The latest information on gender-specific treatment of addiction and recovery can be found in this go-to manual for parents seeking direction to help their daughters. Step-by-step guidelines present tools for recognizing substance abuse in young women; communicating with them and their care providers; dealing with relapse and long-term recovery; and managing parental shame, guilt, fear, anger, and loving detachment.
“Novelist (Cleans Up Nicely) and biographer Dahl has done her homework on the topic of gender-specific treatment for alcohol and/or drug addiction, and she presents her findings in a thorough and forthright manner. The mother of a young woman with addiction issues as well as a recovering alcoholic herself, Dahl is personally engaged with her subject, but her primary focus is on providing useful information to others. Dahl points out that girls and young women are the fastest-growing group of addicts in the country,” and risky substance use is the number one public healthcare problem for U.S. youth. She walks readers through the process of turning addiction around, going over the warning signs of substance abuse, when and how to intervene, the benefits of gender-specific recovery programs (preferably inpatient, with strong aftercare), and other topics (women addicts, she notes, are particularly prone to guilt and shame, and may require longer treatment plans than males). Dahl also includes a helpful assessment of specific types of treatment facilities. This compassionate and invaluable guide will aide parents as they set out to support their addicted daughters on the journey to recovery and healing.”
—Publishers Weekly
“This book is a treasure trove of information and insights for parents who are dealing with the challenge of drugs, alcohol and other high risk behaviors with their teens and young adults. It provides fundamental information about addiction as a disease, reviews treatment options, and discusses gender differences with clarity and compassion. Dahl weaves in stories of her own life, and the lives of other young women who have been caught in the web of addiction. As the parent of an addict, I wish I had this kind of guidance when I started my own journey. Highly recommended.”
—Suebee, Amazon.com