Hopestream for parenting kids through drug use and addiction Podcast By Brenda Zane cover art

Hopestream for parenting kids through drug use and addiction

Hopestream for parenting kids through drug use and addiction

By: Brenda Zane
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About this listen

Hopestream is the defacto resource for parents who have a teen or young adult child who's misusing drugs or alcohol, hosted by Brenda Zane. Brenda is a Mayo Clinic Certified health & wellness coach, CRAFT-trained Parent Coach, and mom of a son who nearly lost his life to addiction. Guests include addiction, prevention, and treatment experts, family members impacted by their loved one's substance use, and wellness and self-care specialists. You'll also hear heartfelt messages from me, your host. It's a safe, nurturing respite from the chaos and confusion you live with. We gather in our private communities between the episodes in The Stream community for moms. Learn more at www.hopestreamcommunity.org/the-stream/.

© 2025 Hopestream for parenting kids through drug use and addiction Hygiene & Healthy Living Parenting & Families Personal Development Personal Success Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Relationships
Episodes
  • Parenting Through the Messy and Bitter Times: Wisdom and Joy in the Face of A Child's Addiction, with Brenda Zane

    Parenting Through the Messy and Bitter Times: Wisdom and Joy in the Face of A Child's Addiction, with Brenda Zane
    Jul 3 2025

    EPISODE DESCRIPTION:

    It's summer and we're diving deep into the Hopestream episode vault to bring you some listener faves and a few that just work when you need connection and understanding. Today, you'll hear about The Secret Menu, originally aired in August of 2023 - with the addition of a new story and insights.

    Sometimes you can gain a different understanding of things by looking at them through a new lens. This bite-size episode does that for you as the parent of a young person who struggles with substances and mental health - in the form of a short story.

    You'll hear about a restaurant owner and her strange, secret menu. And for those who eat from it, it can provide benefits and gifts not available anywhere else.

    It's one you may want to single-task for to absorb the full meaning. Created with love and compassion by me, just for you.

    This podcast is part of a nonprofit called Hopestream Community
    Learn about The Stream, our private online community for moms
    Find us on Instagram here
    Find us on YouTube here
    Download a free e-book, Worried Sick: A Compassionate Guide For Parents When Your Teen or Young Adult Child Misuses Drugs and Alcohol

    Hopestream Community is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit organization and an Amazon Associate. We may make a small commission if you purchase from our links.
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    13 mins
  • From Chaos to Clarity: Parenting Kids Through Addiction with Healthy Boundaries and Autonomy, with Beth Hillman

    From Chaos to Clarity: Parenting Kids Through Addiction with Healthy Boundaries and Autonomy, with Beth Hillman
    Jun 26 2025

    ABOUT THE EPISODE:

    Figuring out your evolving role as a parent during your child’s adolescence is difficult, even if you aren’t dealing with substance misuse. The natural inclination to protect and nurture is already being challenged by your child’s growing sense of autonomy. You’re told to step back, control less, and allow them to make their own mistakes.

    So, for parents of kids who are misusing substances and struggling with mental health, this process is especially agonizing. How do you walk the line between healthy support and “enabling?” How do you, as a parent, even understand your own role anymore?

    Thankfully, my guest today has lots of answers.

    Beth Hillman’s 16-year-old son attended a wilderness treatment program at the age of 16. Immediately afterward, he informed her that he would continue using. Today, Beth is a double-certified life and parent coach who brings her lived experience to other families through a podcast, private and online coaching, and workshops. She has not only lived in the trenches, but has also helped many other families who found themselves navigating a painfully difficult path.

    In this episode, we discuss specific, actionable ways to understand what it means to be a parent during this challenging time, ideas for building the scaffolding of both boundaries and safe spaces for our kids, avoiding power struggles with curiosity, and what it actually means to “meet kids where they are.”

    EPISODE RESOURCES:

    • Beth Hillman Coaching website
    • Parenting Post Wilderness podcast

    This podcast is part of a nonprofit called Hopestream Community
    Learn about The Stream, our private online community for moms
    Find us on Instagram here
    Find us on YouTube here
    Download a free e-book, Worried Sick: A Compassionate Guide For Parents When Your Teen or Young Adult Child Misuses Drugs and Alcohol

    Hopestream Community is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit organization and an Amazon Associate. We may make a small commission if you purchase from our links.
    Show more Show less
    56 mins
  • The Hidden Struggles You Can't Name: Debilitating Doubt & the Learning Curve When Your Child Struggles With Addiction, Part Two, with Cathy Cioth

    The Hidden Struggles You Can't Name: Debilitating Doubt & the Learning Curve When Your Child Struggles With Addiction, Part Two, with Cathy Cioth
    Jun 19 2025

    EPISODE DESCRIPTION:

    In part two of this two-part episode, Cathy and I dive deep into two more of those sneaky, often invisible struggles that so many of us experience when parenting through substance use and mental health challenges.

    PART TWO:

    In part two, we marvel at and empathize with you when it comes to the insane learning curve parents face when their child is experimenting with or addicted to substances and facing mental health issues. We faced it ourselves and proudly wear our honorary Real Life Research Ph.D.'s.

    We then share the very real feeling of doubt and acknowledge how it can reach far beyond just parenting. This experience can knock you off your feet and make your world feel like a movie set - we get it, and we're here to talk about it.

    EPISODE RESOURCES:

    • All Kinds Of Therapy - treatment and resource locator: www.allkindsoftherapy.com
    • Dr. Gabor Maté website
    • Hopestream podcast episode with Dr. Maté (episode 131)

    This podcast is part of a nonprofit called Hopestream Community
    Learn about The Stream, our private online community for moms
    Find us on Instagram here
    Find us on YouTube here
    Download a free e-book, Worried Sick: A Compassionate Guide For Parents When Your Teen or Young Adult Child Misuses Drugs and Alcohol

    Hopestream Community is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit organization and an Amazon Associate. We may make a small commission if you purchase from our links.
    Show more Show less
    36 mins
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Most relevant  
My daughter has been severely addicted to drugs for at least 6 years. She’s been in and out of dozens of rehabs and I’ve drained my retirement account and borrowed $6,000 from each of my family members to pay for it all. Then I lost my job because I used the wrong word on-air in between phone calls with the rehab facility and the insurance company that was kicking her out of treatment just as she was getting better. Then she crashed my car. So, now I’m living in Tijuana teetering on bankruptcy and homelessness and she needs a place to stay while she recovers from Covid. The only rule they have here is no smoking inside. I had to warn her about seven times that she couldn’t smoke marijuana inside the house today IN MEXICO where weed is still highly illegal. Finally, I had to ask her to leave. I’m not going to end up homeless on the streets of Tijuana because she can’t control herself enough not smoke marijuana inside. I’m sorry. I guess what I should have said is “how great you woke up early” but I listened to this podcast after the fact. I have nothing left to lose or give and I can’t do this anymore. She’s 18 now and it’s time she starts to lose instead of me. I’m really sad though. She’s safe back on the U.S. side with her drug dealer’s mother. But it’s really sad. I haven’t seen a whole lot of podcasts or online resources aimed at this devastating problem.

Thank you

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