Substance Abuse. The Ultimate Teen Guide

250 Pages·2013·10.92 MB·English

by  Sheri Mabry Bestor

IT HAPPENED TO ME
Series Editor: Arlene Hirschfelder
Books in the It Happened to Me series are designed for inquisitive teens digging
for answers about certain illnesses, social issues, or lifestyle interests. Whether
you are deep into your teen years or just entering them, these books are gold
mines of up-to-date information, riveting teen views, and great visuals to help
you figure out stuff. Besides special boxes highlighting singular facts, each book
is enhanced with the latest reading lists, websites, and an index. Perfect for
browsing, there are loads of expert information by acclaimed writers to help
parents, guardians, and librarians understand teen illness, tough situations, and
lifestyle choices.

1. Epilepsy: The Ultimate Teen Guide, by Kathlyn Gay and Sean McGarrahan,
2002.
2. Stress Relief: The Ultimate Teen Guide, by Mark Powell, 2002.
3. Learning Disabilities: The Ultimate Teen Guide, by Penny Hutchins
Paquette and Cheryl Gerson Tuttle, 2003.
4. Making Sexual Decisions: The Ultimate Teen Guide, by L. Kris Gowen,
2003.
5. Asthma: The Ultimate Teen Guide, by Penny Hutchins Paquette, 2003.
6. Cultural Diversity—Conflicts and Challenges: The Ultimate Teen Guide, by
Kathlyn Gay, 2003.
7. Diabetes: The Ultimate Teen Guide, by Katherine J. Moran, 2004.
8. When Will I Stop Hurting? Teens, Loss, and Grief: The Ultimate Teen Guide
to Dealing with Grief, by Ed Myers, 2004.
9. Volunteering: The Ultimate Teen Guide, by Kathlyn Gay, 2004.
10. Organ Transplants—A Survival Guide for the Entire Family: The Ultimate
Teen Guide, by Tina P. Schwartz, 2005.
11. Medications: The Ultimate Teen Guide, by Cheryl Gerson Tuttle, 2005.
12. Image and Identity—Becoming the Person You Are: The Ultimate Teen
Guide, by L. Kris Gowen and Molly C. McKenna, 2005.
13. Apprenticeship: The Ultimate Teen Guide, by Penny Hutchins Paquette,
2005.
14. Cystic Fibrosis: The Ultimate Teen Guide, by Melanie Ann Apel, 2006.
15. Religion and Spirituality in America: The Ultimate Teen Guide, by Kathlyn
Gay, 2006.
16. Gender Identity: The Ultimate Teen Guide, by Cynthia L. Winfield, 2007.
17. Physical Disabilities: The Ultimate Teen Guide, by Denise Thornton, 2007.
18. Money—Getting It, Using It, and Avoiding the Traps: The Ultimate Teen
Guide, by Robin F. Brancato, 2007.
19. Self-Advocacy: The Ultimate Teen Guide, by Cheryl Gerson Tuttle and
JoAnn Augeri Silva, 2007.
20. Adopted: The Ultimate Teen Guide, by Suzanne Buckingham Slade, 2007.
21. The Military and Teens: The Ultimate Teen Guide, by Kathlyn Gay, 2008.
22. Animals and Teens: The Ultimate Teen Guide, by Gail Green, 2009.
23. Reaching Your Goals: The Ultimate Teen Guide, by Anne Courtright, 2009.
24. Juvenile Arthritis: The Ultimate Teen Guide, by Kelly Rouba, 2009.
25. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: The Ultimate Teen Guide, by Natalie
Rompella, 2009.
26. Body Image and Appearance: The Ultimate Teen Guide, by Kathlyn Gay,
2009.
27. Writing and Publishing: The Ultimate Teen Guide, by Tina P. Schwartz,
2010.
28. Food Choices: The Ultimate Teen Guide, by Robin F. Brancato, 2010.
29. Immigration: The Ultimate Teen Guide, by Tatyana Kleyn, 2011.
30. Living with Cancer: The Ultimate Teen Guide, by Denise Thornton, 2011.
31. Living Green: The Ultimate Teen Guide, by Kathlyn Gay, 2012.
32. Social Networking: The Ultimate Teen Guide, by Jenna Obee, 2012.
33. Sports: The Ultimate Teen Guide, by Gail Fay, 2013.
34. Adopted: The Ultimate Teen Guide, Revised Edition, by Suzanne
Buckingham Slade, 2013.
35. Bigotry and Intolerance: The Ultimate Teen Guide, by Kathlyn Gay, 2013.
36. Substance Abuse: The Ultimate Teen Guide, by Sheri Mabry Bestor, 2013.
SUBSTANCE ABUSE
THE ULTIMATE TEEN GUIDE
SHERI MABRY BESTOR
IT HAPPENED TO ME, NO. 36
THE SCARECROW PRESS, INC.
Lanham • Toronto • Plymouth, UK
2013
Published by Scarecrow Press, Inc.
A wholly owned subsidiary of The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc.
4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200, Lanham, Maryland
20706
www.rowman.com
10 Thornbury Road, Plymouth PL6 7PP, United
Kingdom
Copyright © 2013 by Scarecrow Press, Inc.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical
means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the publisher,
except by a reviewer who may quote passages in a review.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information Available Library of Congress Cataloging-in-
Publication Data Bestor, Sheri L. M.
Substance abuse : the ultimate teen guide / Sheri Mabry Bestor.
pages cm. — (It happened to me ; No. 36) Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-8108-8558-5 (cloth : alk. paper) — ISBN 978-0-8108-8559-2 (ebook) 1. Substance abuse—
Juvenile literature. 2. Teenagers—Substance use—Juvenile literature. I. Title.
HV4999.Y68B47 2013
613.8—dc23
2013011091
™ The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard
for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992.
Printed in the United States of America
For You, who went through this, and for Those, too, who went through this with
you.
For Whitnie, Kaiti, and Hailie . . . three teenagers whose brilliant light I see
clearly.
Namaste.
Contents
Contents
Disclaimer
Note from the Author
Preface
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1: Pre–Substance Exposure
Chapter 2: Experimenting with Substances
Chapter 3: Increased Substance Use/Prevention of Addiction
Chapter 4: Addiction
Chapter 5: Recovery/Relapse
Chapter 6: Holistic Methods
Chapter 7: More to Think About
Chapter 8: From the Perspective Of . . .
The End
Appendix A: More Facts at a Glance
Appendix B: Contributors
Appendix C: Great Sources/Bibliography
Appendix D: Teen Insights through Art on Substance Abuse
About the Author
Disclaimer
While one of the intentions I had for writing this book was to help people
understand substance abuse disorders to then move toward abolishing the stigma
associated, still, at the time of the book’s first printing, judgment continued to
surround those who are associated with this disease.
For this reason, many of the contributors in this book have chosen to change
their name or other slight details to protect themselves and their families with
privacy. Though slight details may have changed, their stories remain the same.
Their truth is what I want you to read.
The topic of substance abuse, like most researched topics, continually pre-
sents new and updated theories and data. That said, I ask you to consider the
concepts of the book and the value they may have in giving you new insights
and new perspectives. By the time you are reading these words, some of the
statistics in this book will already be outdated. The reasons behind providing the
data, however, remain.
Thank you.
Note from the Author
“If we wonder often, the gift of knowledge will come.”—Arapaho
While I was writing this book, when people would find out what the title was, a
typical question they would ask me was, “Why did you choose this topic?”
It was a fair enough question, and my answers were pretty much the same:
“I found out the editor was looking for an author to write on this topic, so I
submitted a proposal.”
“I have always had a desire to offer something to help teens in the exciting yet
oftentimes challenging transition into adulthood.”
“I am a writer, and this was an opportunity to write.”
While those reasons are definitely true, I left out one of the most important
reasons I wrote on “this topic.” But I want to tell you.
I grew up not understanding substance abuse. I remember the feelings that I
had around people who had drug or alcohol problems. Out of naivety, I judged
them in ways that benefitted no one.
And then, as I began growing up, little by little, I started to realize that
someone in my life might have a problem with substance abuse. At first I denied.
And then other people close to this person and I denied together. But eventually,
we realized we couldn’t keep pretending we didn’t see. Along the path of
addiction this person almost died. Watching this was like being behind a glass
wall, witnessing someone you love suffer; being so close, yet not being able to
reach out and help.
Pretty soon it was obvious that the only thing we could do to reach this person
was to break the glass. That meant getting rid of the barrier that kept us all from
facing the addiction. It meant seeking answers and finding a key that would open
the door to well-being.
It might seem odd that we questioned doing this. But we were worried that if
we were wrong about our suspicions that this person had a substance abuse
issue, it would seem we lacked trust. But finally, we had no choice. We
confronted this person.