New eBook Offers Conversation Starters to Reduce Underage Drinking

According to The Partnership at DrugFree.org [1] , the MOST influential person in a child’s decision to drink (or use drugs) is their parent. “90% of addictions start in the teen years,” reports The Partnership. “Cut the risk in half by talking to your kids.”

But often it’s difficult to know what to say. Parents wonder, “Don’t all teens drink?” Or they believe, “It’s important to teach my teen to drink before s/he goes off to college.” Or they are concerned about how it sounds to their teen, “I don’t want you to drink. It’s okay that I do because I’m an adult [and their teen is 18].” Or they may recall their own high school drinking experiences and feel hypocritical telling their teen not to drink.

I wrote my latest book (published as an eBook), Crossing The Line From Alcohol Use to Abuse to Dependence: Debunking Myths About Drinking Alcohol That Can Cause a Person to Cross the Line, to provide the science in a conversational tone that debunks the myths that get people into trouble with drinking. I wrote it as a place from which to start conversations about the myriad of issues around drinking. Myths relevant to conversations with teens about underage drinking, include:

Myth 2: A Drink is A Drink
Myth 3: Throwing up, drinking coffee, taking a cold shower or walking around the block will sober a person up.
Myth 4:  Eating a big meal absorbs the alcohol and drinking lots of water dilutes it so a person can drink more and not get drunk.
Myth 5: Some people can just hold their liquor better than others
Myth 6: The best thing to do for a drunk friend is to let them sleep it off.
Myth 7: People who get DUIs (DWIs) had to know they were too drunk to drive.
Myth 12: Teens are too young to be alcoholics, and besides, all teens drink at some point.
Myth 13: Do like the Europeans and lower the drinking age â€" that’ll take care of the problem of underage drinking.

If you are like me and have (had) never read an eBook before or you do you own an eBook Reader, nowadays you can download FREE apps to read a particular eBook version (Kindle or Nook, as examples) from just about any device (iPhone, iPad, Mac, PC, Android, BlackBerry….). The two eBook versions available now are the Kindle and the Sony â€" others will follow in the next 2-4 weeks. To purchase, you download the free app to your reading device (phone, computer, tablet), first, and then you purchase the book. I’ve provided links below:

For the KINDLE (Amazon) version ($3.99):

For the SONY (ReaderStore) version ($3.99):

Lisa Frederiksen has been consulting, researching, writing and speaking on substance abuse, addiction, treatment, dual diagnosis, underage drinking and help for the family centered around 21st century brain and addiction-related research since 2003. Her 4o+ years experience with family and friends’ alcohol abuse and alcoholism, her own recovery work, and her research for her most recent books, "Crossing The Line From Alcohol Use to Abuse to Dependence," "Loved One In Treatment? Now What!" and "If You Loved Me, You'd Stop!," frame her work. She founded BreakingTheCycles.com in 2008 and writes a blog of the same name.

Links

1. ^{^} The Partnership at DrugFree.org (www.drugfree.org)

source: www.breakingthecycles.com