One thing most of these people have in common is that they are challenged by some unnamed fears that hinder their success. These people have decided that by choosing to fail and sabotaging the various kinds of help given to them, they can "win." We can all feel Martin Sheen's pain about this kind of "winning."

It's 8 a.m. Your teen's alarm has gone off at least five times and your knocks on the door have been responded to by grunts that could only be underst...

What can parents do in the December holidays to stop the trends that their teens and young adults seem to wallow in and offer these children a chance to turn their lives around in the new year?

You've tried it all -- traditional therapy, behavioural therapy, conditioned response, pharmaceuticals, begging, pleading, tough love -- and some of it worked for a while and some didn't work at all. It may seem hopeless sometimes, but it has been my experience that some alternative approaches can make a world of difference.