BONUS Episode: How Do I Talk With My Teen About Fentanyl?

Ask Lisa: The Psychology of Raising Tweens & Teens

Dr. Lisa Damour/Reena Ninan

Mental Health, Health & Fitness, Kids & Family, Parenting

4.7 • 824 Ratings

🗓️ 29 April 2026

⏱️ 34 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In recognition of National Fentanyl Awareness Day, we're bringing back one of our most critical episodes — because every family needs this information. Illicit fentanyl has contaminated the drug landscape and is causing record deaths among young people. How should parents talk with their teens about this fast-moving crisis? What can we say to help keep our kids safe? Dr. Lisa Damour, who serves on the advisory board of Song for Charlie, and Reena Ninan are joined by Ed Ternan and Marcia Lee Taylor of Song for Charlie, the national nonprofit behind National Fentanyl Awareness Day. Ed, who tragically lost his 22-year-old son to a counterfeit prescription pill, and Marcia, former President and CEO of the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids, cover the basics about fentanyl and offer concrete guidance on how to have effective conversations with teens about its dangers. If you've already heard this episode, share it with someone who hasn't. It could save a life. Be sure to check out The New Drug Talk resources available at their website: ⁠www.songforcharlie.org⁠ ________________ Today's sponsors: Donors Choose: Have your gift matched today at https://www.donorschoose.org/asklisa. Cash App: For a limited time, new Cash App customers can earn $10 if they use code: FAMILY10. ________________ Ask Lisa: The Psychology of Raising Tweens & Teens is the essential podcast for parents seeking expert guidance, tested strategies, and psychological insights on raising kids, especially tweens and teens. Join renowned clinical psychologist Dr. Lisa Damour and former journalist and mom of two Reena Ninan as they explore real-life parenting challenges. Looking to learn more about how to boost kids’ resilience, build their confidence, or support their emotional well-being? Dr. Lisa and Reena have got you covered! Together they address listener questions about stress, anxiety, social media concerns, school pressures, and challenges in peer relationships. Each episode provides practical advice and science-backed solutions to help parents raise resilient, confident, and emotionally healthy kids. Tune in every week for the latest topics in parenting, child psychology, and family wellness. Get answers to your most pressing parenting questions. New episodes drop every Tuesday. ________________ Episode keywords: National Fentanyl Awareness Day, NFAD, Song for Charlie, fentanyl talk with teens, fentanyl awareness parents, fake pills fentanyl, counterfeit pills teens, narcan for parents, naloxone over counter, teen drug prevention, fentanyl poisoning, drug talk teenagers, song for charlie, fentanyl overdose signs, teen self medication, prescription pill dangers, fentanyl in pills Podcast keywords: ask lisa podcast, dr lisa damour, reena ninan, psychology, parenting, podcast, teens, tweens, parenting teens, parenting tweens, teen parenting, tween parenting, parenting tips, parenting advice, positive parenting, parenting podcast, teen behavior, tween challenges, raising tweens, raising teens, parenting hacks, parenting help, family dynamics, kids podcast, mental health, teen mental health, attachment styles, emotional intelligence

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Tell me a parenting issue everyone struggles with with tweens and teens, but no one talks about.
0:06.7	Rina, I think a lot of people feel like they just don't know how to connect to their kid anymore.
0:12.4	I'm Rina Nainen and welcome to Ask Lisa the psychology of raising tweens and teens.
0:17.4	And I'm Dr. Lisa D'more.
0:18.5	We bring you science-back strategies for managing anxiety, discipline, intense emotions, and teens. And I'm Dr. Lisa DeMore. We bring you science-back strategies for managing anxiety,
0:22.4	discipline, intense emotions, and more. We decode tough parenting issues with tips you can use
0:28.1	right now. So subscribe to Ask Lisa the Psychology of Raising Twins and Teens and join our YouTube
0:34.0	community today. Just Google, Ask Lisa podcast. We're here to help you untangle family life.
0:46.0	Friends, today is National Fentanyl Awareness Day. So we're going to run an extra episode of the
0:51.2	Ask Lisa podcast this week. This episode is called
0:54.2	How Do I Talk with My Teen about fentanyl? And it's a conversation that Rina and I had a couple
0:59.1	of years ago with Ed Ternan and Marshaly Taylor of Song for Charlie, which is a national
1:04.5	nonprofit dedicated to raising awareness about the dangers of fentanyl. Now, you may know this. Fentanyl poisoning is one of the
1:12.2	leading causes of death in young people. And what I am so glad to say is that this conversation
1:17.5	will give you concrete guidance on how to talk with young people, have effective conversations
1:23.1	with young people about the dangers of fentanyl. Once you've had a chance to listen, I'm asking you
1:28.9	to share this episode with friends, share it with family. You will learn so much, they will learn so
1:34.3	much, I learned so much in the conversation. And I also know that this is an episode that can save
1:39.3	lives. Thank you in advance for helping us get the word out about how to keep our kids safe.
1:46.9	Okay, well, this is a topic, Lisa. You have always wanted to talk about.
1:51.2	Yeah, I've been thinking about this for a long time. This is a huge topic in the care of young people.
1:59.1	Rina, I attended the funeral of a young woman I knew who died from a fentanyl poisoning.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Dr. Lisa Damour/Reena Ninan, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Dr. Lisa Damour/Reena Ninan and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.