Choices and Consequences: What to Do When a Teenager Uses Alcohol/Drugs

Rating:
Summary: Know a drug using teen? Read this book--You can help!
Review: Of all the books I've read on the subject of teenagers and drug/alcohol abuse, this is by far the best. The authors clearly spell out exactly why you're right to be worried and how to help. They explain how to conduct an "intervention" to cut through the teen's denial that drugs/alcohol is a problem for her or him. By presenting treatment options and contracts as her or his "choices," parents and others can also give up the sense of fear that leads to ineffectual efforts to control someone else's drinking or drug use. Once you let go and realize that--just as the teen you care about has a choice (including using)--you have a choice to impose consequences that range from mild to severe. The book is oddly reassuring and direct. A must-read for any parent or friend of a substance using teen.