HC DrugFree Reading List

Books

“Marijuana: What’s a Parent to Believe? “(Timmen L. Cermak, MD, 2003)
This has a wealth of information for both prevention and intervention purposes. It answers questions such as “What attracts teens to marijuana? How should parents react if they find evidence of drug use? What impact does THC have on the brain? Is marijuana addictive? How do we know if our teen is addicted to marijuana? What treatment options are available? And much more.

“What’s Wrong With My Kid? When Drugs or Alcohol Might Be a Problem and What to Do About It “(George E. Leary, Jr., M.A., 2012)
This book is a must for any parent who suspects or knows their child is using drugs. Included are behavioral and environmental warning signs, how to intervene, if and when to initiate drug treatment, a detailed comparison of several treatment options and how to determine the best one for your child.

“How to Talk So Teens Will Listen & Listen So Teens Will Talk” (Adele Faber and Elain Mazlish)
Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish transformed parenting with their breakthrough, bestselling books “Siblings Without Rivalry” and “How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk.” Now they return with this essential guide that tackles the tough issues teens and parents face today. Filled with straightforward advice and written in their trademark, down-to-earth style sure to appeal to both parents and teens, this all-new volume offers both innovative, easy-to-implement suggestions and proven techniques to build the foundation for lasting relationships. From curfews and cliques to sex and drugs, it gives parents the tools to help their children safely navigate the often stormy years of adolescence.

“Getting to Calm” (Laura S. Kastner, PhD., Jennifer Wyatt, PhD.)
Cool headed strategies for parenting tweens and teens. Getting to Calm is a practical, realistic and ultimately reassuring guide to navigating one of the most challenging aspects of parenting today: staying calm and clear-headed during some of the most common hot-button situations that arise during the teen years.

“Parenting Teens With Love & Logic” (Foster Cline and Jim Fay)
Our changing times require new approaches to parenting teens. Parenting experts Jim Fay and Foster W. Cline, M.D., help you address the pressing subjects faced by today’s teens like:

  • Drugs, alcohol, smoking, and sex
  • Peer pressure
  • What happens if they break the law and who pays bail
  • Violence in school and on the street
  • Give them the tools to face the choices of today’s world

“Choices & Consequences” (Dick Schaefer)
“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.”

Review this list of books for teens and parents on drug abuse (PDF).