Keep Your Kids Straight

Is it any wonder parents feel helpless to protect their children from the growing drug epidemic - cheap drugs are available everywhere and the unique pressures of modern life make them even more attractive to confused adolescents. But there are solutions that, according to Dr. Ronald C. Main and Judy Zervas, can only be achieved when parents knock down the barriers to effective communication with their children. This practical guide aims to give parents necessary insight into why young people use drugs and how the problem can be dealt with at various stages - from initial experimentation through to hard-core abuse. Main and Zervas explain how to instill healthy refusal skills in children and, if drug use has already begun, how to confront a child effectively without triggering unnecessary conflict in the family. While concentrating on the preventative or remedial steps parents can take without professional help, the authors also offer specific guidelines for arranging drug-intervention treatment and selecting a good treatment facility.
Checklists present the classic warning signs of adolescent chemical abuse and the criteria for determining if a child can control his or her drug use.