Everyone is hurt when a family member, especially a young teenager, suffers from substance abuse, no matter the severity of their condition. Allowing yourself to emerge within different books and stories written by individuals who have all been in the same shoes by either being the one who was addicted or watching a family member reach the road to sobriety can be uplifting and normalizing.
Reading books that speak heavily on the effect, consequences, and process of alcohol and drug abuse can spark life-saving discussions that can leave the individual to accept help and treatment and begin their recovery process. If you are an individual suffering from addiction, books can allow you to see situations differently. This will enable you to be able to analyze how you are dealing with your current addiction.
So how do you chose which book is right for you? Well, we have recommended our top 5 books on the topic of teenage drug addiction.
All about drugs and young people
The book titled “All about drugs and young people” is packed with essential information and advice for parents and professionals dealing with teenagers struggling with addiction. This book informs you of what you need to know about drugs in general, along with popular drugs that the younger generation use. Educating you on how to help these young adults stay safe if they chose to begin recreationally taking drugs.
Author Julian Cohen has specialized in sex education and drugs among young adults, children, carers, professionals, and parents for nearly 30 years. Besides being a writer, Cohen is also an:
- Educator
- Consultant
- Counsellor
Cohen has studied extensively around the topic of teenagers and drug abuse to ensure he can communicate his findings to family, professionals, and teachers who are after advice. This is done through training packages, educational games, books, and pamphlets.
Addiction-proof your child
Stanton Peel is a well-known psychologist who has to change the drug addiction field. He has voiced that addiction occurs due to a range of experiences that a teenager may go through. Expressing the practical significance of the harm reduction strategy towards drug addiction. Due to his findings and documentation based on the subject, he has seen many media appearances, including the Oprah show, Fox & Friends, and Bill O’Reilly.
Within the book “Addiction proof your child,” Peel speaks about how he believes that it is more than natural for young teens to be curious about drugs and want to experiment with their friends. Peel continues to express the studies he has commenced, showing that most teenagers who experiment with drugs will not become life addicts or ruin the present or future parts of their lives.
The book educates parents and carers on installing valuable qualities and teaching their kids how to trust their decision-making skills and the repercussions that could come as a result. Most young teenagers will be peer pressured more than once with “just saying no” not being enough to stop situations from occurring. Installing deep-rooted values at a young age will significantly decrease the likelihood of teenagers from:
- Binge drinking
- Eating disorders
- Pornography
- Internet gambling
- Drug abuse
Swallow the Rainbow
A fantasy novel that will allow the reader to see addiction from another viewpoint. The story was inspired by the horrific tornadoes on April 27, 2011. The story is based on a young girl’s life after a terrible accident caused by a tornado. You can watch how she deals with the grief of losing her brother; you will quickly become immersed by her story of how she gives herself to drugs, in specific opioids, to deal with her negative mental state, her withdrawal process, and how she struggles to deal with her feelings when withdrawal kicks in.
“Swallow the rainbow” written by Khristian Chess, the well-known author who has won several awards in which they all speak about serious issues that young teenagers go through, such as:
- Anorexia
- Drinking
- Drug abuse
- Suicide
- Academic pressure
- Mental illness
- Teen pregnancy
- Bullying
She is known to go to high schools to speak to various students in her creative writing classes to discuss the pressure they go through in their young lives.
We all fall down
Author Nic Sheff and his best-selling book “We all fall: Living with addiction” takes the readers on an emotional roller coaster, expressing how he dealt with his addiction, withdrawal symptoms, and how he struggled to stay clean once he decided to join the road to recovery.
Sheff opens up his entire life into his book to allow fellow addicts and recovering addicts to see what he went through such as:
- Failing out of rehab
- Problems staying on the road to recovery
- hard-hitting relapses
- realizing what it is like to live life as a substance-addicted teenager
He very candidly expresses his small triumphs over his addiction along with his failures. A beautiful book with the raw emotions of a teenager addicted to drugs will inspire and help educate individuals who are addicted, allowing them to understand that they are not ever alone in their battles against any form of addiction.
Life of the party
Finally, the author Christine Anderson and the book “Life of the party” has received nothing but outstanding reviews by individuals who saw themselves as the main character portrayed.
The book expresses the pressures of a young seventeen-year-old girl who struggles with her “perfect” older sister and parents who never seem to be on her side or proud of her achievements. Many can relate to a young teenager, especially if they are the second child. The young seventeen-year-old who turns into a rebellious teenager quickly becomes addicted to drugs, underage entry to nightclubs, and alcohol.
The young character uses illegal substances to shield herself from grief, depression, pressure, and anxiety that many young adults go through when growing up. Unable to be free of her severe addiction, the young teenager is always looking for her next hit.
Teenage addiction
Being told you aren’t good enough, living in the shadow of an older sibling, or constantly feeling like a failure can leave any teenager reaching for anything that will give them some sort of relief. This, unfortunately, will be alcohol and drugs. Being a teenager is complicated; with every generation, the lives of our young adults seem to be getting even harder with more pressures being thrown their way.
Fantasy or fiction, reading books is a fantastic way to understand that what you feel like as a teenager is entirely normal. Experimenting with drugs is typical for any teenager; however, they should be educated on how drugs may affect them later on in life if they become addicted.
Parents, professionals, and teenagers need to openly talk about drugs and alcohol, with the teenagers feeling that they will get in trouble for asking questions. The more open you are with your children and teenagers about illegal substances, the more likely they will be cautious if they want to experience what it is like.
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