Customer Reviews

Dangerous Drugs : An Easy-To-Use Reference for Parents and Professionals (A Hazelden Guidebook) (Hezelden Guidebook)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I very much enjoy Carol's book: Dangerous Drugs. I have been working in the human services, substance abuse, corrections fields for more than 25-years. I have been working with young people since 1984. I am a public speaker, traveling thoughout North America speaking with both children and adults about drug prevention. I am an avid reader and researcher. I think this is an excellent, inexpensive, up-to-date reference guide for parents. I am always looking for resources to recommend to parents when they ask me, "What do you recommend? How can I learn about what's available to my kids?"

I find that most parents just don't have the "savy" and time to research "what's what" in the street drug arena. I've found Carol's book to "fit the bill to a T!" For the most part, concerned parents "just want to know what in the heck is going on." They see lots of information on TV, in the newspaper, magazines. They get overwhelmed and overloaded. They don't know how to put all of the pieces together. They get easily confused "Dangerous Drugs: An Easy to Use Reference for Parents and Professionals" does exactly that! It provides straight-forward, easy-to-understand information about drugs.

Sure, there are other books that delve deeper into some of the drug classifications highlighted in Carol's book. Sure, there are certain individuals who can argue whether Carol is using "scare tactics and half truths." But . . . I'm familiar with Carol's work. She is an avid researcher. She believes in giving accurate information. I find this book to have accurate information from cover-to-cover.

If you want an easy-to-use, factual, up-to-date reference guide for understanding drugs of abuse, this is the book for you. I highly recommend it. Don't take my word for it, next time you see a copy of the book, browse through it. I guarantee you will become engrossed. And you can rest assured that Carol carefully researched each and everything she writes about. I think her integrity is next to none. I've got a copy on my desk.

Happy reading!

This is an informative reference guide to drug abuse and the substances currently in vogue. The introductory chapters provide an overview of drug and alcohol abuse in the USA, discusses the attractions and harm of abuse, provides the tell-tale signs and symptoms, investigates the question of addiction and supplies guidelines on what to do.

The following chapters deals with individual substances like alcohol, cocaine, hallucinogens, heroin/opiates/narcotics, inhalants/solvents, marijuana, metamphetamine, sedatives/hypnotics and tobacco. Discussions of recently popular substances like Qat and Ketamine are included.

The chapter on other substances includes a section on herbal supplements like Kava Kava, Wormwood, Ma Huang (Ephedra) and other drugs like dextromethorphan and steroids.

The text is illustrated by graphs and there are 18 color plates of the drugs and the paraphernalia. This valuable and helpful guide and reference work concludes with copious notes and an index.

This book gives a clear, informative, and balanced portrayal of "what's up" on the current drug scene -- helps a parent, or anyone, better understand the daily flood of drug news in the media, or what we encounter first hand.

We parents know the drug scene has changed since our high school years, and we need a good, easily read, reference and fact book to bring us up to date. This second edition of Dangerous Drugs serves that need perfectly. Keeps us from just standing there "clueless" while our kids face the ever-changing and growing problem of drug abuse every day.

The color photos of drugs and drug equipment are very helpful, as are the charts at the beginning of each chapter.

EVERYONE concerned about the issues of drug abuse should read this book!

Dangerous Drugs - SECOND EDITION - is a must read reference book for anyone who lives or works with teenagers. It quickly and effectively presents the basic facts about drugs of abuse, the slang terms, the short and long-term effects, who's using them and what's new about them. Dangerous Drugs hits the mark by objectively discussing the essentials of just what parents and professionals need to know about the drug abuse scene today - from supplements sold on the Internet to the "normalization" of heroin.

Unlike most other books on this topic, Dangerous Drugs is not bogged down by scientific neurological jargon that too often complicates instead of clarifies. And the detailed, color photos of drugs and paraphernalia are a terrific, practical tool for parents and educators who, when it comes to drugs, need to know what to look for, not just behaviorally but literally.

Dangerous Drugs performs a public service by getting the most up-to-date information about drugs of abuse into the hands of those who need it, and even taking it a step further by addressing what to do if drug abuse strikes close to home.

"As a a pastor serving in a parish setting and as a family therapist, I have found Carol Falkowski's guidebook "Dangerous Drugs," an excellent resource in my work with conflicted families. It is practical, down to earth, easily understandable and up-to-date, a great book for anyone working with crisis situations in today's pervasive drug culture. I highly recommend it and give it 5 stars!"

Dangerous Drugs is a highly recommended reference for professionals and parents alike, providing the latest information on the latest drugs and their abuse, with chapters identifying addiction, consequences, and the nature of use and abuse. A quick reference, Dangerous Drugs provides easily-read chapters and overviews.

I received the book faster than I expected to. It's also in good condition. Thanks!

I thought I knew a lot about drugs having grown up in the 1960's but the world of recreational drugs and drug usage is much broader and alarming than I knew. Ms. Falkowski has created an easy-to-understand reference of drugs, their usage effects, duration, overduse dangers and good solid information on recognizing their use and where to go for help. As a parent and workplace manager I wish I'd had this book years ago. I hope this book is updated frequently. Let me know when the next edition is released!

This book gives up-to-date facts about the current drug scene and should be read by ALL parents of teens. Carol Falkowski debunks many of the myths being propogated by groups such as "Dance Safe" that promote "harm reduction" or "safe drug use". These groups say that using Ecstasy (MDMA) is safe if one drinks plenty of water and dances in a cool environment. The truth is MDMA is dangerous as it can cause brain damage and psychiatric conditions, as well as death.

Ms. Falkowski describes the types of drugs commonly being used, the effects on the body and brain, drug slang, and paraphernalia associated with each drug. Her facts are well researched and she lists all of her references. Yet, it is easy to read.

She also explains why teens use drugs, how they become addicted and where to get help. I really like the quotes she includes from real-life people who use or are recovering from drug use.

This book is an excellent reference for professionals too. I have read many books and articles about drugs because my daughter was a drug addict at age 16. Fortunately, after counseling and eventually residential treatment, she now is drug free (over 1 year!) at age 19. This book would have been really helpful to me at the beginning of my daughter's problems, actually, I wish I could have read it before it all started.

This book is unfortunately focusing on scare tactics, and half-truths in order to incite fear in people over the most benign of drugs. This is unfortunate because there are some real issues that should be recognized with many of these drugs, but anyone with half a brain will see through the scare tactics, and therefore dismiss all of the information in this book as false. For instance, an obvious logical fallacy, and an attempt to scare people into immediately thinking that GHB is dangerous can be seen by the book's description of GHB as being : "Made From: gamma butyrolactone (GBL) and Sodium Hydroxide or Potassium Hydroxide - basically it is degreasing solvent or floor stripper mixed with drain cleaner". By the same token, I could completely accurately say that regular table salt is in fact made from rust remover (hydrochloric acid), and drain cleaner (sodium hydroxide), but everybody knows that table salt is not as dangerous as either one of these compounds, and any chemist knows that the properties of reagents and the end product have nothing to do with one another. The point is that this book may have some useful factual information, but it is obscured in sensationalist scare tactics. Take it with a grain of salt.