Straight Talk from Claudia Black: What Recovering Parents Should Tell Their Kids about Drugs and Alcohol (Paperback)

~ (Author) "I have worked in the field of addictive disorders for more than twenty-five years, yet I remain in awe of the strength and courage found..." (more)
Key Phrases: Twelve Step, Higher Power, Children Ages (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

For 20 years, parents who are recovering from addictions have been asking Claudia Black to write this book. Whether they sobered up last year or 15 years ago, there comes a time when they have questions on what to tell their kids about their past addiction. Dr. Black introduces five very different families and reveals how the parents in each family talked to their kids about recovery, relapse and the child's own vulnerability to drug and alcohol addiction.

Discussion tips and easy-to-understand facts are shared in boxed sections to help parents focus in on key issues. Topics addressed include:

• The basic healing messages that young children need to hear if parents who have recently sobered up are raising them.
• How to talk to adolescents, teens and grown children about the basic characteristics of addiction, including denial, preoccupation, loss of control, change in tolerance and withdrawal.
• How to discuss genetic and environmental influences that can contribute to becoming chemically dependent, including the latest brain chemistry research.
• How parents in early recovery can begin making amends and building sober relationships with their children, whether the children are young or grown.
• Age-appropriate strategies to reduce a child's risks for experimenting with drugs and alcohol.
  
  

About the Author

Claudia Black, Ph.D., is a renowned lecturer, author, and trainer, internationally recognized for her pioneering and contemporary work with family systems and addictive disorders. Her best-selling book, It Will Never Happen to Me, has more than 2 million copies in print.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Hazelden (September 8, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1592850413
• ISBN-13: 978-1592850419
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #563,396 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing, not what I expected, April 8, 2005

By	Portland reader - See all my reviews

The description of this book states it's for parents "whether they sobered up last year or 15 years ago".
The introduction says it will address families whose children were not affected by the addiction as well as those who were. It doesn't.
I got this book in the hopes it would help me with whether and how to talk to my kids about my addiction. It didn't.
I've been clean and sober for 15 years now and it's time to talk to my preteen kids before they get into the same trouble I did. Unfortunately this book focuses only on parents whose kids have suffered due to their addictions and not at all on those whose addictions predate their kids.
It may be a good book for some, but it wasn't at all what I was looking for.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What Recovering Parents Should Tell Their Kids, January 13, 2004

By	Kathy Bockert - See all my reviews

Black, an addiction expert known for her work on the adult children of alcoholics (It Will Never Happen to Me), here shifts her focus to recovering parents, in turn addressing the needs of their children. Based on the sensible idea that parents struggling with addiction face unique challenges in fostering antidrug/alcohol attitudes, her latest book acknowledges the genetic component of addiction while stating that the process is not inevitable. Provided are useful tools for assessment (e.g., "the family tree") and remediation grounded in the 12-step program philosophy. Early chapters review current information on brain chemistry, generational vulnerability, and phenomena such as multiple addictions, tolerance levels, relapse, and blackouts. The emphasis then moves to straightforward and realistic advice about self-forgiveness, making amends for past behavior, and new ways of relating to loved ones. Personal stories drawn from five diverse families are used throughout; limited references are provided at the conclusion. This candid and hope-filled book merits strong consideration by large public libraries and specialized collections given the prevalence of some form of addictive behavior in families.