About Scott Brand: Scott Brand works in the outreach department of Inspirations for Youth, one the nation’s leading Teen Adolescent Addiction Treatment Centers. He spends his time talking to the teens about their inspirational stories of recovery.

In an interview with Brand and Dr. James Hughes, a nationally renowned teen drug and alcohol abuse interventionist, Dr. Hughes stressed the importance of trust when teens try to help high school classmates with their drug and alcohol abuse issues.

Inspirations for Youth – Why is trust so critical when a teen is reaching out to a friend or classmate about an apparent drug or alcohol abuse concern?

Dr. Hughes – Trust is very important because as we display trust to a friend in need of help or drug abuse counseling, they end up confiding more with you and provide valuable insight on the root cause of their apparent addiction, if they feel their secret is safe in your hands. This in turn provides a teen with a treasure trove of valuable information so that they can really see if in fact their friend is going down a dangerous road or simply needs to be monitored.

Inspirations for Youth – Once trust is established and it becomes obvious that your friends requires your help what are the next steps?

Dr. Hughes – When someone is comfortable sharing and disclosing the types of drugs that they are using then at that point having that trust can move the outreach to the next level. This can be as serious as a family intervention or something less formal such as a family extending support to their troubled teen. One other option is to enlist the services of a school official such as a guidance or substance abuse counselor.

Inspirations for Youth – Once trust is established and it becomes obvious that your friend requires your help what are the next steps?

Dr. Hughes – School officials are great because they are very familiar with the teenage adolescent environment and what tends to happen is that they get insight as to what is going on and where to direct the process especially if the teen is missing classes or school or of course if the grade is dropping in that sense.