, consultations, and no-cost evaluations.

Pathway Program Serving the Community of Rocklin, in Northern CA

As one of the only Sacramento alcohol and drug treatment centers focusing on treatment options for teens and young adults, Pathway is proud to serve the area. Our time in Rocklin has shown us that drug addiction and illicit substance use is just as much an issue for families and young people here as it is anywhere else. We know we have our work cut out for us, as there are many youths in the area abusing substances and treading down the dangerous path that leads to addiction. The pandemic and shutdowns added fuel to the fire for many young people and we know the need is greater than ever for youth and their families. Luckily this is the work we love to do, and we are happy to help.

At the Pathway rehab center, we love visitors and would be happy to meet anybody here in the Rocklin area community, give us a call anytime to set up a tour or have us drop by to visit you.