Not My Child A Progressive and Proactive Approach For Healing Addicted Teenagers and Their Families Complete PDF Download
Uploaded by
ghy.nhpuynhcoongtachNot My Child A Progressive and Proactive Approach For Healing Addicted Teenagers and Their Families Complete PDF Download
Uploaded by
ghy.nhpuynhcoongtachNot My Child A Progressive and Proactive Approach for
Healing Addicted Teenagers and Their Families
Visit the link below to download the full version of this book:
https://medipdf.com/product/not-my-child-a-progressive-and-proactive-approach-fo
r-healing-addicted-teenagers-and-their-families/
Click Download Now
ALSO BY DR. FRANK LAWLIS
The ADD Answer
The IQ Answer
Mending the Broken Bond
Retraining the Brain
The Brain Power Cookbook
The Autism Answer
The PTSD Breakthrough
Please visit:
Hay House USA: www.hayhouse.com®
Hay House Australia: www.hayhouse.com.au
Hay House UK: www.hayhouse.co.uk
Hay House South Africa: www.hayhouse.co.za
Hay House India: www.hayhouse.co.in
Copyright © 2013 by Frank Lawlis
Published and distributed in the United States by: Hay House, Inc.:
www.hayhouse.com® • Published and distributed in Australia by: Hay
House Australia Pty. Ltd.: www.hayhouse.com.au • Published and
distributed in the United Kingdom by: Hay House UK, Ltd.:
www.hayhouse.co.uk • Published and distributed in the Republic of South
Africa by: Hay House SA (Pty), Ltd.: www.hayhouse.co.za • Distributed in
Canada by: Raincoast: www.raincoast.com • Published in India by: Hay
House Publishers India: www.hayhouse.co.in
Cover design: Charles McStravick • Interior design: Tricia Breidenthal
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced by any
mechanical, photographic, or electronic process, or in the form of a
phonographic recording; nor may it be stored in a retrieval system,
transmitted, or otherwise be copied for public or private use—other than for
“fair use” as brief quotations embodied in articles and reviews—without
prior written permission of the publisher.
The author of this book does not dispense medical advice or prescribe the
use of any technique as a form of treatment for physical, emotional, or
medical problems without the advice of a physician, either directly or
indirectly. The intent of the author is only to offer information of a general
nature to help you in your quest for emotional and spiritual well-being. In
the event you use any of the information in this book for yourself, which is
your constitutional right, the author and the publisher assume no
responsibility for your actions.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Lawlis, G. Frank.
Not my child : a progressive and proactive approach for healing addicted
teenagers and their families / Dr. Frank Lawlis. — 1st edition.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 978-1-4019-4209-0 (hardcover : alk. paper) 1. Teenagers—
Substance use. 2. Addicts—Rehabilitation. 3. Addicts—Family
relationships. 4. Substance abuse—Treatment. I. Title.
RJ506.D78L39 2013
618.3’686—dc23 2013029763
Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-4019-4209-0
16 15 14 13 4 3 2 1
1st edition, November 2013
Printed in the United States of America
To the administration and staff of Origins
Recovery Centers on South Padre Island, Texas,
for their courage and their amazing skills.
Their loving commitment to healing those
under their care has been an inspiration to me—
and their work serves as proof
that there are healing angels on Earth.
CONTENTS
Preface
PART I: UNDERSTANDING TEENAGE ADDICTION
Introduction: The Face of Teenage Addiction and the Threat to Your Family
Chapter 1: Social Sources of Teenage Addiction and Alcohol- and Drug-
Abuse Beliefs
Chapter 2: Early Detection of Addictive Behaviors in Teenagers
PART II: ADDICTION AND ACTION PLANS FOR THE TEENAGE
BRAIN
Chapter 3: The Dangers of High-Risk Behavior in the Still-Developing
Brain
Chapter 4: Brain Plasticity and Its Role in Addiction Treatment
Chapter 5: Healing the Brains of Teenage Addicts
PART III: WHAT PARENTS AND FAMILY CAN DO TO TREAT THE
TEENAGE ADDICT
Chapter 6: Treating Your Addicted Teenager’s Depression
Chapter 7: Treating Your Addicted Teenager’s Obsessive Craving
Chapter 8: Tough Love—When Enough Is Enough
PART IV: HEALING RELATIONSHIPS AND SPIRITS
Chapter 9: Mending Relationships among the Teenage Addict and Family
Members
Chapter 10: Intention and Prayer for Dealing with Teenage Addiction in a
Family
Afterword: Saving Your Child
Bibliography
Appendix A: A Fable with Principles for Proactive Parenting
Appendix B: Top 20 Drugs and Their Street Names
Appendix C: Recovery Resources
Acknowledgments
About the Author
PREFACE
When I was a teenager, I lived in Levelland, a small town on the South
Plains of the Texas Panhandle. My boyhood stomping grounds were dry—
in terms of alcohol, that is. If adults wanted a beer or mixed drink, they had
to drive 300 miles to Mexico to find the nearest bar. Levelland was in a dry
county—but that didn’t mean booze was not available.
Our preacher frequently railed about the “demons of drink” from his
pulpit, and there were those who drank in abundance. I knew of some local
tragedies related to drinking, but I didn’t have much personal exposure to
alcohol or drug addiction while growing up. Back then, people in my
hometown didn’t pop prescription pills to cure their ailments or to relieve
their aches and pains. As far as I knew, the most prominent approach to pain
was either to take a couple of aspirins or “bite the bullet” and hope it would
go away.
My father had witnessed alcohol abuse while serving in the U.S. Army in
World War II. As the owner and operator of the local airport, he had also
witnessed several small plane crashes in which the pilots had been drinking.
He warned me about the dangers of impaired judgment from drinking. I had
a strong will; my mind was firmly set on playing professional football, so I
took his advice and stayed sober—which is not to say my judgment was
always that great, even with a clear mind!
My dreams of a pro football career did not work out, but I found a greater
calling as a psychologist. I wanted to help young people and families
overcome challenges in their lives to heal their relationships with each
other. While I had little exposure to drug and alcohol addiction as a boy, my
training and early experiences as a psychologist opened my eyes to the
depth of the drug- and alcohol-abuse epidemic in American society. Later, I
had to deal with this problem within my own family when my stepson
became addicted to drugs. This book, then, is written from both professional
and personal experience.
I am painfully aware that teenage drug and alcohol addiction affects not
just the young person in the throes of addiction but the entire family,
straining relationships and throwing lives into turmoil. Parents struggling
with addicted teenagers have told me that their stricken children appear to
have lost their souls, including their abilities to respond to and to give love.
I’ve witnessed firsthand the anger and sense of betrayal generated in a
family dealing with an addict. I’ve been attacked for trying to help. Sadly, I
have been awakened many times at all hours of the night by drunken or
drugged patients or acquaintances crying out for help.
I have a great empathy for families dealing with an addicted loved one. I
also understand their frustrations and their anger over the insidious and
unrelenting nature of addiction. I want you to understand up front that the
challenges that must be overcome are considerable—but there is hope.
Magical transformations can occur. I have seen many teenagers overcome
addiction and return to joyful, productive, and loving lives.
I’ve written this book because the growing number of addicts and the
limitations of current treatment programs for them have convinced me that
we desperately need innovative strategies in the treatment and counseling
programs for those addicted to drugs and alcohol—and for their families
and loved ones, too. If long-standing approaches are not working—and they
are not—then we need to find better and more effective ways to deal with
addiction and its impact on society.
I want to share with you some powerful tools and techniques I’ve used to
help families and individuals dealing with addiction. This book is intended
as a manual for parents dealing with teenage drug and alcohol abuse. I offer
you this material to help you understand your teenager and to assist you in
assessing the level of addiction, as well as to give you a grasp of the
available range of treatments that can help you regain the child you may
feel you’ve lost. This book offers hope, scientific information, and spiritual
encouragement.
As you read, know that your love for your child is a powerful ally. Every
recovery plan should be built upon compassion and strong family bonds.
My approach is unique in that it deals with the disease in a holistic, mind-
body-spirit format based on new and revolutionary findings. I have spent
more than 40 years developing and refining my methods. I began working
in the field of addiction treatment in the 1960s, when I created a new
diagnostic program for alcoholism. Later, I worked with the Texas
Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse and helped write an educational
grant for Texas Tech University. I consider alcohol and drug addiction a
major threat around the world, and I am committed to developing
innovative treatments.
I co-founded the Lawlis and Peavey PsychoNeuroPlasticity Center
(www.lawlispeavey.com) in Lewisville, Texas, where we practice
innovative and holistic approaches for in-depth psychological assessments
that take into account medical, psychological, neurological, sociological,
and relationship considerations. We have had wonderful results with these
methods. I don’t claim that they work for every individual. Each case is
different. The addicted brain can defy scientific understanding at times.
Patience, love, and compassion are often the most critical aspects of
treatment.
About This Book
This book is divided into four sections:
Part I defines the problem of teenage drug and alcohol addiction and its
scope. The Introduction provides case studies that offer insight into the
impact of teenage addiction on parents, siblings, other family members, and
friends. It also looks at the depth of the problem in the United States and
around the world, examines the challenges of finding treatments that work,
and offers an overview of some new methods that show promise.
Chapter 1 looks at teenage addiction and drug and alcohol abuse from a
societal viewpoint so you can put your teenager’s challenges in context. The
central message: you are not alone. Teenage addiction is an epidemic, and
some of it is rooted in the widespread practice of overprescribing of
medication.
Chapter 2 offers guidance in detecting and treating early signs of drug or
alcohol abuse and addiction in teenagers. I note that just because a child
manifests certain behaviors, such as hyperactivity or a short attention span,
a parent shouldn’t assume that the child is at risk—but these are indicators
of a potentially at-risk child.
