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How to Raise a Drug-Free Kid

The Straight Dope for Parents

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About The Book

The highly acclaimed comprehensive guide to getting your child through the formative pre-teen, teen, and college years drug-free—now completely revised and updated.

Nearly every child will be offered drugs or alcohol before graduating high school, and excessive drinking is common at most colleges. But the good news is that a child who gets to age twenty-one without smoking, using illegal drugs, or abusing alcohol or prescription drugs is virtually certain never to do so.

Drawing on more than two decades of research at The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University (CASAColumbia), founder Joseph A. Califano, Jr., presents a clear, common-sense guide to helping kids stay drug-free. All parents dream of a healthy, productive, and fulfilling future for their children; Califano shows which specific actions work and what parents can do to teach, protect, and empower their children to have the greatest chance of making that future come true. Teenagers who learn about the risks of drugs from their parents are twice as likely never to try them, and this book provides the tools parents need to prepare their children for those crucial decision-making moments.

In this revised and updated edition, Califano tackles some of the newest obstacles standing between our kids and a drug-free life—from social media sites and cell phone apps to the explosion in prescription and over-the-counter drug abuse and the increased dangers and addictive power of marijuana. He reveals what teens can’t or won’t tell their parents about their thoughts on drugs and alcohol, and combines the latest research with his discussions with thousands of parents and teens about the challenges that widespread access to drugs and alcohol present, and how parents can instill in their teens the will and skills to choose not to use. Califano’s insightful and lively guide is as readable as it is informative.

About The Author

Eric Weiss Photography

Joseph A. Califano, Jr. spent thirty years in Washington at the top of the Pentagon, on the White House staff as chief domestic advisor to the President, and in the Cabinet. He worked as an attorney for The Washington Post during Watergate and has represented clients as varied as the Black Panthers and Coca Cola. He also spent years on Wall Street and served on more than fifteen public company boards and numerous not-for-profit boards. He is founder of The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University (CASA). He has written fourteen books, including Our Damaged Democracy. He lives in Westport, Connecticut.

Product Details

  • Publisher: Atria Books (September 9, 2014)
  • Length: 432 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781476728438

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Raves and Reviews

“This should be required reading for every parent of a child. Addiction has claimed the children of too many. Having the information and maintaining parental vigilance is a great start. The tools are found between the covers of this well-crafted book.”

– Judge Judy Sheindlin

“This wonderful book will help you answer some tough questions and give you a roadmap for tackling one of the hardest tasks as a parent.”

– Jamie Lee Curtis, mother, actress, and author of children’s books

“The revised edition of How To Raise A Drug-Free Kid makes an already terrific book for parents even better. The book’s focus on engaged and informed parenting is a very powerful approach. The book provides many ideas and very practical tips for parents on navigating the tumultuous waters of raising a child, and raising a child drug-free."

– Joseph Woolston, MD, Albert J. Solnit Professor of Pediatrics and Child Psychiatry, Yale Child Study Center

“This revised edition of Joe Califano’s book, How To Raise A Drug-Free Kid, adds plenty of practical advice gleaned from both scientific literature and tips from parents. I recommend it with enthusiasm to parents and teachers.”

– Herb Kleber, MD, professor of psychiatry and director, Division on Substance Abuse, Columbia University and New York State Psychiatric Institute

“The author seems to peer under every rock and pebble to help parents understand which kids are most at risk, when the risks are highest, how to combat the issue, and more. From specific information about individual drugs to how to recognize abuse and seek treatment, this title is the 'Bible' on kids and substance abuse.”

– Library Journal

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