"Unless you have been in the shoes of a mother watching your baby throw his life away for a high . . . unless you have dreaded the ring of the phone . . . unless you have gone to the jail to see your child in handcuffs . . . unless you can never look at the entryway of your house without remembering your son being arrested right there . . . unless you have tried unsuccessfully to understand the court system . . . unless you have watched the baby you held in your arms write on your kitchen floor and then find he had five different drugs in his system . . . unless you have driven over 140 miles every weekend to visit your son in drug treatment only to have him get out and use again . . . you have no idea of the helplessness, the longing to make it all go away, the shame, the guilt, the blame, the loneliness and heartbreak of being the parent of a drug addict." -- Lenna

Across the United States, in small towns and major cities, in suburbs and slums, in public and private schools, millions of kids are experimenting with alcohol and other drugs.  Many of them will become addicted;  some will die. 

The first and only book to focus entirely on adolescent alcohol and other drug use, Teens under the Influence addresses the immediate dangers that threaten our children – exploring the short- and long-term effects of their drug use and giving parents solid, sensitive, practical advice to combat this growing epidemic.
           
Knowledge is the key to defeating drug addictions and that is what this comprehensive, timely new book provides.  Full of candid true stories from adolescent drug uses, with facts based on the most recent scientific research, Teens Under the Influence tells you exactly what you need to know, covering such important topics as:

• The common myths and misconceptions about drug addiction
• The REAL reasons kids get hooked
• The connection between drug use and mental health disorders
• The different kinds of drugs kids use and combine
• The signs and symptoms of adolescent drug use – how to recognize the problem
• How -- and how not -- to intervene
• Strategies for handling relapse
• Practical advice about what you, as parents or guardians, can do to help your children -- and yourself

Teens Under the Influence offers practical help that may save your child’s life.  It may save the life of a friend.  And it may save your own.