Oct 18 2019

Introducing the dark world of substance abuse to teens through books

Addiction Substance Abuse Teen Drug Abuse

Raising a teen can be hard when you worry that they are always at the risk of exploring harmful substances. This is especially true as your teen keeps growing and inevitably faces peer pressure to try different drugs or runs the risk of using drugs as a coping mechanism during this tumultuous period in their life. As a parent, it’s important to think about how to protect and warn your child about the dangers they may face during those years filled with hormones and uncertainty.

This is also a time when interacting with your teen is a balancing act; you have to know how to discuss these issues with them without making them feel like they are being restricted, bullied, or controlled. One great way to do this is by using books. Books can provide parents with a non-invasive way to teach their teens about the dangers of drugs and alcohol as they read about fictional and real-life experiences.

Books on teen substance use

In order to help parents in this effort, here is a brief list of teen fiction books that give a distinct and powerful look into the reality and consequences of drug and alcohol abuse.

• “Junk /Smack”
  By Melvin Burgess
  Depending on where you live, this book will be titled either “Junk” or “Smack.” This fictional tale chronicles the story of two teen runaways and their friends who dissolve into the world of heroin addiction. The reader follows these characters through the initial “bliss” of starting to use and their inevitable downward spiral as they encounter death by overdose, unwanted pregnancies, jail, forced detox, and their eventual struggle for recovery. This story tells the truth about the horrifying consequences of drug use which may last a lifetime or cost a life.
• “Go Ask Alice”
  By Beatrice Sparks
  Based on the diary of a teen girl who lost her life to drugs, this story follows Alice who is drugged with LSD at a party and eventually becomes addicted to this and other drugs. The reader walks in Alice’s shoes as she falls deeper into the trap of addiction and eventually pays the ultimate price, providing the audience with a real-life look at, and warning against, what drugs will do to the mind.
• “The Late Great Me”
  By Sandra Scoppettone
  This story follows the 17-year-old Geri on her quest for popularity and her eventual descent into alcohol addiction. It showcases how this addiction pulls her away from who she truly is and, though it gets her into the “in-crowd,” it makes her pay a big price for it.
• “The Crank Trilogy”
  By: Ellen Hopkins
  In this trilogy the reader meets Kristina who, through her alter-ego Bree, finds herself exploring methamphetamine abuse and the risky behavior that accompanies the abuse. The story starts with her introduction to meth use, follows her continued struggle with drug abuse as a single mother, and eventually finishes with her children and how her addiction affected them. This gives readers an extended look at how long and far the damage caused by substance abuse and addiction can and will go.
• “A Hero Ain’t Nothin’ But a Sandwich”
  By Alice Childress
  At the age of 13, the protagonist Benjie is a heroin addict and in deep denial. A story told from the points of view of his friends, family, and other acquaintances, Benjie’s story gives the reader a look at how his addiction affected his life and the lives around him while also portraying how uncertain the future is for someone involved with drugs.
• “Beneath a Meth Moon”
  By Jacqueline Woodson
  After Hurricane Katrina takes away her mother and grandmother, Laurel tries to move on with her life only to find that, despite social and academic success, she cannot move past her loss. This leads her down a path that involves meth use to cope with her pain but at the cost of herself as a person to the disease of addiction. The book chronicles a girl’s struggle to learn to cope with grief, the disaster that results from using drugs to escape the pain, and the discovering the new life that comes with recovery.

This brief list gives parents and teens an introduction to the large number of stories about the world of teen drug and alcohol abuse. Each book educates the reader on the reality of teen drug and alcohol use and the consequences attached to it. Parents can use this as an opening to answer their teen’s questions and help guide them towards a healthy, drug-free lifestyle. It may also address the dangers of using drugs to cope with struggles which can provide them with a way to calmly discuss any problems their teen may be facing and help come up with solutions.

Seeking treatment for teen substance abuse

According to the 2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) report, there were approximately 916,000 adolescents aged between 12 to 17 who were suffering from a substance use disorder (SUD) in the past year. Addiction to drugs and alcohol if left untreated for a long time can lead to serious physical and mental health disorders. Substance addiction requires a medically supervised detox treatment to flush out the toxins from the body. This can be complemented with alternate therapy and counseling sessions that teach a teen to recognize triggers and how to cope with them.

Adeona Healthcare is a rehab center for teens aged between 12 to 17 which provides comprehensive treatment programs for teen alcohol or drug addiction, mental health disorders, and dual diagnosis. In addition to medications, we also offer therapies like dialectical behavior therapy (BDT) and cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), increasing the chances of long-term recovery.

If you know a teen battling an addiction to any drug and looking for rehab for teen addiction, get in touch with our 24/7 helpline (888) 379 9360 and speak to a representative. You can also chat online with our certified representative to seek related advice and avail customized world-class alcohol and drug detox treatment at our teen alcohol and drug addiction treatment facility.