by David Sheff
Other sites provide information and support for people who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender.
Additionally, you can find sites that offer help for kids who feel isolated or are suffering from abuse, problems in the family, or problems at school.
Online resources are plentiful. Make sure to check them out if needed.
SELF-TESTS
SELF-TESTS FOR DRUG AND ALCOHOL ADDICTION FROM THE NCADD:
www.ncadd.org/get-help/take-the-test/self-test-for-teenagers
www.ncadd.org/get-help/take-the-test/am-i-drug-addicted
www.ncadd.org/get-help/take-the-test/am-i-alcoholic-self-test
SELF-TESTS FOR DEPRESSION
www.psychologytoday.com/tests
www.mentalhealthamerica.net/mental-health-screen/patient-health
SELF-TESTS FOR ANXIETY DISORDER
www.psychologytoday.com/tests
www.mentalhealthamerica.net/mental-health-screen/anxiety
Appendix 3: Helpful Books
ABUSE (SEXUAL OR PHYSICAL)
The Sexual Trauma Workbook for Teen Girls by Raychelle Cassada Lohmann and Sheela Raja
It Happened to Me: A Teen’s Guide to Overcoming Sexual Abuse by William Lee Carter
Bastard Out of Carolina by Dorothy Allison
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
ADDICTION
Tweak by Nic Sheff
We All Fall Down by Nic Sheff
Crank by Ellen Hopkins
Go Ask Alice by Anonymous
Alateen—Hope for Children of Alcoholics by Al-Anon Family Group Head Inc.
ANXIETY
My Anxious Mind: A Teen’s Guide to Managing Anxiety and Panic by Michael A. Tompkins and Katherine A. Martinez
The Anxiety Survival Guide for Teens: CBT Skills to Overcome Fear, Worry, and Panic by Jennifer and Doug Shannon
Anxiety Workbook for Teens: Activities to Help You Deal with Anxiety and Worry by Lisa M. Schab
Anxiety Sucks! A Teen Survival Guide by Natasha Daniels
BULLYING
The Survival Guide to Bullying: Written by a Teen by Aija Mayrock
Odd Girl Speaks Out: Girls Write About Bullies, Cliques, Popularity, and Jealousy by Rachel Simmons
The Bullying Workbook for Teens: Activities to Help You Deal with Social Aggression and Cyberbullying by Raychelle Cassada Lohmann
DEPRESSION
Depression: A Teen’s Guide to Survive and Thrive by Claire Freeland, PhD, and Jacqueline Toner, PhD
Prozac Nation by Elizabeth Wurtzel
The Anti-Depressant Book: A Practical Guide for Teens and Young Adults to Overcome Depression and Stay Healthy by Jacob Towery
DIVORCE
The Divorce Helpbook for Teens by Cynthia MacGregor
Now What Do I Do? A Guide to Help Teenagers with Their Parents’ Separation or Divorce by Lynn Cassella-Kapusinski
EATING DISORDERS
What’s Eating You: A Workbook for Teens with Anorexia, Bulimia, and Other Eating Disorders by Tammy Nelson, PhD
Elena Vanishing: A Memoir by Elena and Clare B. Dunkle
GRIEF
Tiger Eyes by Judy Blume
When a Friend Dies: A Book for Teens About Grieving and Healing by Marilyn E. Gootman, EdD
Stuff That Sucks: A Teen’s Guide to Accepting What You Can’t Change and Committing to What You Can by Ben Sedley
INSPIRATION
Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith by Anne Lamott
The Places That Scare You by Pema Chodron
MENTAL ILLNESS
Crazy by Han Nolan
Madness: A Bipolar Life by Marya Hornbacher
Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon
Facing Bipolar: A Young Adult’s Guide to Facing Bipolar Disorder by Russ Federman, PhD, and J. Anderson Thomson, MD
Mind Race: A Firsthand Account of One Teenager’s Experience with Bipolar Disorder by Patrick E. Jamieson and Moira A. Rynn
RAPE AND SEXUAL ASSAULT
The Sexual Trauma Workbook for Teen Girls: A Guide to Recovery from Sexual Assault and Abuse by Raychelle Cassada Lohmann, MS LPC, and Sheela Raja, PhD
SELF-HARM
Cutters Don’t Cry by Christine Dzidrums
Cut by Patricia McCormick
Scars by Cheryl Rainfield
Girl in Pieces by Kathleen Glasgow
SHYNESS
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain
The Shyness and Social Anxiety Workbook for Teens: CBT and ACT Skills to Help You Build Social Confidence by Jennifer and Doug Shannon
Beyond Texting: The Fine Art of Face-to-Face Communication for Teenagers by Debra Fine
STRESS
Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff for Teens: Simple Ways to Keep Your Cool in Stressful Times by Richard Carlson
The Stress Reduction Workbook for Teens: Mindfulness Skills to Help You Deal with Stress by Gina M. Biegel
A Still Quiet Place for Teens: A Mindfulness Workbook to Ease Stress and Difficult Emotions by Amy Saltzman, MD
SUICIDE
Hello Cruel World: 101 Alternatives to Suicide for Teens, Freaks, and Other Outlaws by Kate Bornstein
Power to Prevent Suicide: A Guide for Teens Helping Teens by Bev Cobain, RNC, and Richard Nelson, PhD
Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
TRAUMA
The PTSD Workbook for Teens: Simple, Effective Skills for Healing Trauma by Libbi Palmer
The Way I Used to Be by Amber Smith
Superhero Therapy: Mindfulness Skills to Help Teens and Young Adults Deal with Anxiety, Depression, and Trauma by Wellinton Alves and Janina Scarlet, PhD
CITATIONS
Some sections/material of this book have been previously published/adapted from Clean: Overcoming Addiction and Ending America’s Greatest Tragedy by David Sheff (Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2014).
2. AMERICA ON DRUGS
17 “Weed: It makes me feel”: Mike Sager, “What I’ve Learned: Snoop Dogg,” Esquire, July 14, 2008 (www.esquire.com/entertainment/interviews/a4723/snoop-dogg-0708).
20 “Don’t do drugs”: “Eminem Quotes.” Celebrity Hub (celebrityhub.net/53/eminem-quotes; October 22, 2017).
“I was sober”: FOX News Entertainment, “Charlie Sheen Says Sobriety ‘Bores’ Him, Crack Okay if You Can ‘Manage It Socially,’” February 15, 2011 (www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2011/02/15/charlie-sheen-says-sobriety-bores-crack-okay-manage-socially.htm; October 10, 2017).
“break[s] out in handcuffs”: Barry Popik, “I’m Allergic to Alcohol. Every Time I Drink I Break Out in Handcuffs.” The Big Apple, November 30, 2016 (www.barrypopik.com/index.php/new_york_city/entry/im_allergic_to_alcohol; October 10, 2017).
20 “There’s this perception”: May Wilkerson, “Gaga Used Coke to Cope with Loneliness,” The Fix, May 4, 2012 (www.thefix.com/content/gaga-used-coke-cope-loneliness90065).
21 On average, a teenager is exposed: Tara Parker-Pope, “Under the Influence of . . . Music?” Well (blog), New York Times, February 5, 2008.
22 a study of sixteen thousand teenagers: Reiner Hanewinkel et al., “Alcohol Consumption in Movies and Adolescent Binge Drinking in 6 European Countries,” Pediatrics, March 5, 2012, doi: 10.1542/peds.2011-2809.
Another study showed: Joel W. Grube, “Alcohol in the Media: Drinking Portrayals, Alcohol Advertising, and Alcohol Consumption Among Youth,” National Center for Biotechnology Information, 2004 (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK37586; October 22, 2017).
five hundred teenagers: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), “The DAWN Report,” 2014 (www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/spot143-underage-drinking-2014/spot143-underage-drinking-2014/spot143-underage-drinking-2014.pdf, October 31, 2017).
ninety people die every day: The White House, “Continued Rise in Opioid Overdose Deaths in 2015 Shows Urgent Need for Treatment,” December 8, 2016 (obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2016/12/08/continued-rise-opi
oid-overdose-deaths-2015-shows-urgent-need-treatment; October 22, 2017).
23 more people than cars and guns: Sara Bellum, “Drug Overdoses Kill More Than Cars, Guns, and Falling,” NIDA for Teens, June 11, 2014 (teens.drugabuse.gov/blog/post/drug-overdoses-kill-more-than-cars-guns-and-falling; October 22, 2017).
number-one killer of people under fifty: Josh Katz, “Drug Deaths in America Are Rising Faster Than Ever,” National Center for Health Statistics, 2017 (www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/06/05/upshot/opioid-epidemic-drug-overdose-deaths-are-rising-faster-than-ever.html; October 22, 2017).
number-one deadliest drug: White House, “Continued Rise in Opioid Overdose Deaths.”
Cigarettes, which are addictive: Ibid.
Some people believe: National Institute on Drug Abuse, “What Are Electronic Cigarettes?” June 2017 (www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/electronic-cigarettes-e-cigarettes; October 22, 2017).
24 “that was the last time”: WENN, “Pink: ‘I Quit Drugs After Teenage Club Overdose,’” Contactmusic.com, October 22, 2012 (www.contactmusic.com/pink/news/pink-i-quit-drugs-after-teenage-club-overdose_3338313; October 22, 2017).
Almost 80 percent: National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, “Alcohol, Drugs, and Crime” (www.ncadd.org/about-addiction/alcohol-drugs-and-crime, October 31, 2017).
25 almost three times likelier: Ibid.
at least 60 percent of homeless people: National Coalition for the Homeless, “Substance Abuse and Homelessness,” July 2009 (nationalhomeless.org/factsheets/addiction.html; October 22, 2017).
six times more likely to commit suicide: Rebecca A. Clay, “Substance Abuse and Suicide: White Paper Explores Connection,” SAMHSA News, January/February 2009 (media.samhsa.gov/samhsaNewsletter/Volume_17_Number_1/SubstanceAbuseAndSuicide.aspx; October 22, 2017).
full half of teenage suicides: Committee on Adolescence, “Suicide and Suicide Attempts in Adolescents,” Pediatrics 105 (2000): 871–74.
27 almost half of high school students: Monitoring the Future, “Trends in Annual Prevalence of Use of Various Drugs in Grades 8, 10, and 12” (www.monitoringthefuture.org/data/16data/16drtbl2.pdf; October 22, 2017).
“Sometimes people are fascinated”: Bang Showbiz, “Taylor Swift’s Party Vow,” ABS-CBN News, October 26, 2009 (news.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/10/26/09/taylor-swifts-party-vow; October 22, 2017).
3. CHOOSING TO USE
31 single biggest source of stress: American Psychological Association, “American Psychological Association Survey Shows Teen Stress Rivals That of Adults,” February 11, 2014 (www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2014/02/teen-stress.aspx; October 22, 2017).
32 struggle to manage these mental conditions: Josie Feliz, “BREAKING POINTS,” Partnership for Drug Free Kids, April 26, 2016 (www.drugfree.org/newsroom/partnership-drug-free-kids-responds-youth-rx-abuse-breaking-points-short-film; October 22, 2017).
34 In a research project, a psychology professor: Tara ParkerPope, “Teenagers, Friends and Bad Decisions,” Well (blog), New York Times, February 3, 2011 (well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/03/teenagers-friends-and-bad-decisions).
35 Dr. Ulrike Heberlein, a neuroscientist: Sheff, Clean
36 flies have no choice: Sheff, Clean.
“Adolescent humans are supposed to taste”: Sheff, Clean, 30.
39 Learning differences: Parker-Pope, “Teenagers, Friends, and Bad Decisions.”
40 suffer a substance-use disorder: National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, “Substance Abuse and Learning Disabilities: Peas in a Pod or Apples and Oranges?” September 2000 (www.centeronaddiction.org/addiction-research/reports/substance-abuse-learning-disabilities; October 22, 2017).
5. KEEPING SANE
55 “I remember seeing girls”: Laurie Sandell, “Taylor Swift: Bomb-Shell in Blue Jeans,” Glamour, June 30, 2009 (www.glamour.com/story/taylor-swift-bomb-shell-in-blue-jeans).
57 “Try not to compare your insides with other people’s outsides”: Anne Lamott, “12 Truths I Learned from Life and Writing,” TED Talk video, filmed April 2017 in Toronto, Canada, 15:55 (www.ted.com/talks/anne_lamott_12_truths_i_learned_from_life_and_writing).
60 “feelings of loneliness and even depression”: Jessica Winter, “Selfie-Loathing,” Slate, June 23, 2013 (www.slate.com/articles/technology/technology/2013/07/instagram_and_self_esteem_why_the_photo_sharing_network_is_even_more_depressing.html; October 22, 2017).
61 Studies have shown that teenagers: Sophie Bushwick, “New Findings Imply Exercise in Adolescence May Help Prevent Drug Abuse,” Brookhaven National Laboratory News, August 4, 2010 (www.bnl.gov/newsroom/news.php?a=111159).
studies have shown that it can lower stress: Margarita Tartakovsky, M.S. “How Mindfulness Can Mitigate the Cognitive Symptoms of Depression,” Psych Central (psychcentral.com/lib/how-mindfulness-can-mitigate-the-cognitive-symptoms-of-depression; October 22, 2017).
students who meditate before taking tests: Huffington Post, “Mindfulness Could Improve College Students’ Testing Ability, Study Finds,” March 27, 2013 (www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/27/mindfulness-testing-focus-reading-comprehension_n_2957146.html; October 22, 2017).
62 Many schools now offer meditation: Kelly Wallace, “Calming the Teenage Mind in the Classroom,” CNN, February 9, 2016 (www.cnn.com/2016/02/08/health/mindfulness-teenagers-schools-stress; October 22, 2017).
64 those who spent minimal time online: Jenifer Goodwin, “Teen Drinking, Smoking Higher Among Among Facebook Users: Survey,” HealthDay, August 24, 2011 (consumer.healthday.com/kids-health-information-23/kids-and-alcohol-health-news-11/teen-drinking-smoking-higher-among-facebook-users-survey-656108.html; October 22, 2017).
64 all of which can contribute to drug use: Roni Caryn Rabin, “Video Games and the Depressed Teenager,” Well (blog), New York Times, January 18, 2011 (well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/18/video-games-and-the-depressed-teenager; October 22, 2017).
65 The majority of teens don’t get: National Sleep Foundation, “Teens and Sleep.” (www.sleepfoundation.org/sleep-topics/teens-and-sleep; October 22, 2017).
6. ALCOHOL: JUST ONE DRINK
88 seven times more likely to die: Ralph Hingson et al. “Age of Drinking Onset, Driving After Drinking, and Involvement in Alcohol-Related Motor Vehicle Crashes.” DOT HS 809 188. Washington, D.C.: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, January 2001.
Almost 40,000 people: National Safety Council, “Motor Vehicle Deaths Increase by Largest Percent in 50 Years,” February 17, 2016 (www.nsc.org/Connect/NSCNewsReleases/Lists/Posts/Post.aspx?List=1f2e4535-5dc3-45d6-b190-9b49c7229931&ID=103&var=hppress&Web=36d1832e-7bc3-4029-98a1-317c5cd5c625; October 22, 2017).
Overall, alcohol kills: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Fact Sheets—Alcohol Use and Your Health” (www.cdc.gov/alcohol/fact-sheets/alcohol-use.htm; October 22, 2017).
89 four alcoholic drinks for women: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, “Drinking Levels Defined” (www.niaaa.nih.gov/alcohol-health/overview-alcohol-consumption/moderate-binge-drinking; October 22, 2017).
About 90 percent of the alcohol consumed: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Fact Sheets—Binge Drinking” (www.cdc.gov/alcohol/fact-sheets/binge-drinking.htm; October 22, 2017).
an epidemic of sexual assault: Antonia Abbey, PhD, et al., “Alcohol and Sexual Assault,” National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/arh25-1/43-51.htm; October 22, 2017).
91 damage done during teenage years: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, “Underage Drinking,” January 2006 (pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/AA67/AA67.htm; October 22, 2017).
95 at the University of California, San Diego: Benjamin R. Nordstrom and Herbert D. Kleber, “Clinical and Societal Implications of Drug Legalization,” in Lowinson and Ruiz’s Substance Abuse: A Comprehensive Textbook, eds. Pedro Ruiz, MD, and Eric C. Strain, MD, 5th ed. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins, 2011, 1034–1045.
7. MARIJUANA: HITS AND MYTH
S
101 Fewer smokers than nonsmokers: National Institute on Drug Abuse, “How Does Marijuana Use Affect School, Work, and Social Life?” (www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/marijuana/how-does-marijuana-use-affect-school-work-social-life; October 22, 2017).
102 less likely to finish high school: Dr. Edmund Sillins PhD, et al., “Young Adult Sequelae of Adolescent Cannabis Use: An Integrative Analysis,” Lancet, September 2014 (www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpsy/article/PIIS2215-0366(14)70307-4/abstract; October 31, 2017).
seven times more likely to attempt suicide: Ludovica Iaccino, “Teens Who Smoke Cannabis Daily ‘Seven Times Mores Likely to Commit Suicide,’” International Business Times, September 11, 2014 (www.ibtimes.co.uk/teens-who-smoke-cannabis-daily-seven-times-more-likely-commit-suicide-1464983).
